You would think the focused energy of 10,000 people would be enough to keep Mother Nature at bay for just one evening, but even the most dedicated of yogis were unable to keep the rain away from New York’s Central Park on Tuesday night where more than 10,000 people had turned out for the world’s largest registered yoga event.
But not before they experienced what might be the biggest zen moment in New York City history.
Just as the Yoga at the Great Lawn class, led by acclaimed yogi Elena Brower, was set to begin, thunder and lightning began rolling north through Manhattan’s midtown. The city’s Parks Department scurried to make a judgement call and Brower led the thousands of New Yorkers in a series of Oms. The harmony seemed to keep the weather at bay for an few extra minutes, allowing Brower to lead the crowd through one inspiring vinyasa, before promising everyone a raincheck.
By then, the rain was coming down in sheets.
Maria Sanchez, 67, continued to practice a head stand despite the rain with her 10-year-old granddaughter spotting her and holding her umbrella to shield her from the rain.
“I came for the experience,” Sanchez said after righting herself. “And I experienced something very peaceful with thousands of other people.”
The idea for yoga on the Great Lawn was born more than a year ago when Sascha Lewis, the co-founder of Flavorpill, began brainstorming with his team about how to bring yoga to the masses. They threw out the idea of the Great Lawn in Central Park, summertime home to the operas of Verdi and Bon Jovi concerts just like all grand ideas are thrown about, with little hope of it coming to fruition.
But with 12 months of hard work, the cooperation of the Parks Department and many hours of focused meditation, the dream became a reality.
“We believe yoga can make the world a better place and we want to spread that word to as many people as possible,” Lewis, who grew up just blocks away from the Lawn on Lexington and 88th street, explained about creating the event. “We want to spread the word to as many people as possible.The number of people interested in this event shows what yoga means to people in this city.”
Yoga mats were provided by sponsor Jet Blue Airlines and hydration by Smart Water. Courtesy of YogaGlo and Livestream.com, the event was streamed live online, allowing yoga fans to participate around the world.
Mixed in with the crowd (more than 15,000 people requested a spot and Flavorpill selected 10,000 participants randomly) was fashion designer Donna Karan (below, right: her downward dog is divine) and hip hop mogul Russell Simmons (a devoted yogi).
Before the event, Elena Brower didn’t show an ounce of stage fright, obviously a byproduct of years of training her mind and body to be calm.
“I think the only challenge here is that I have to be so completely doing the yoga myself. I have to be practicing what I am teaching or it won’t be accessible and authentic,” Brower said. “My hope and intent is that people who have not done yoga before will be exposed in a way that is accessible to their life.”
There were plenty of yoga newbies in the crowd. Sara Patterson, 23, brought along her boyfriend Brian Knolls.
“She goes to yoga, but I never do. I run. I came tonight to do something cool in the park. I didn’t know why we were chanting ‘om,’ but it felt really cool to be doing it with 10,000 of my neighbors,” Knolls said.
Thousands of people have never filed out of the park so graciously and calmly in the rain. The event will be postponed for sometime in August or September and will be announced at www.flavorpill.com/yoga.
Photo 1 by Jo Piazza, photo 2 and 3 by Michael O’Neill.