A performance piece with violin virtuoso Tim Fain was a highlight, with guests including Sting, Krishna Das, Seane Corn, and many more. Like the cookbook, it had an Alice in Wonderland theme, with Sharon Gannon as Alice and David Life as the Mad Hatter. The one that was the most fun to photograph was certainly the launch party for Sharon Gannon’s cookbook, Simple Recipes for Joy. The ones I am featuring here were special to the lineage. Jivamukti Yoga School in NYC had a great space in Union Square for events, from kirtan to Ecstatic Dance to speakers and yoga workshops. The following photos and commentary highlight some of my favorite moments with the Jivamukti Yoga satsang. It was a true satsang, a spiritual community. Still, Jivamukti was one of the most authentic places to practice in Manhattan, had a solid following of students seeking something deeper than a workout, and some of the best teachers in the city. By the time I arrived in 2012, there were competing boutique yoga schools all around, and other large studios that were perhaps more corporate-minded and business savvy. At the time the yoga boom had not yet swept over the city. Jivamukti Yoga moved its NYC to Union Square in 2006, opening one of the largest schools in the city. The impact of Jivamukti Yoga on the explosion of yoga in the United States is under-appreciated in todays commercialized yoga scene, but anyone teaching vinyasa or power yoga today owes a debt of gratitude. Sharon Gannon and David Life are the founders, who poured their hearts and spirits into building a lineage that honored its roots in the ancient teachings of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita, while integrating elements of modern western culture that made yoga appealing to, and practical for, the masses. In my job, I was entrusted with archives going back to the heady early days when Jivamukti Yoga was founded in 1984 and rose up in the East Village, then moved to Lafayette St in 1998. On December 22nd, 2019, the Jivamukti Yoga School in NYC closed its doors, and an era ended. I stayed there until the summer of 2018 when we parted ways. I dipped my toes into the world of Jivamukti Yoga at their teacher training in 2011, and by 2012 was fully immersed, living in NYC and working as Web Editor at the mothership. Life moves on, like a river flowing, ever changing even though we don’t notice much from moment to moment. Make your peace with that and all will be well.” ― Jack Kornfield “Everything that has a beginning has an ending.
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