January 19, 2010 - Breaking down barriers & practicing for Haiti

It always amazes me how many people are on the F train so early on a Sunday morning.  After making it to Lex Ave - 63rd street stop, I boarded the F train ready for my daily commute to Brooklyn.  Yes, I travel from the UES to Brooklyn everyday to practice, much to the confusion of my city friends that love to point out how many yoga studios I pass each day on my way.  But anyone that has practiced with 'Devi' Lesley D. at Prema Yoga knows why I make this daily pilgrimage.  

I sat on the train, in a psuedo-meditative state, reflecting on how lucky I was to be sitting next to my best friend of 30 years. We were on our way to practice in order to raise money for Haiti earthquake relief.  I must admit I was balancing my eagerness to practice, with my growing awareness of  many people were going to be squeezing into the one room studio at Prema.  Lesley D. is known to pack a full house on a regular Sunday morning - what would it be like today when we were practicing for such a good reason?!?  

Inhale 'Let', exhale 'Go" began my mantra as the train surged forward... 

Arriving at Prema I saw most of Lesley's faithful followers, along with a handful of new faces, armed with yoga mats and a desire to do something to help the Haitians in need.  I had brought my camera in order to take some photos for a photojournalism project I am working on.  I set up my mat up in the back of the class and then joined a few of the regulars  to creatively find a space for all the mats that kept arriving.  You would think this would be fairly straight forward, but it brought to mind my grandmother's warning 'sometimes there are just too many cooks in the kitchen!' as there were varying ideas of how best to accomplish this.  Just when you thought you couldn't accommodate one more mat, one would sheepishly appear in the doorway - eyes pleading to be let in with minimal disruption to the already full room.  Despite it being a Sunday morning, in a room full of New Yorkers and Brooklenites the tension in the air gave way to an incredible sight....

Lesley took her seat at the front of the class ready to begin.  The individual yogis and mats, placed side-by-side, took on the appearance of a multicolored quilt "many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven and held together by a common thread" (J. Jackson). 

Lesley began class, talking about breaking down boundaries and the power of letting go.  The irony of this was not lost on me.  The class was full of all types of New York personalities.  Anyone that is familiar with the New Yorker mentality knows what I am referring to,  yet everyone checked their differences at the door in order to come together to practice in order to raise money for the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG, www.aidg.org).  Not only did Lesley create an environment in which we could break down the boundaries between our individual mats (containing our individual beliefs and personalities), becoming a unified whole, but she also inspired us to breakdown the boundaries between our 'relative' selves and our 'higher' selves.

She said the essential function of spiritual practice, whatever form it takes, is to breakdown the barriers that separate us from consciousness.   We celebrated this breaking of barriers by joining Lesley in a Creole chant that she had learned from a Haitian drummer in Brooklyn years ago.  She laughed as she described this man as someone she loves deeply despite "disagreeing with him on all points, except the need to break down barriers between people".  The chant she led exemplifies this...

Legba nan bay-e

Legba nan bay-e 

Legba nan bay-e
Se ou ki pote drapo
Se ou ki parey soley pou lwa yo

Haiti is a country rich in African heritage.  In Haitian tradition, Legba is God of the crossroads, and the connection between the universe and it's divine origin. He serves as a gatekeeper, who crosses the barrier between the relative world of names and forms and higher world of divinity.  The meaning of this chant:

Legba is at the gate 

Legba is at the gate

Legba is at the gate
It is you who carries the flag 
It is you who shields the spirit from the Sun 
 

"Exhale and come into downward dog..." and class had begun.  Despite there being no room to spread ones arms to the sides, and in some cases being toe-to-nose with the person behind you, the class flowed in total harmony.  

The collective energy in a class brought together to honor the Haitian's that both passed on and those that were faced with rebuilding their countries and their lives, was the perfect example of human nature at its best.  All of the 'stories' we tell ourselves lost their meaning, or were at least put on the back burner for awhile as a group of total strangers came together with no other intention than to give back - everyone's intention was completely pure.  The moment that I realized this was when we were asked to come up into a shoulder stand (Salamba Sarvangasana) and then into plough (Halasana).  

Being at the back of the room had its challenges, such as the low wall shelves behind me.  Instead of seeing this as an obstacle to practice, the shelves became a sort of prop in their own right.  Unable to swing our legs overhead before coming up into a shoulder stand - the woman next to me giggled as we both used the shelves to climb up into our poses.  25 breaths later it was time to come into plough, but the shelves provided us with a barrier, obscuring our descent into plough.  Again, we both paused somewhere between the two poses, hovering as we giggled while trying to find a creative solution.  What was initially an obstacle ended up opening our eyes to the creative potential in front of us.  She beautifully eased her legs into full lotus while still in a shoulder stand and then gracefully lowered herself back and under the shelving.   I, a little taller, was unable to do the same.  So somehow I managed to maneuver into Karnapidasana - a pose in which you bring the knees beside your ears, squeezing your temples - after making my way onto my back.  After counterposing in fish for a few breaths, we all prepared for Savasna or final resting pose.  

As I closed my eyes, I felt like I had accomplished something special today.  Beginning this practice in a room full of strangers, I now felt the quilt-like effect of our practice - each individual brought something to this class - be it a smile of encouragement,  a positive intention or a giggle while climbing up the shelving at Prema - we had all come together to raise money for a worthy cause and I am proud to say that Prema raised $3,255 for AIDG Earthquake relief (also due in part to the incredible Kirtan that Nina and Ambika performed at Prema the night before).

Devi, you have a unique gift to transcend boundaries and bring people together to share your teachings.  I am profoundly thankful that my dear friend Jen convinced me to try one of your classes, despite my stubborn protestations such as 'you are out of your mind if you think I am trucking to Brooklyn for yoga'...oh did I have a lot to learn as Prema has become my second home and I look forward to my daily pilgrimage across the bridge, to practice with friends.

Thank you!