Quick chat with Sadie Nardini
We’re thrilled to welcome Sadie Nardini ,the founder of Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga and proud Brooklyn resident, to Mala on Saturday, May 15th for a two-hour, all-levels workshop that will definitely help you find – and keep – your center! Sadie teaches at YogaWorks in Soho, but primarily tours the country to teach Core Strength workshops and trainings. She shared a few thoughts with us on why Core Strength Yoga is essential to anyone’s yoga practice and what inspires her amazing teaching style.
How would you describe your yoga style and your technique? My style is really more principles of building yoga poses from deeper core strength that anyone of any style can use to instantly make their poses safer, stronger, and more attainable. Core Strength is so much more than just the abdominal muscles. During a vinyasa flow I created to bring any level practitioner to the next level, we’ll explore the deeper muscular line of the Deep Core, which is usually under-worked in yoga poses. My classes feel like a powerful dance from center, because I believe that just because we’re learning doesn’t mean we can’t work out, learn…and have fun!
Why teach yoga? In my life and yoga, I used to be a total mess–not knowing myself, being unhealthy and neglecting to take actions from my core truth in just about every way. When I began applying the teachings of yoga, I found that not only could I finally rock my handstand, my health and inner strength improved radically, and my relationships and career became what I’d always dreamed they could be. Since I know these simple principles, and am able to communicate them to people during a yoga class, I feel it’s my responsibility to share them with as many people as I can, and then let them take it from there.
What inspires you? Everything. And I mean all of it: shadows and the light. I realized a while ago that even that irritating guy on the subway is really just teaching me more about myself–what I like and don’t, what I will and won’t participate in. I can turn anything to serve my highest goals instead of my lowest ones. And I want that lesson, in any way I can get it. That’s not only inspiring…it makes my commute much easier to bear.
We hope you can join Sadie on the 15th. For more details on her workshop, or to register, stop by the front desk or email info@malayoganyc.com. Pre-registration for this event is strongly encouraged.
cr reflections, part 2: what made this experience great?
What made the Costa Rica retreat such a great experience for you?
I don’t know, the stars aligned. It exceed my very expectation, I still have not fully grasped it.
**
Practicing with the same group of people for an entire week was amazing. I loved the energy of the group and being able to dedicate that much time to yoga!
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This may sound corny, but, for me, yoga is about connections and relationships to oneself and others and this experience exceeded my expectations, beyond the physical practice, beautiful scenery. It was so much about the relationships and embodied what yoga is. I definitely left feeling reenergized in regards to my practice and overall recharged.
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The group’s small size was a benefit, both in class (teacher:student ratio) and socially (bonding). Also, it was a particularly great group of people, who happened to get along well, even though many of us didn’t know one another beforehand. Also, Blue Spirit is a beautiful and very well-run place; everyone who works there is friendly and efficient, accommodations were perfect, excursions planned with ease and cheerfulness, great food, etc.
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It was essential for me to be able to practice outdoors, eating together as well as practicing together, being entirely out of context and away from the demands of everyday life . . .Going on retreat is simply invaluable, in my opinion. I think stepping out of the NYC pace, along with practicing intensely, resets your whole perspective on life. And often the little nagging issues fade away or suddenly seem clearer, and the big questions begin to surface.
CR reflections: Part 1 – why’d you go?
Hey Mala peeps!
We’re back from the sun and the surf in Costa Rica — I asked the yogis who traveled south of the border of us a few questions about the retreat. As we do more retreats at Mala, it is nice to reflect on the experience, and demystify what a retreat is all about. I’ll be posting their answers over the next few days — as the editor, I’ve done my best to leave the essence of their thoughts on the experience untouched.
Without further ado …
Why did you decide to go on retreat with us?
Costa Rica has been on my list for years. Working with any combination of you, Christina and Angela was a strong factor in my decision.
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Deepen my practice, take time for myself to really explore my practice without the intrusion of everyday life.
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A year ago I took a vacation to Costa Rica. I was practicing yoga on a burnished wooden platform overlooking the Pacific, and I suddenly realized that I missed a particular one-room studio in Brooklyn. What I missed was not the street sounds, particularly, or the sidelong view of Court Street, but my teachers.
So when Mala announced the inversion retreat in Nosara, I was in. Even though I had never been on a yoga retreat before. Even though, while I had been practicing consistently, there were things I couldn’t do, like stand on my hands in the middle of the room, or sit comfortably in lotus. Even though I had never practiced for five hours a day.
