Have a beautiful weekend!

are you free sunday (4/25)?

The New York Restoration Project is holding its NYC Grows event at Union Square tomorrow. NYC Grows will give people the opportunity to learn more about gardening, urban farming, organic cooking and more through demonstrations and activities. And Woolly Pockets—which makes recycled gardening containers for indoor and outdoor use—has put up a “Living Green Wall” of edible plants and lush Native New York plant species on the Southern plaza of Union Square. And if you sign up to be a member of NYRP tomorrow, you get a free plant, too!

-From gothamist.com

Happy Earth Day!

AP Photo/Brynjar Gauti, check out full set here

Nature is an amazing thing... take care of our Earth!

PS: This weekend we will be celebrating at the Earth Day Fair @ PS 101Q (Saturday), and the Earth Day Fair @ Queens Central YM/YWHA (Sunday). And don't forget, tomorrow is World Tai-Chi and Qigong Day, and few of our regular Tai-Chi'ers will be representing Bamboomoves with Sherry at demonstrations in Central Park.

a note.

this morning i did something i haven't done in a long time: practiced at home. since i started working at bamboomoves, i either take class here, or do my practice in the studio before things start to get busy.

before bamboo, being the thrifty yogini that i am, i usually took class at yoga to the people, which is by donation, or used yogatoday.com. this morning i skipped my usual run and gym workout for an intermediate yogatoday class entitled, "power and concentration." turning my lamp to the dimmest setting, i rolled out my mat to face the windows, where the morning sun was just beginning to peek through my leafy curtains. i took a moment to meditate before i started the class (their opening meditation is often short and sometimes distracting), and then dove in. It. Was. Beautiful. i love my apartment. it's warm and cozy; i have lived there for six years and the colours are just right... the lighting is just right... the smell is just right... the energy is just right... and doing yoga, grounding in my space, felt just right. i was completely in my practice in a way i am not when with others. though the class was challenging at times, with balancing poses lasting much longer than i am used to... (and a few balancing poses that i could barely do, for that matter), i was focused and grounded through my entire practice. adi (the instructor) spoke of growing roots into the ground beneath; i pictured my roots, reaching deep into the wood floor, winding back up... curling over my windowsills and through my curtains... releasing energy back into the air, encompassing me, and coursing back through my body through pranayama. the sanskrit instructions began to sound like a song (aaaaashva sanchalanasana, aaaaadho-mukha svanasana) and the movement of my body became a dance... sweet choreography from asana to asana, with the flow of prana directed with mula bandha (root lock) and uddiyana bandha (naval lock).

by the end of my practice, my body was open and tingling. adi ended with seated meditation, but i turned her off to take an extended savasnana, eye pillow guarding against the then fully risen sun. every sound spurred mental orgasm as my body sank into the energy pillow i had created.

it's now 12pm, hours since my last 'om shanti,' but i can still feel the effects of my practice and the peace feels beautiful.

whether you practice at the studio or at home, enjoy your practices today lovelies.

xoxo, kristen.

New Schedule begins May 3rd!

click to enlarge

Our new spring schedule starts Monday, May 3rd. Please note, we will no longer have Little Yogis and Parent Baby, and our Monday kids class in the afternoon will begin at 4:50pm, instead of 4pm.

Shedding Clothes to Shed the Pounds...

Yoga in the nude... just in time for summer...

link.

The African Dance Workshop...

Robert Friedman (who will be teaching a drum workshop here on June 5th), and Yoshio on the drums!

was a lot of fun! Thank you everyone for coming!

a PSA from a CSA.

art from here.

"Would you like locally grown organic produce every week? Would you like to opt out of the industrial food chain and support local farmers? Join the The Forest Hills Jewish Center's Tuv Ha'Aretz Community Sponsored Agriculture program (CSA) to receive 6 months of organic produce for you and your family!

The produce is grown on the North Fork of Long Island, where it is picked on Mondays and delivered to us on Tuesdays for 6 months. You can't beat that freshness! The pick up location is at the Forest Hills Jewish Center, just 2 blocks from the Bamboomoves studio. Our CSA offers vegetable, fruit, herb, garlic and tomato shares, as well as fun free programs throughout the season like cooking classes and farm trips. Full and half-shares are available. We are now accepting applications for the 26-week spring/summer/fall season; submit your application and pre-pay now, then receive weekly deliveries of local, seasonal, organic produce from June through November. The application can be found on the CSA's website and registration is first-come, first-served; Deadline is April 30th.

Questions? Contact us at tuv@fhjc.org or 718-263-7000 x250."

and don't forget...

dear lovelies, 

this saturday (3:30pm) is my african dance workshop. yoshio and robert will be drumming and it will be a whole lot of fun. $35 pre-register, $45 day of. come!!

love,

kristen

Tonight on PBS: The Buddha, A Film by David Grubin

"This documentary for PBS by award-winning filmmaker David Grubin and narrated by Richard Gere, tells the story of the Buddha’s life, a journey especially relevant to our own bewildering times of violent change and spiritual confusion. It features the work of some of the world’s greatest artists and sculptors, who across two millennia, have depicted the Buddha’s life in art rich in beauty and complexity. Hear insights into the ancient narrative by contemporary Buddhists, including Pulitzer Prize winning poet W.S. Merwin and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Join the conversation and learn more about meditation, the history of Buddhism, and how to incorporate the Buddha’s teachings on compassion and mindfulness into daily life."

-4/7/2010, 8pm

Warm Weather Adventure: Queens County Farm Museum.

Spring is finally here! With all this sunshine and warmth, everyone wants to be outside... and what better place to be outside than at Queens County Farm (Museum). For those of you unfamiliar, the museum dates back to 1967 and occupies NYC's largest remaining area (47-acres) of undisturbed farmland. It is also the only working historical farm in the city. The farm includes historic farm buildings, a greenhouse complex, livestock, farm vehicles, planting fields, an orchard, and an herb garden. It is owned by the New York City Department of Parks, operated by the Colonial Farmhouse Restoration Society of Bellerose, Inc, and is a member of the Historical House Trust of New York CIty. 

The Farm Museum is open year-round, Monday - Friday, 9am to 5pm and weekends 10am - 5pm. On weekends there are free, guided tours of the farm-house and weekends from April through October, there are $2 Hayrides. General Admission is free except on special event days. 

Click here for directions and more information.