When Nancy Mahon called weeks back and left a message she was thinking of opening a yoga studio where Yoga Mountain used to thrive, at 132 Park Ave. in New City, NY, I thought how hard it had been – the years of running a business, paying the rent, keeping the cold off the many gentle and enthusiastic yoga teachers and students, but what a grand and infinitely challenging journey: what a gift to us all.
Think of Shiva’s pose. You’ve seen the bronze statures where Shiva’s foot is raised high and when it comes down, the tiny skull (the past) at Shiva’s feet will be crushed. Every time I do that asana, and my foot crashes down metaphorically on the well-worn patterns in my mind, and untried paths burst forth, I understand anew why I’m practicing yoga.
Nancy Mahon’s Sanctuary Yoga Studios is opening Dec 4th. Many of us are teaching with her, and the Yoga Mountain 200 hour, (300)500 hour, and Yoga Therapy Certification Programs will be offered there starting Wednesday Dec 8 at 7:30pm. A week later, on Dec 15th, will be graduation for students in the 200 hour and yoga therapy programs.
Our first intensive session 12:30 to 5:30 pm on Saturday, December 18, will give us a deep study of anatomy led by Christopher Rosen, D.PE. Any and ALL yoga students are welcome to these workshops.
Everything changes, The new space is beautiful, and the certification programs are high tech, fierce, grounded in nature, focused not only on individual practise but on learning the necessary communication skills to bring the study of yoga to the wide world.
Our partnership with Kelly Kamm at Happy Buddha Yoga in Goshen, NY is a big part of Yoga Mountain’s Certification programs now, with students from both sides of the river from northern Rockland, Orange, and Westchester Counties. Like Kelly Kamm, Nancy Mahon will be assisting in the program as she works toward completeing her 500 hour certification.
Ronda Lam DiChiaro, Janet Vignola and Theresa Mihalopolous are senior instructors with Yoga Mountain Cert Programs, and my gratitude to them for their loyalty and passion in teaching.