Strike A New Pose
Cultivating relationships in healthy ways gets easier through a growing number of community events and social outlets in the city.

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By Vera Churilov of Nourish the Spirit

July 6, 2006

Opportunities to get out and meet others abound for the single New Yorker, but the challenge is finding social outlets that don’t deplete us in the city that never sleeps. Happy hours, gallery openings, clubs, and open bars offer plenty of music, alcohol, mindless mingling, and eye candy after a stressful workweek.

But when we wake up foggy-headed, trying to drag our mats to that yoga class we’ve been wanting to try for weeks can feel impossible. We postpone it again to stick with an old and boring physical activity that feels reliable, or we attend the class in a hung-over haze and fail to channel our inner guru, much less connect with others.

Juggling our social lives with our personal health can create a feeling of disparity in our lives, where things get compartmentalized. We fall into the trap of thinking that health-promoting activities are those we should do quietly on our own, and some eventually get boring. In the contradiction that is New York, we are crowded to the point of claustrophobia in everything from subways, stores, and elevators. Yet among thousands of people, we can still experience a deep sense of isolation. And in a city where living space is limited and clubs and restaurants are plenty, socializing easily leads to spending money.

But in the New Agey millennium we are living in, it is possible to create an integrated lifestyle where socializing, personal growth, and self-care come together to create a feeling of harmony in our lives. There are ways to share health-oriented activities, which also maximizes our time, such as cooking a nutritious meal with others. We can enrich our lives by bringing these two aspects of our lives together.

YOGA
The ancient practice of yoga has taken over New York City and formed a culture of its own. The word yoga itself means union, and the practice trains one to link mind, body and spirit through poses called asanas, and conscious breathing. With a growing population of yogis and yoginis who want this sense of union with not only themselves but also a community, smart studios in New york are now hosting a wide range of events. These include everything from devotional chanting on the full moon, to cooking classes and DJ parties with goodies like chocolate and organic wine as give-aways.

Check out
• Centerpoint Studios’ delicious post-yoga meals, DJ and music events.

• Laughing Lotus offers a two-hour long midnight yoga class on Friday nights that is accompanied by lovely, live music. $15. 10 p.m.

• Ask about Integral Yoga’s many events, including a vegetarian sushi class.

• Jivamukti Yoga offers a free, community class the last Sunday of the month. 4 p.m.

ART
Going to check out the latest exhibits? Wait until the first weekend of the month, when many museums often have reduced admission and offer entertainment that draws large crowds of twenty to fourty-somethings.

Check out
• The Guggenheim Museum teams up with Flavorpill to offer First Fridays, a night of talented DJs and access to all the galleries now through May. 9 PM–1 AM. $20, cash only at the door (free for Guggenheim members).

• Brooklyn Museum’s Target First Saturdays blends art, music, and even dance lessons together in a free event that goes from 5-11 p.m on the first Saturday of the month. Visit BrooklynMuseum.org to see the schedule.

• MOMA hosts a First Friday event sponsored by Target, in which admission is free from 4-8 p.m. This includes all the galleries, as well as film and audio programs. On Saturdays in the summertime, MOMA’s affiliate PS 1 offers its Warm Up series with outdoor DJs and plenty of contemporary art during July to September.

• For an other-worldly experience where art and spirituality come together, stop by Alex Grey’s gallery at the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in Chelsea. C.O.S.M. events include nights of devotional chanting, vibrational healing, and yoga on Thursdays.

DANCE
Many people associate going out dancing with cheezy clubs and a lame pick-up scene, but dancing can serve as an excellent form of release. So when you truly want to shake it, there are venues where you can have fun meeting others while burning some steam and doing your thing.

Check out
• Dancing is sacred at Club Shelter, especially on Sunday mornings when the party goes until noon. The resident DJ’s spin variations of house music to a diverse following in an experience that is reminiscent of Chicago’s 80’s dance scene. Members come for the weekly ritual as early as 6 or 7 on Sunday mornings and pay reduced admission.

• If you enjoy dancing to live percussion, Afrokinetic offers laid-back, weekly events that blend afro-rhythm and latin sounds to which you simply can’t sit still.

• Online resources like Fusicology and Rhythmism list events daily.

If you are shy to dance in public, consider taking a class. Contact any dance studio for a beginner’s modern, hip-hop, Latin, or African dance class. DanceSport, Mark Morris Dance Group, Broadway Dance Studio, or Dance Space are all great places to start.

FOOD
Nothing brings people together like delicious food, whether it’s shopping for it, cooking it, or eating it. So if you are a foodie, consider these healthy ways to share your passion with others.

• Join the Park Slope Food Co-op in Brooklyn for discounted prices on organic products. Its health-minded community makes up the largest member-owned co-op in the country. Classes, forums, and events are ongoing. You must commit to working three hours a month to join.

• If you are interested in learning more about gourmet natural foods, gather a friend or two and treat yourself to a four-course vegetarian dinner at the Natural Gourmet Cooking School. $34. Friday nights 6:30 pm.

• Go raw for a day. In a city that needs frequent detoxing, eating a diet high in raw greens and cacao beans has grown immensely popular. So what’s the buzz all about? Find out by taking a class at The Plant, the new organic lifestyle company by living foods chef Matthew Kenney. Events range from evening raw cocktail parties to afternoon cooking classes. When you are ready to serve your own concontions, check out “Donna’s Raw food potluck” at Dharma Yoga on the first Saturday of the month. 7-10pm. $6/person.

JUST BE
The benefits of developing a meditation practice include less emotional distress and a greater sense of control over one’s well-being. Buddhist meditation groups are drawing more and more people to take time and sit daily.

• Consider attending a lecture on how to turn the mind into an ally at Shambhala Meditation Center. Join the public sitting groups any weekday from 5:30-7pm or on Sundays from 9am to noon.

• Check the Downtown Meditation Community website for meditation instruction and vegetarian potlucks.