Flow.

Over the years I have practiced many types of yoga. My very first yoga class was at Integral Yoga on 13th street in Manhattan.  It was a great place to start because they have a designated Brand New Beginners class.  So there is no worry about looking crazy your first time because it's everyone's first time. It's a class full of virgins so to speak.

I practiced there for while until I joined a gym in Brooklyn near my house called the Training Academy. It was on Waverly Avenue, owned by a black woman named Laura Gorriaran-Goodwin,  and it had a boxing ring. I have to admit, that's why I really joined the gym. As many of you know I am a Sporty Spice so to stand inside of a regulation size boxing ring was like going to sporty heaven for me. So I joined and started taking kickboxing!  

Just before I joined this gym, I had been going to another in Brooklyn that shall remain nameless.  I took a couple of yoga classes there, but they were pretty bad, especially after going to Integral. I thought I would never take yoga at a gym again, but when I joined the Training Academy, something told me to give yoga one more try.  

Now two major things happened while at this new gym.  I realized that I had a shoulder injury. Something I had suffered at the other gym, but to this day I don't know exactly how it happened.  The other thing is that I found out I had a hiatal hernia.  I tell you folks, the wheel doesn't stop turning. But let's get back to yoga. 

At the Training Academy I started taking Kundalini and Iyengar yoga. Talk about two different styles, but I really loved them both and I had two amazing teachers.  Simran taught Kundalini and Debra taught Iyengar.  I feel so blessed to have met these women because this is the time in my life where I feel that yoga saved my life.  

When I learned that I had the hernia, the doctor tried to put me on meds indefinitely. Without getting into too much detail I'll just say that the breathing in Kundalini made it so I never had to take one pill.  Then later when I had my shoulder injury, it was the Iyengar that helped me ease back into practice and have proper alignment so I wouldn't hurt myself again.  

As time went on and yoga became more and more popular in NYC I found myself in a ton of vinyasa classes. Everywhere I went it was just vinyasa. I enjoyed them for sure, but I felt something was missing.  As time went on I got lucky again and found some new amazing teachers at a studio called Area Yoga.  First was Tina, then Keely and Shira.  I put myself on a 30 day yoga challenge and they were amazing. They really restored my love of yoga and Keely was the first to encourage me to think about teacher training.

Fast forward to teacher training.  I almost went to Laughing Lotus, but the Goddess saw fit to send me to Kripalu.  I am so thankful for that, but the emphasis at Kripalu is not on flow or at least not a vinyasa style of flow as I knew it. At first I thought I might miss the flow, but while training and then after when I starting teaching classes, I have really grown to love a slower paced, breath and posture focused practice. So that is what I have been teaching, but last Tuesday (3/26) I decided to sub for one of my fellow teachers at Hip Dhamma.

I wasn't sure what style of class she taught, but I soon learned that her class is vinyasa.  I knew I could do it, but up to this point I had never taught that style of class.  So before heading to the studio, I got on my mat and home and mapped it out. It all came back so fast, but I wanted to also make sure I wasn't losing the Kripalu philosophy in it all.  I know how it is when you are a sub in any kind of class. You really have to show and prove because often times people who come to class are coming to practice with "their" teacher.  You all know what I mean.  Well...here goes nothing.

I got to class and met Mack.  He is one of our new karmis at the studio so he set up and the room and he informed me that he was also going to take the class with me. Then slowly people started coming in.  Soon Chris, who I hadn't seen in a while, shows up.  Also I had a woman in class who had never taken yoga before.  Now I really knew I had my work cut out for me. I just assumed that most of the people there would have at least taken yoga before. I guess you know what they say happens when you assume.  LOL.

I opened class as I usually do. Pretty slowly, was a little talk and some breath work. Then we turned up the heat.  Even though I have pretty good yoga language, moving faster I really had to be super mindful and keep an eye on my newbie.  Tough!  Usually when I teach class I do all the moves or as many as I can with the students, but this time I really couldn't. I had to do some and then really keep an eye out. At the close of every class, while the students are in savasana, I give them Reiki. There were 7 people in the class so I took time and  I made sure I sent energy to everyone.  I wasn't sure how people felt about the class at that point, but at least I knew that the folks would be feeling good after their shot of Reiki. LOL

When class was over many if not all of the students told me that they really enjoyed the class.  I was so thankful.  At some points I really didn't know how it was all going to turn out.  A couple of students wanted to know what time I teach on Sundays so they can come!  That was really great.   Since graduation, every time I am asked to teach and I know it’s something that I have not done before, I say yes.  That is what we were taught at Kripalu and so far saying yes has really worked out wonderfully.

