YOGA PASSBOOK REVIEW #5: East West Yoga
2009 June 22
Where&When: This was Thursday 11 June, a rainy day at 6:45 PM. 5th Ave, just south of 14th St. I was lingering in the giant bookshop, buying an Aquarian pack for Angelica’s birthday. Digging through jars of crystals, I made friends with a man who asked me if my name was Mercury. www.eastwestnyc.com
Overall Impresssion: When the elevator doors opened to the second floor Yoga studio, I was amazed to see Alex Grey’s paintings lining the hallway. (These are paintings I feel close to, having spent time with them at full moon glatherings before the gallery closed for relocation upstate. I was so happy to discover that they are being displayed at East West rather than going unseen in storage while the new facility is finished.) It was very intense to practice under the paintings. I was grateful for the tapas of the practice, I had been feeling out of balance all day but was able to turn my energy around.
Type: “Lokah Vinyasa”
Level: ”Vigor” (I’d say level II.)
Duration: Not sure! I didn’t check the time when I left, the website is unclear, and my phone record provides no clues.
# of Yogis: 5
Teacher: Dina was subbing. She said she usually takes the class. She has a beautiful Egyptian accent that makes her voice very soothing. Her attitude was reverant and encouraging. She gave gentle adjustments that I found to be steadying and grounding.
Temple or gym? Temple– the Greys really fill the space with a powerful energy I know and love well.
Front Desk: They didn’t honor the passbook cupon, saying they’ve been asking for years to be removed from it! Instead they gave me a “buddy pass” which let me purchase a class for $5. The women were friendly and conversational.
Boutique: I almost bought cards to send to my parents, then was like “what am I thinking?”
Coat/ Shoes/ Valuables: Left my shoes in cubbies in the hallway & took everything else with me into the practice room.
Bathrooms: One, but very fancy! With small glass tiles!
Changing Rooms: There were a couple curtain-stalls, but most of them were filled with racks or boxes. After class they were all filled & I ended up changing in the bathroom.
Showers: None to be found.
Towels: N/A
Practice Rooms: I believe there were two, if not more. I think a crystal healing workshop was going on somewhere in the building at the time as well. Alex Greys in the practice rooms!
Props: Blankets, blocks, etc– nothing stands out in my memory.
Type: “Lokah Vinyasa”
Level: ”Vigor” (I’d say level II.)
Duration: Not sure! I didn’t check the time when I left, the website is unclear, and my phone record provides no clues.
# of Yogis: 5
Teacher: Dina was subbing. She said she usually takes the class. She has a beautiful Egyptian accent that makes her voice very soothing. Her attitude was reverant and encouraging. She gave gentle adjustments that I found to be steadying and grounding.
Temple or gym? Temple– the Greys really fill the space with a powerful energy I know and love well.
Front Desk: They didn’t honor the passbook cupon, saying they’ve been asking for years to be removed from it! Instead they gave me a “buddy pass” which let me purchase a class for $5. The women were friendly and conversational.
Boutique: I almost bought cards to send to my parents, then was like “what am I thinking?”
Coat/ Shoes/ Valuables: Left my shoes in cubbies in the hallway & took everything else with me into the practice room.
Bathrooms: One, but very fancy! With small glass tiles!
Changing Rooms: There were a couple curtain-stalls, but most of them were filled with racks or boxes. After class they were all filled & I ended up changing in the bathroom.
Showers: None to be found.
Towels: N/A
Practice Rooms: I believe there were two, if not more. I think a crystal healing workshop was going on somewhere in the building at the time as well. Alex Greys in the practice rooms!
Props: Blankets, blocks, etc– nothing stands out in my memory.
Comments on the Practice: Meditation, chating of lokah samasta, pranayama, surya namaskar, warriors, trikonasa, twists, Vira III. Shalabhasana, Dhanurasana, Urdhva Dhanurasana. Navasana, foreward bends & seated twists, sirshasana, shoulder stand. Held postures for about 5 breaths during vinyasa flow. Savasana. The class finished with Pranayama.
It’s hard to recall everything about this class because I didn’t write about it immediately (went on vacation to Sag Harbor with my mates the day after), but the feeling of purification stands out to me. The agni fire. And it was just so astounding to practice amidst the psychadelic depictions of bodily energy fields!
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