by Nkechi Njaka, MSc

Wow, what difference morning yoga makes! I had the most amazing day last Saturday–I challenged myself to double up on two morning yoga classes, which is something that I have never done before. And it was particularly special since both classes were offered in non-traditional spaces and were sized at over 100 yogis.

The first class was the Flavorpill event the Art of Yoga. My guess is that 300 or more yogis gathered at the SFMOMA for a free class taught by Elise Lorimer. We were greeted by Naked Juice reps (delicious smoothies and coconut water) and DJ J Boogie was awesome at creating a fun practice environment with music.

The class was a pretty advanced beginner Vinyasa class, which makes sense given the large group and the diverse yoga levels. There wasn’t  a whole lot of room to do crazy balances and inversions however I did feel incredibly strong and present in my practice and was able to nail a couple of balances that I have been working on for a couple weeks.

My new yoga friends from lululemon athletica (right) and I rushed from SFMOMA to SF Union Square for another amazing massive yoga class—this one being for cancer research.  Yoga for Hope is amazing event for yoga beginners and experts created from the City of Hope’s efforts to expand awareness of the importance of the mind-body-spirit connection. As an integrated wellness practitioner, I love the way that this facility incorporates complimentary and integrative therapies such as yoga and meditation in the patient treatment programs; it is so needed in the hospitals! I bet there were at least 400 people there! It was such a gorgeous, sunny day and the class was both reflective and restorative.

Last year, Yoga for Hope raised over $30,000! It was so powerful to offer prayer and acknowledgements to those we know whom cancer, diabetes and HIV have affected. I love offering my practice to others, and it was really meaningful to me to think of those in my life who have or have had a chronic illness.  The cool part about this event is that after the yoga class, there were several workshops and demonstrations offered. My favorite was the Whole Foods workshop where we could sample a delicious quinoa breakfast salad as well as organic granola and fresh organic fruit.

Post yoga glow–I was feeling extremily revitalized and amazing and I had so much of the day left! This ArielSimone headband is one of my recent favorite things to wear to class, as it keeps hair and sweat from my eyes. This top is also ArielSimone and can be worn to and from yoga over any yoga tank or sports bra–I love that it nicely converts to a casual outfit after class. It was perfect post-yoga outfit for the errands that I ran in the city before rushing off to meet up with friends.

Powerful words to reflect on….

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.

~ Denis Waitley