So, In the spirit of Kripalu, I declare that  I am a vinyasa teacher! Yes! Give Thanks!

The Return of the Yog-i!

Hey Everyone!

After a long and unexpected yoga hiatus I am back! I hadn’t stopped exercising all together, but I moved back to my Sporty Spice cardio side. I was biking and walking, but honestly even the time I was putting into that was a little slim. Sometimes it takes big change to get you back on track and that is surely what has been happening over the last few months.

As you know, I’m a vocalist/musican as well as a yogi. I did a huge show in August at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival and it was amazing! It was one of the best experiences of my life [Click Here for Michfest Recap: "This is Called the Show"], but afterward I didn’t have a voice for a week. That really scared me. I will admit that I knew there was something wonky going on with my voice before that show, but I never had anything happen to me like that before. Maybe after doing a show I wouldn’t have voice for one day, but even that was one day too many.

So when I got back to New York I went to the doctor who told me my vocal chords were very swollen and my left one was swollen to the point of almost developing a polyp. I didn’t freak out about that, but what I did freak out about was when the doctor told me I had to take medication to bring the swelling down. Seems simple, but I’m just not a pill person at all and what she prescribed me I was honestly very leery of. I know what it has done to other people in large doses. She assured me that because I was only taking 1 pill for 5 days I wouldn’t have those problems. So I took the meds, but at that moment I knew I had to get back to yoga. Yoga saved my life once so I know it will do it again.

So all that to say that I’m on vocal rest until at least the end of the month and then I’ll know more after some other tests with the speech pathologist. I will also tell you that I feel great. I’m not worried about what is on the other side. I know I’m going to be better if I just shut up for a while. When you are not well, it’s better to know what is going on so that you can do everything in your power to remedy the situation. Even if you have a life threatening challenge it’s better to know! There are healers and healing modalities all around you. Just reach out to your community and there is someone that has some information for you. If you don’t think you have community, well now you have this blog and I can point you in some direction. Okay enough of the health PSA for today. lol

Let’s get back to my return to yoga. When I was at Michfest I reconnected with a wonderful sista, dancer and yogi, Sokhna. We vowed to reconnect when we got back to Brooklyn. It was a hectic August so we just got together last Friday when she invited me to a yoga class that she was subbing for at Shambala Yoga & Dance Center. It just so happens that that’s also the new location of where I practice Reiki. She also teaches there regularly on Sunday afternoon.



Friday September 9th

Shambala Yoga & Dance Center, 367 St. Marks Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238

On that morning of the 9th I jumped back into the fray. Class was at 8:15am and that was the best way to start my day. Since I had told Sokhna about 3 or 4 days ago that I would be at class, I peeled myself up, got myself together, jumped on my bike and headed over.

I saw Sokhna near the reception area when I arrived. We said out hellos and I checked in. I really like Shambala. They moved into a new space just down the street from where they were before. They have one studio for yoga and dance and two treatment rooms. It also feels really wonderful in there and to me it’s really all about the vibe of a space.

The class that morning was small. I think there were only four of us, but I really like classes like that. The teacher can give some extra attention if they are that kind of teacher. Sokhna told me about the class she taught on the Wednesday before and the class was in that vain. She taught a Hatha class with a little bit of Kundalini, which she says is really Hatha as well. I always know when there is a little Kunkalini mixed in when we start doing the breath of fire. Sokhna told me we were going to be holding the poses a little longer than usual, which was a little challenging because I hadn’t taken class in a while, but it was just what I needed. I can always tell my fitness level by my Om. In fact Om is the only vocalizing that I have been doing since put on vocal rest. I know it heals so I’m going with it.

Sokhna’s class was kind of interesting because some might say she did the class backwards because we ended with Sun Salutations, which was actually really nice. The class was an hour long and I can’t remember all the postures we did during the class, but what I can say is that it was really wonderful way to jump off my trip back down yoga lane.

If you live in Prospect Heights of just like to try different yoga studios in Brooklyn I recommend Shambala. Sokhna teaches Kundalini yoga every Sunday at 1pm. She is also in private practice where she does pre-natal as her primary thing. So if you or someone you know might be interested in her services I can point you in her direction.

Namaste.

Me & Sokhna

New Moon in June : Moving Meditation

Move with Grace, 469 Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205

It has been a long while since I stepped foot into a yoga studio. My last blog was on April 5th. Damn! Sad shame. I have still been active, but not in the yoga department. I was planning on picking up my passbook, when I got an invite on Facebook from my girl Ashni about an Osho Kundalini Meditation class she was teaching on June 1st, which happened to be the New Moon.

