I just got back from about 24 hours in LA. I "had to" go down for work (I actually did, Spin :: Flow is going to have a small retail component so I had to go meet with some wholesalers). But of course the trip was scheduled in such a way that I could also make it a Yoga safari. I had plans to hit Sarah Ivanhoe's class at Yoga Works on Sunday evening and Steve Ross' class at Maha today, but as we all know, the best laid plans . . . . travel complications had me running late, so I had to give up on Sarah's class and I opted for a studio closer to my Hotel in Beverly Hills.
After a quick web search, I found Earth's Power Yoga which offered a 6 pm heated power class. The teacher was lovely: her body knowledge was amazing, she talked a lot about where one should be internally vs. externally rotating, which specific muscles and connections she was working, she got as specific as to detailing the direction one's pubic bone should be facing . . . huh? She was delightful, the class was detailed and specific, her sequencing interesting, challenging and logical: I certainly felt better after class than before. The stagnant energy of travel was washed away. It was by all means a successful class, but it was NOTHING special.
Contrast that today. Today I had the unbelievable pleasure of practicing with Steve Ross. Steve is a very well known teacher. He came to Yoga from the music industry and is often given credit with bringing modern music into the Yoga studio. It's a genius marriage as music is pure energy and it transmutes pure energy while asana (the limb of Yoga most of us are practicing in the studio) is all about moving energy, waking up Prana, releasing stagnant energy etc…. Steve was a pioneer in understanding how high energy music coupled with Asana helped people elevate their own energy.
This morning I arrived at Maha Yoga in Brentwood for Steve's 11:00 a.m. class. I walk in and I instantly feel the buzz, the energy in the reception area is joyful and light. As we moved into the studio the hum and buzz intesified, and there's Steve, rocking my FAVORITE Steve Marley song ever (I play it in class all the time) "Hey Baby." He's just got this huge smile on his face and his eyes are full of light. He "had me at hello." Then, of course, because it's LA, I look over to my right, and there's Def Jam Records founder, Russell Simmons (the room was set up so I looked right at him). Class starts with Steve Marley, moves into Snoop Dog, includes some Rihanna . . . you get the drift, he's not playing wind chimes and chants. The place is bumping. And you know what? The whole room—all ages, all bodies, all ability levels—is moving and grooving with huge smiles on their faces. Steve barely talked about alignment, actually barely is an exaggeration, he didn't talk about alignment (though I'm quite sure he knows his stuff). The sequencing was super simple, the poses weren't fancy,. . . but it was one of the BEST classes I have ever been to. Really, EVER, and I've been to a lot of really great classes. But I have rarely felt energy like that. I have rarely seen a group of people come so fully alive in a Yoga class. And it's not something you just see with the expressive joy on people's faces, it's something you feel energetically.
Steve's class did exactly what all Yoga teachers should be trying to do: he elevated everyone's energy, he made people feel their own "aliveness", he made them feel buoyant and he brought a lot of joy. Steve totally gets it: he doesn't want his students to sit in class judging their poses, over-thinking alignment, striving for improvement/perfection and in so doing using their Yoga to intensify their type A achievement bound personalities (happens in Yoga all of the time). He wants them to come in to their bodies, let go, feel a little bit more free, a little bit more joyful, a little bit more alive . . . .and you know what? He does it with genius.
So this takes me to the title of this blog post, "The Intangible Factor." The class I went to on Sunday night was every bit as good as Steve's class. From an academic perspective, it was maybe even a little better, but it didn't create any kind of a draw for me, it was energetically neutral to flat. On the other hand Steve has "it." The "intangible." He has the quality to instantly connect with people. His face is open and warm, he's eyes are full of light, he's VERY funny and cracks a lot of jokes in class—he even stuck his finger in my ear to try to knock me off balance. He's a serious Yogi, anything you read about him makes it clear, this is a man who takes his spiritual practices seriously (he's a former monk), so here's this super elevated guy and he's telling bawdy jokes in class and playing Ludacris' "Sugar (Gimme Some)" (when that song came on it simply confirmed that he was "my people"). He is approachable and light. He probably doesn't drink, but if he did, I would definitely want to go have a beer with him.
At one point in class, I had this thought, "I just feel so like me here." I felt my own energy being validated, so I felt myself enjoying the experience of being in my own skin, of being me . . . so maybe that's the "it," the "intangible," the "swagger factor:" he creates the space in which people come home to themselves and realize it's pretty great to think, "I feel like me." The "it" factor can't be created or faked, it's the outward expression of a guy who's totally in his flow, living his Dharma, and helping others to elevate their own vibration. The class literally made me happy all day: I was driving home from Sea Tac tonight, and I put "Sugar (Gimme Some)" on in the car to just to keep smiling and carrying the energy of the class (it worked).
So while the Yoga was uncomplicated and simple, the class was HARD: he had us in standing poses for so long that my entire body was shaking, when I lifted back to down dog the sweat was flying off of my face like spray paint (and it was from my effort, the room was not that hot), but I was having the BEST time. Class was long, 1:45, and I NEVER wanted it to end. I could have stayed all day. I was so in the flow . . . and I swear I'm not making this up, I made eye contact with and received a giant smile from Russell like 10 times, he knew I was feelin' it, because you can't hide that kind of flow.
If you want to read more about Steve http://mahayoga.com/.
