It began gently while attending Boston University School of Fine
Arts. A fellow classmate, whose name escapes me, suggested that I
accompany her to a yoga
class. Her face is vividly stamped in my mind. Square jawed, huge wide
eyes, thick bee-sting lips (pre-lip-enhancement days), freckly white
skin with a bit of peach fuzz, long dark horse-tail hair.........oh, now
I remember, her name is Margo. I don’t actually remember the class,
except that it was somewhere near Harvard Square, and felt weird yet
exotic, alien yet relaxed and slow. After all it was almost 4 decades
ago. As a nice Jewish girl from Long Island, anything ‘not Jewish’ was
unfamiliar and strange to me. Especially the chanting of AOUMMMMMM. (OM)
Here was my first awareness of Yin/Yang
and reading the “allegorical novel that follows the spiritual journey
of an Indian man called Siddhartha during the time of Buddha” Siddartha,
by Herman Hesse, blew me away.
In those years I was the Energizer Bunny, with more energy, strength and power than most girls my age or younger. After all, I was an art major and my greatest feat was sculpting stone with hammer and chisel for a few hours a day. Walking with a huge art portfolio across the Boston Bridge in the middle of winter to the studio, was an even greater feat. With the high winds and slippery ice on the reinforcement of metal plates that joined the concrete, it was almost impossible not to slip and fall.
Cut to New York City, late ’70’s, when the health club/gym craze erupted. Living a block away from the New York Health and Racquet Club, I joined this grungy basement gym with the typical stinky towel and sickeningly sweet sweat smell. This was the place most likely to get crabs if you went into the steam room; but there was a yoga class that seemed to beckon me to try it out again. This time I liked it more, but my super energy propelled me to do the aerobic classes and yoga was my relaxation after the grueling hour and a half of schvitzing (Yiddish: sweating profusely) I treated myself to the indulgence of yoga after my intense workouts.
Next stop, Los Angeles, almost a decade later, and the whole eastern meditation, guru, zen, macrobiotic craze, Samadhi isolation/floatation/sensory deprivation tanks (yin) were taking over the disco craze. It contrasted with the sex, drugs, party scene, wild Post-Disco,Pop, dance, Jane Fonda workouts, modern art (yang) and new wave music, smooth jazz, and (blend of yin/yang) My first affair was with aerobics, which was my total addiction to the intense energy, high impact, thunderous,high octane music and output. I went for the burn and got burned out by the mid-nineties. Interspersed with hiking, Pilates Reformer workouts and lots of swimming laps, my middle-aged body was just about at it’s peak.
I lived by the old adage,“Your health is your wealth.”
As hiking in the hills with nature became de rigueur, being cooped up in a gym or studio was becoming claustrophobic. Fresh air, trees, wildlife, sky, open space and freedom without instructions or rigid routines became the new addiction. Appreciating the earth, and all its splendor, having gratitude for living in “EL LAY’ and enjoying all the beauty without time constraints, structure or direction became the new world gym to me. Working out was always my drug of choice.
Yet with Yoga, it was more like a love affair. In fact many women (and men) became enamored with the teacher, and in love with the whole yoga process and experience.
Yoga was still beckoning me and it called so loud, I started doing classes in Santa Monica at the newest, latest studios that were cropping up all over. My favorite were the flow classes. I then graduated to the Sports Club LA power yoga classes led by Bryan Kest. He is considered one of the founders of Power Yoga*. At that time, Bryan was young, adorable and still a kid, but his deep understanding of yoga and his ability to alchemize it into an East/West practice became a brilliant addition to the yoga world. However, he has now matured into a profound teacher and has transformed his ‘brand’ into something much deeper and less trendy.
“There is no enlightenment at the end of a pose. Actually, there is no end to these poses. It seems to me in a general sense we as a society are enamored with the mystical, mysterious, the unseen & unknown. We are looking for the hidden teaching, the secret scroll or fountain of youth, and of course heaven and hell. Yoga practice seems to be used to access some deeper dimension or some enlightened state. Understand right now there is no connection between flexibility and enlightenment. Your physical capabilities have nothing to do with higher consciousness.” Bryan Kest.
To be continued............
*Power Yoga, (also called Power Flow), is a modern day name for a
past-faced, active yoga class. It has its roots in Ashtanga yoga. Often
Power Yoga incorporates many Sun Salutations and Vinyasas. These can
elevate the heart rate and generate heat in the body. WiKiHealth
In those years I was the Energizer Bunny, with more energy, strength and power than most girls my age or younger. After all, I was an art major and my greatest feat was sculpting stone with hammer and chisel for a few hours a day. Walking with a huge art portfolio across the Boston Bridge in the middle of winter to the studio, was an even greater feat. With the high winds and slippery ice on the reinforcement of metal plates that joined the concrete, it was almost impossible not to slip and fall.
Down dog guru Photo credit: Bryan Kest
Cut to New York City, late ’70’s, when the health club/gym craze erupted. Living a block away from the New York Health and Racquet Club, I joined this grungy basement gym with the typical stinky towel and sickeningly sweet sweat smell. This was the place most likely to get crabs if you went into the steam room; but there was a yoga class that seemed to beckon me to try it out again. This time I liked it more, but my super energy propelled me to do the aerobic classes and yoga was my relaxation after the grueling hour and a half of schvitzing (Yiddish: sweating profusely) I treated myself to the indulgence of yoga after my intense workouts.
Next stop, Los Angeles, almost a decade later, and the whole eastern meditation, guru, zen, macrobiotic craze, Samadhi isolation/floatation/sensory deprivation tanks (yin) were taking over the disco craze. It contrasted with the sex, drugs, party scene, wild Post-Disco,Pop, dance, Jane Fonda workouts, modern art (yang) and new wave music, smooth jazz, and (blend of yin/yang) My first affair was with aerobics, which was my total addiction to the intense energy, high impact, thunderous,high octane music and output. I went for the burn and got burned out by the mid-nineties. Interspersed with hiking, Pilates Reformer workouts and lots of swimming laps, my middle-aged body was just about at it’s peak.
I lived by the old adage,“Your health is your wealth.”
As hiking in the hills with nature became de rigueur, being cooped up in a gym or studio was becoming claustrophobic. Fresh air, trees, wildlife, sky, open space and freedom without instructions or rigid routines became the new addiction. Appreciating the earth, and all its splendor, having gratitude for living in “EL LAY’ and enjoying all the beauty without time constraints, structure or direction became the new world gym to me. Working out was always my drug of choice.
Yet with Yoga, it was more like a love affair. In fact many women (and men) became enamored with the teacher, and in love with the whole yoga process and experience.
Yoga was still beckoning me and it called so loud, I started doing classes in Santa Monica at the newest, latest studios that were cropping up all over. My favorite were the flow classes. I then graduated to the Sports Club LA power yoga classes led by Bryan Kest. He is considered one of the founders of Power Yoga*. At that time, Bryan was young, adorable and still a kid, but his deep understanding of yoga and his ability to alchemize it into an East/West practice became a brilliant addition to the yoga world. However, he has now matured into a profound teacher and has transformed his ‘brand’ into something much deeper and less trendy.
“There is no enlightenment at the end of a pose. Actually, there is no end to these poses. It seems to me in a general sense we as a society are enamored with the mystical, mysterious, the unseen & unknown. We are looking for the hidden teaching, the secret scroll or fountain of youth, and of course heaven and hell. Yoga practice seems to be used to access some deeper dimension or some enlightened state. Understand right now there is no connection between flexibility and enlightenment. Your physical capabilities have nothing to do with higher consciousness.” Bryan Kest.
To be continued............
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