I’m not sure what I was expecting of the retreat, but in the end, the experience felt a lot like… going to camp. In the best of possible ways.
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I have never been and have been wanting to go on a retreat for some time. Even though I didn’t know who most of the others who signed up, there is always a good energy at Mala and have enjoyed people I have met and had a sense in addition to working on my practice I would meet some new friends.
I wanted to deepen my practice, by doing 4-5 hours of yoga a day, and I’ve always wanted to go to Costa Rica. I also have great faith in you and Christina as teachers, so it seemed like a wonderful opportunity all around.
**
We were in class about six months ago, and you made the announcement that Mala was going to CR in March. And that was it. You said “yoga” and “Costa Rica” and I knew it was a trip I would be on. No stress, no “I need time to think about it”. It was just something I was definitely going to be doing.
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I wanted to find a way to get deeper into my yoga practice which I wasn’t getting from going to one class a week. On the retreat, it was incredibly immersive and enlightening– I learned a lot about my body, my limitations, and my strengths. I felt like I had the forum to ask every question I had about yoga, about what the specific challenges are for my body, and learning to work with my body to achieve my best version of each pose.
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I had been kicking around the idea of going some place warm on vacation and when I saw the sign in the studio, the idea seemed too good to pass up. I’d get my tropical vacation, but I wouldn’t have to worry about what I was going to do and where I was going to stay. Plus I felt like it would be awesome to have built in vacation buddies. On top of that, it seemed like a way I could, temporarily, be back in the Mala community (mentally and emotionally I’m always there, but it’s not the same).
Guest Post by Sarah Bird: Yoga Fall
I just experienced the most intense yoga practice of my life, and it was not on my mat. I was skiing a steep run on a mountain in Colorado. I had skiied it earlier that day. I have skiied runs like it many, many times in my life. In skiier’s lingo I caught an edge. It’s like tripping on skis. Sometimes you wobble and recover your balance, sometimes it throws you off enough that you fall. I was skiing fast and my upper body was facing straight down the mountain, so that my “trip” launched me, superman -style, down the hill. After the initial impact, and a roll or two, which wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, I realized I wasn’t slowing down. I was gaining speed.
At that moment my years of attention on the mat may have saved my life. Well, maybe that’s a little dramatic. My years of paying attention saved me from really, really hurting myself. Becauce in that moment I knew I had to go with gravity and the mountain and just fall. I knew if I fought it I would snap something. So I put my hands up over my (helmetted) head, and I let myself go into gravity. I was tumbling faster and faster, somersault after careening somersault down a steep mountain. I lost my skis somewhere near the top.
I was very, very frightened, but I was not panicked. I was aware of where I was and what was happening. I think I flipped somewhere between ten and 15 times. About halfway down I even started to chant every time I hit a different part of my body as I flipped over snow, rocks and ice: “Help me, help me, help me.”
And even in my fear I knew it would change and it would end, eventually. I didn’t know how or when, but I was aware of my fall’s transience. I feared I would hit something harder, but I knew I had to let the falling be.
And then I was able to stop myself. I felt the slightest bit of slowdown and I pushed my limbs out from their fetal position and I came to a splayed stop, similar to my superman-style launch.
As soon as I stopped I had great clarity that I was alright. I knew I had fallen well. The two people I was skiing with were so frightened — they told me they envisoned ski patrol and medi-vac helicopters. I am so sorry for that. A ski instructor across the way who had witness my fall was so shaken she could hardly get out instructions to my friend, “Ask her what day it is.” The instructor was concerned about concussion. I knew it was Monday, and the sun was shining, and I was present.
I am 44, and I have been skiing for 38 years. I have never expereinced anything like that fall. I pulled some ligaments in my ankle somewhere along the way, so it’s sore, but I am so grateful to my practice for keeping me safe.
Namaste
costa rica update, part 1
The Pool
Pura Vida from Costa Rica!
We took one look at the infinity pool when we arrived at the lovely Blue Spirit retreat center in Nosara, Costa Rica and knew we’d have a great week.
Richard jumped right in, doing his first handstands and forearm stands — ever — in the middle of the room! Look at that smile in his face.
Lauren was so excited that she did a handstand on the beach at sunset tonight!
Here’s where some of us are staying, the Plantation Casitas. Car alarms and sirens have been replaced by howler monkeys at all hours of the day and night.
We’re having an amazing time, with lots of laughter, learning, and a ton of fun as we stand upside down in the morning, then get wiped out on the surfboard in the afternoon.
