New York Diary:
The Yogis of Times Square Celebrate Summer Solstice
Every year on June 20, thousands of yogis descend on Times Square, lay out their mats and turn the streets of Broadway into one giant yoga dham. These are mainstream Americans, mothers and grandmothers, teenagers and schoolkids all happy to do their asanas and sun salutations with honking traffic and buses on surrounding streets.
The event is Solstice in Times Square: Mind Over Madness Yoga and experienced yoga practitioners as well as newbies come together for free yoga classes on the pedestrian plazas of Broadway. There are entire families there with children in strollers and you realize that yoga is no longer an Indian skill but has become truly universal and belongs to the world. There are hundreds of people walking on the streets and the subways with pink yoga mats rolled under their arms. Which yogi doesn’t crave a free yoga mat and some free lessons from the experts?
The Times Square Alliance’s “Mind Over Madness Yoga,” celebrates the summer solstice (the longest day of the year). Throughout history, many cultures have associated the summer solstice with a renewal of mind, body and spirit and a celebration of the coming of the sun and longer days. For me, this day of joy and sunshine, of mass community y, of finding communality has become a yearly and much anticipate tradition. After all, which other day of the year can you coolly lie down on the ground in Times Square, surrounded by endless traffic, and be certified sane?
While people from the US and every country were on the mats surrounding me, from Japan to Mexico to China, I was right next to an Indian woman visiting from Gujarat. The mother of two women doctors in the US, she visits her daughters every year and this is a must-do event of her US visit. As we lay down in the middle of Times Square, we chatted in Hindi and I marveled at this upside-down view of the blue sky, floating white clouds, neon lights and skyscrapers from the pavement – surreal!
“Yoga unites us with the Universal flow and connects us with our own personal rhythms,” said Douglass Stewart, co-founder of the Solstice in Times Square. “The discipline of yoga enhances our ability to respond to subtle cues that promote wellness. Peace becomes the natural environment of our relationships and our world.”
Participants could register for one of seven yoga sessions throughout the day. One class was presented by the Consulate General of India, where the Consul General and the staff participated as well as visiting VIP guest and actor Anupam Kher. The class was conducted by Aditi Shah, a noted wellness expert and the founding instructor of the meditation and yoga programs at Peloton.
People had the opportunity to join one of seven free yoga sessions throughout the day and visit the Yoga Village between 43rd and 45thStreets, which featured booths, giveaways, and activities from sponsors, such as nutritional drinks and health foods, and free photo shoots and videos in yoga poses. The offer was tempting as I watched newly-made friends do the photo shoot in a spirit of fun. I had never thought I’d be doing a promotional freebie for smartwater – but I did, and you can see the results! Now that’s one more thing off my bucket list! Mark the next Solstice Day on your calendar and join fun in the sun.
https://www.timessquarenyc.org/things-to-do/solstice
Related Article
In Search of Yoga’s Shining Past
Yoga: The Art of Transformation – Yogis in America
