It’s that time again when we have to say goodbye to something old and welcome something new. And so the life goes on!
This Monday March 21st we celebrated opening of Hari NYC, new Kundalini Yoga and jazz space in Manhattan, founded by my teacher Hari Kaur Khalsa and her husband jazz pianist Dave Frank. The space is absolutely wonderful and I felt blissful just by being there. If you are a NYC yogi, you should definitely check it out. The address is 140 W30th Street 3rd floor.
By opening this studio we ended an era of Kundalini Yoga in St. John’s Lutheran Church on Christopher Street. What a noble effort and great courage on part of Pastor Lyndon Harris and Hari Kaur Khalsa.
I am so glad I was fortunate to be part of it. Under 50 foot ceiling of the church we all became the most down to earth, humble yogis with high aspirations to serve others.
It wasn’t easy.
This wasn’t your cozy yoga studio detached from the outside world. We where doing yoga in the middle of West Village with doors of the church wide open. It was cold and then it was hot. But we kept coming back.
Being in church felt emotionally charged for me. It reminded me a lot about my childhood. Kundalini yoga was conflicting with my catholic upbringing. Even though I struggled a little bit I did reach a realization of beautiful union of church and yoga that can exist if only in my heart. You can read about this process in my post Double Trouble cont’d.
Union
It’s the key word. I came out from my struggle between two spiritual powers with the idea of union. The church council of St. John’s struggled just as hard, but with very different outcome.
Eventually they moved our classes from the main sanctuary into kind of eating hall in the back and they closed the door to the church. I don’t know much about the politics in there but the air was a little bit tense.
It is easy to close your heart and separate yourself from others and it takes a courage, kindness and love towards yourself and others to reach union to reach that “yoga”. This is the lesson I learned from that place and I’m gonna try to apply it in my every day life.
“There is a way through every block” (Yogi Bhajan – yoga sutra of Aquarian Age)
Thank you so so so much Lyndon for opening the doors to yoga and may your visions for your West Village sanctuary come true. You are my hero. Thank you Hari for being the greatest teacher against all odds. May your studio blossom and cherish like those cherry trees 🙂
Sat Nam
Quest For Yoga 