We’ll post more photos throughout the week!
back from the “mountain top”
I have just gotten back from the “mountain top.” That’s how Stephanie and I describe going to see our teachers, Tias and Surya. Amazing things happen and stuff shifts around when we go to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
This week was all about the subtle body and deeply rooted holding patterns in the physical body that we may not be aware of; when we start releasing that – whoa Nelly. It’s super fantastic, annoyingly frightful, and every other descriptive word one can think of.
I just had an awesome revelation this morning now that I’m back in good old Brooklyn, ah home… I received an early birthday gift from my mom yesterday. When I opened the box, two of the items were broken. I felt so bad for my mom. She had gone through all that effort and time to send me a gift and in transit some of it had been broken. I didn’t want to tell her that I felt so bad. But I did tell her, as I thanked her for the amazingly beautiful gifts, that did not break and then she felt so bad for me because part of my gift had broken. She kept saying, “I must not have wrapped it well enough.” Then I felt even worse that she felt bad and we went back and forth for a bit and neither one of us had anything to do with breaking the items…. As I was reflecting on that interaction this morning the revelation came. It’s not the item that I am sad about, my mother has given me things before that have broken, it’s the connection of the item(s) to my mother and the impermance of the life we live. I don’t like to think of her not being here on this earth and yet I know we do not live forever. Hello deep holding pattern… For me, it clarifies why I get so upset when I lose or break something (or when the post office breaks something) that had been given to me, if and when this person leaves my life what will I have to remember them by? What can I cling on to? Oh right… I’ve chosen the path of “non clinging.”
Like I said, going to the “mountain top” shifts you body, mind and soul like you would not believe. One better be prepared to embark on this path we call “yoga.”
How do we connect to spirituality through our yoga practice?
Are we waiting for inspirational words of the teacher at the opening or closing of class? How do we receive them? Do we receive with reverence for our practice, knowing that the practice is fully alive in each moment, in the breath, in the connection to the body? The body is our spiritual vessel.
When we are fully engaged in a spiritual life, connection and wisdom is all around us. We no longer have to compartmentalize experiences as only physical, emotional, or spiritual. Our spiritual practice adds depth, awareness and understanding to our asana practice, knowing that our physical form is a manifestation of our inner world.
Yoga is a practice of call and response. Our teacher calls out a pose and we respond, answering with our physical form. The teacher speaks of grounding, extension and balance, and we strive to identify these things within us, to call upon them in support and guidance through life. In extended side angle we strive to connect to the earth through the feet, through strong legs, while moving beyond our foundation, reaching forward, up and out energetically. The pose so mirrors much of life in the city to me, like a reverse lightening rod, up from the earth; striking, bold and powerful.
What is mountain pose, if not an invitation to find strength, ease and grace through active stillness. Imagine the power of the mountain within each of us off the mat.
There are many layers of learning, awareness and teaching in any class. See if you can connect one layer deeper this week, within the same posture, the same room, the same practice, what lies beneath is the gateway to ourselves. The Dharma, if nothing else, is the full embodiment of truth, the truth that underlies and supports all of life, even that which we don’t always like or fully understand.
Namaste,
Ricki Jean
Studio of the Month
Mala is Studio of the Month at Lululemon’s Brooklyn Showroom! 
Join us every Saturday at 10am during the month of February for yoga at their showroom, located at 472 Bergen Street (b/t 5th & 6th Ave). Take the 2/3 train to the Bergen stop.
Saturday, Feb 6th – Christina
Saturday, Feb 13th – Marcus
Saturday, Feb 20th – Angela
Saturday, Feb 27th – Stephanie
Thank You Mala Community
As you may know by now, community is something we at Mala feel very strongly about. Since we opened our doors, we have been committed to raising money for and donating food to many different charities and not-for-profit organisations locally and nationally . All this could not be done without the amazing compassion of the Mala Sangha (community).We are grateful to all those who contributed to extending our sangha out to Haiti in their time of need. We have raised over $200.00 and will be donating the proceeds to Partners in Health.
Thank you for all you do,
Christina, Stephanie & Angela
Raising Funds for Haiti
Mala Yoga is reaching out beyond the Brooklyn community.
Monday, Jan 18th – 12:30pm
We’re raising funds to help out those in Haiti. All money raised in the 12:30pm basics class will go to the cause. You can still donate money to the cause even if you do not attend the 12:30 class. Simply place your change in the tin on the desk.
All proceeds will go to Partners in Health – Thank You!