Summer is Here!

This has been a long LONG winter, but now, summer is OFFICIALLY here! One of my favorite things about Summer Solstice is free yoga in Times Square. I work in Times Square, so went to the lunch time Bikram session.

Yoga in the middle of Times Square is a totally weird experience. Here’s why:
1. Sirens pass constantly.
2. Tourists take pictures of you when you’re half naked and sticking your butt up in the air.
3. The street isn’t exactly even. I was standing on a huge incline.

But yoga in Times Square is also really awesome. Here’s why:
1. You get to be on the jumbotron! (I even saw myself)
2. It feels good to do your back bend and see sun and clouds above you.
3. It gives people a chance to experience the awesomeness of yoga for free.
4. With so many yogis in one place at one time, the energy is amazing.

See? This is about 1500 yogis in Times Square. We took over Broadway between 45th and 48th St.

I did a shortened class (because I can’t take two hours for lunch) but it still felt pretty great. I went back to work feeling energized and relaxed. My slanted mat was a bit of a challenge, especially when it came to balancing, but it was a good challenge. The whole experience was a practice in extreme concentration.

Later that day I went to my usual Tuesday night yoga. I’m not crazy, I just happen to work at the studio Tuesday nights. I was feeling like a rockstar from the Times Square yoga. My poses looked pretty good, if I do say so myself, and I was even offering posture advice to some of the newbies. But something must have happened between noon and my 8:30 class. I spent a lot of the class sitting or just trudging through the postures. Then I started thinking something must clearly be wrong with me. Why can’t I do this right? Why do I feel like I’m a beginner again? This is what I like about this kind of yoga. The struggle is good for us. It’s how we learn.

The good news is, it wasn’t just me. Everyone was having a hard time. Some people blamed the humidity. Some people blamed the solstice. I don’t think it really matters. The important thing is it was hard, but we all did it and I don’t know about everyone else, but I felt pretty amazing after- and starving. I rewarded myself with a slice of pizza the size of my head. Even after that, I STILL felt amazing.

All in all, a good first day of summer.