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The Peace Process
If New York seems calmer these days, blame yoga.
What finally took me back to yoga was not health but looks. I envied the flexible spine and dancer's
grace that are the marks of a yoga devotee. At the Reebok Sports Club on Columbus Avenue and 67th Street,
I was surprised at how demanding the classes were. I couldn't hold postures long before flopping ignominiously onto
my mat. I took a few private lessons with Noll Daniel, who teaches at Reebok, Chelsea Piers and Yoga Zone.
Daniel, a former dancer, demonstrated how controlled breathing helps relax muscles into deeper stretches.
Much of my tightness was fear of letting go. As I leaned into a posture that originally seemed impossible, I could feel my body releasing.
At health club classes - like Noll Daniel's Urban Yoga Workout or Molly Fox's Power Yoga at the equinox Fitness Clubs- the
spiritual aspect of yoga is confined to some breathing exercises, the use of Sanskrit names for postures and maybe
a simple benediction at the end.
(Excerpt from the article)
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