My New Moon ritual for June had already been planed out for a bit. I ended my IndieGoGo Campaign on the New Moon because I knew that although the campaign was just beginning, there was much newness ahead. I also made a spa appointment for that day at the Trump Soho Spa. I had a Turkish Hammam treatment. Amazing! No I’m not rolling in the dough like that. I was on assignment, so my treatment was on the house. Then I saw the meditation invite and thought it would be the perfect ending to the day. Somewhere along the way I picked up a Reiki client for that day as well. So it was full indeed.

The 1st was hot and humid. You didn’t have to walk to far in New York to feel the heat all over you. When I finished with my Reiki client I had to rush to get to meditation.

The class was at a spot called Move with Grace in Clinton Hills, Brooklyn. That was the first neighborhood I lived in when I moved to Brooklyn. Boy has that neighborhood changed, but that’s for another blog. I jumped into my yoga pants and then onto my bike and headed to the studio. I biked from Crown Heights to Clinton Hills. Easy ride down Pacific to Bedford. Down Bedford to Dekalb. Dekalb to Hall St and then left on Myrtle.

I was fully expecting this to be a sitting meditation. That’s what I usually do when I got to meditate at New York Insight in the City, but boy was I in for a surprise. Now Ashni has put some very subtle hints in the email saying what the meditation would be like, but clearly I missed all the hints.

By the time I got there I was drenched with sweat. It was crazy. I thought I would be okay because I was going to sit and meditate right? Wrong!

When I got in I had to sign a liability form, which I thought that was strange if we were going to just be sitting there. HA! When I get in Ashni was talking to two other classmates about what we were about to do. She backtracked for me and told us that we were going to be shaking, dancing, standing and sitting or lying down for 15 minutes each! Folks, that’s a long time. She showed us the shake and then talked a bit about the dance, which was our own and not choreographed. Well there went my idea that I was going to be able to cool down right away.

After the instructions Ashni fired up the music. It sounded like someone on a vibraphone. It was very staccato and it did make you want to shake. Oh did I forget to mention that we are doing all this with our eyes closed? Carrying on...

So on we go shaking for 15 minutes. Probably the longest 15 minutes of my life. I actually got tired after a while. It was wild to do, but there I was doing it with my eyes closed. Finally that music faded down and then there was new music.

This time the music felt like something one could belly dance too. I begin dancing. Remember we all have our eyes closed. So as much as you might want to all-out dance you can’t move around too much as you might bump into your neighbor or better yet a wall! So there I am dancing with my eyes close. Now I’ve been out dancing many times in my life. I’ve seen the inside of my share of clubs. I have danced for hours on end without stopping for water, but this also seemed like one of the longest 15 minutes of my life. Maybe it felt that way because I couldn’t move around so much. I could jump and sway and spin, but I have to admit that the first time I spun around with my eyes closed I got really dizzy so I didn’t try that again. Lol. So we all danced while Ashni told us to free our minds of anything else but the dance. It really felt good.

After some time that music also came to an end. Then we were instructed to sit or stand for the next 15 minutes. I chose to stand. I could feel the energy rushing through my body. So much of it was going to my feet. I’m sure because I was standing, but it was really amazing to feel. I stood there in Mountain Pose for 15 minutes. That’s the longest I have ever held that pose. I think now I’m starting to understand it’s power. Just to stand and really feel your feet beneath you is amazing. Now that I’m writing this I know I have to do that barefoot in the grass. I’ll be sure to report back about that.

Then the last 15 minutes we laid down on the floor. Usually when I’m in savasana I don’t fall asleep, but this time I was tired. I don’t know if it was the shaking, the dancing or just the heat of the day, but I was beat. I kept hearing myself breathing and it would wake me up. Soon Ashni was bringing us back and the class was over.

It was just amazing. I think something changed in me after that. I had been fighting headaches for a while and I haven’t had one since the New Moon. I know that was only about a week ago, but trust me that is big for me.

It was the perfect end to my New Moon day. I really felt like the New Moon was working on me that night and even now. I felt like old things were being left behind and the new was coming in. Thank Goddess. I really need a change.

If you are interested in Ashni’s class it’s Every Wednesday evening at 8pm at Move with Grace in Clinton Hills, BK. The class is by donation. Call ahead to make sure class is happening. I think it may not be happening this week (6/8), but it will return next week.

Stay tuned. I will soon return to the mat.

Namaste.