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If you live in the
NY Metropolitan Area, there is a quiet yoga
jewel right in the heart of the City, one well worth discovering yourself!
In case you didn’t know it, the New York Center for
Kripalu Yoga and Health has been serving New York City for over
18 years. REALLY! Until a few months ago, we were a quiet, steady presence,
offering weekly Friday night Kripalu Yoga classes taught by members of our
large, diverse community of over 100 Kripalu-trained teachers!
While we still teach open classes on
Friday evenings to students on all levels, we've expanded our vision and
taken major steps to strengthen our presence in the New York metropolitan
area, attracting more people to experience Kripalu Yoga and our rich
tradition. Much of the yoga offered in New York is presented in a very
intense style, with little emphasis on integrating postures or taking time
to witness one’s individual experience. We offer Kripalu yoga as a means of
exploring the body and mind in the moment and promoting compassion and self
awareness without judgment.
Over the past four months we have been
quite busy participating in and creating yoga and wellness events that were
dynamic and provided us the opportunity to meet many wonderful people and
build community around our Center!
In May, we were featured at the
NY Yoga and Raw Foods Expo, where four
of our experienced teachers presented classes focusing on Anatomy,
Alignment, Partner Yoga and Thai Massage, Gentle Kripalu Yoga Practice, and
a practice that integrated the Koshas (our levels of consciousness).
Our classes were filled to the brim with
many new and eager students, who learned Kripalu Yoga and discovered our
Center, the hidden yoga jewel of the NY Metro area. We captured the
excitement and spirit of our Expo programs on a wonderful video which
highlights our classes and can be seen on You Tube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJNJyVmZu64
On June 21st, members of the New
York Kripalu community participated at the annual Solstice in Times
Square Event, where 1300 students joined their energies and love of yoga and
practiced yoga outdoors, right in the heart of the Theater District, amid
buses and bemused tourists! This special event was sponsored by the Times
Square Alliance, which did a wonderful job organizing the entire day. The
New York Center for Kripalu Yoga & Health was a partnering yoga studio for
this event.
In June, after weeks of rain, we were
blessed to have sunny weather on our side when we hosted guest teachers
Ravi and Sheela Shankar, from Chennai, India, in Central Park's Sheep
Meadow. Ravi taught us about the origin of the Koshas, and
Sheela and he led our group through a Vedic chant to open and invoke our
five levels of consciousness. This was followed by a Kripalu Yoga class led
by the teachers present and a delicious vegetarian lunch. All in all, it was
a wonderful afternoon!
On September 11th, in observance
of the anniversary of the terrorist attacks and in memory of those who lost
their lives, our Director, Vibhusha Lee Ilan was joined by members the NY
Kripalu community at the Firefighters’ Memorial in Riverside Park to chant
Om Namah Shivaya for several hours, followed by a special Friday class with
Joanie Stenzler, dedicated to invoking compassion, peace and healing.
We hope to launch our new, redesigned
website by the end of the year. Once the new site is operational, students
will be able to register for workshops and special events, and our teachers
will have the opportunity to sign up for a professional promotional package
to help boost their visibility on the web as it supports our promotional and
marketing initiatives.
Our sincerest thanks and appreciation go
out to Vibhusha, Allen Neff, Liz LaBue, Helen Lein, Philip Bien, Adrienne
Jamiel, Priti Robyn Ross, Ashley Corbin Teich, Greg Meyer, Irwin Harelick,
Shay Mohsin, George Lyter, Carole Murowitz, Peter Engel, Pnina Shamsi, Jane
Porges and Lynn Crimando for all their help, dedication and hard work!
We are looking to expand our community
of teachers and those interested in Kripalu teachings and would love to hear
from you! If you are a Kripalu teacher and would like to learn more about
teaching opportunities and future teacher gatherings, please contact Liz
LaBue, our Program Chair at
liz@agapearts.org.
If you are interested in receiving
periodic e-mail updates about our classes and special events, please contact
Joanie Stenzler,
yogashrink@nyc.rr.com . Please get in touch with Liz or Joanie with
any questions or ideas for enhancing our Center!
We are growing and expanding, and there
are always opportunities for those who wishing to volunteer. We promise to
work with your schedule and appreciate any offer of help you are willing to
make!
We need all the support we can get to
expand our vision for the NY Center for Kripalu Yoga and Health, the primary
place for you to share your love of Kripalu Yoga and our tradition in the
NYC Metro Area, within a like-minded community.
For more information about the New York
Center for Kripalu Yoga and Health, visit:
http://www.nykripalu.org or leave
a message on our phone line, 212-591-1213.
I promise someone will call you back and
welcome you into the fold!
Written by Joanie
Stenzler,
Marketing Chair for NYC
for Kripalu Yoga and Health |