A View From the Floor

Friday, June 21, 2013, the first day of summer and it was a great day to play hookie from work!

So I left my suburban neighborhood in Bay Terrace, took a short ride on the Staten Island Ferry, caught the 1 train to Times Square and rolled out my yoga mat in the middle of the street.

Yes...in the middle of the street.

Not only did I have the opportunity to lay my yoga mat down in the middle of Times Square without getting a citation from the NYPD or being brought away in handcuffs (or a straight-jacket for that matter), but I had the opportunity to join with thousands of yogis and thousands more onlookers, to celebrate the first day of summer at the 11th Annual Summer Solstice in Times Square, New York. I stood in my greatness in "yoga" (or "union") at a crossroad of the modern world, inspiring others to be bigger than they are now, amidst the chaos of New York City and the world. All proceeds for the event went to Bent on Learning, a non-for-profit yoga effort that teaches yoga to New York City Public Schools.

This year 15,000 yogis registered for the event and I joined forces with them in one of the five sessions to mark the special day when the sun is at its highest point in the sky for the longest period of time. Similar traditions, some centuries old, such as gatherings in Stone Hedge, have celebrated this transformational moment in the universe. Today I participated in a modern celebration, 11 years young, with a growing community who use mindfulness, breath and intention to counter the turbulence of the big city.

Before getting into the vinyasa, I almost got caught up in the fixation of looking good and posing in my incredible yoga postures for the camera (later to post of Facebook), but I soon realized where I was and why I made the journey.

When opportunities come to you, you have two choices:  

You can take it

or 

You can ignore it

I chose to take it! 

Taking it meant breathing in every moment with my entire being.  I soon realized that rather than getting caught up in "autopilot", taking pictures or chatting away, I needed to reflect on what I was a part of.  I laid down on my back looking up at the world I walk through on a daily basis to view it from another perspective: A View From the Floor.
  

From the floor I could see and feel the vibrations of the sun go through me. Looking up meant a whole other world that we are closed to. From the floor I realized the importance of this opportunity that only a few of us had, an opportunity to change our perspective and stand in our greatness.

As the practice commenced, not only did I feel the energy of the sun but I felt the energy of the thousands of yogis practicing. Through our collective silence, I heard every noise in Times Square. Soon, onlookers were mesmerized at our commitment. I peeked up to catch a glimpse of those around me and I could see glimmers of curiosity and introspection coming out from onlookers, questioning if this could be something they have been searching for in their journey. 

From that moment, I realized what Summer Solstice was really about.

It is a time to reflect on things in our lives that have peaked and need to transform. The sun, in it's greatness, merely supports the way :)

Life is short, so get messy!