Mall Yoga: Kundalini and Gong at Lululemon

by theyogarazzi
March 19, 2015

Mall Yoga for Mall Yogis

At the local mall, fitness stores offer “complementary,” i.e. free, yoga classes. They feature local studios, popular teachers, and “brand ambassadors,” i.e. personalities chosen to create a buzz. It’s not a trade secret that retail establishments hope participants will be sufficiently inspired after yoga practice to shop. Conversely, participants hope the store will gift them free stuff, or at least snacks. Some do buy, and some resolutely do not. Anyone who rues the commodification of yoga is probably not there.

“Mall yogis,” to coin a term, mostly realize a free class is an advertisement for the brand. What they may not realize is that the class instructors are probably not getting paid. Occasionally, the instructors are offered clothing or a gift card. Frequently, they leave without any swag as these classes are pitched to the studios/instructors as a sweet marketing hook up, a way to introduce themselves.

Mall yogis show up weekly to these in-store classes. Some almost never practice anywhere else, and that’s okay. These classes offer exposure to many instructors. Whether someone practices only in a mall or also in gyms and studios, nowhere is it as easy to sample so many instructors as at these in-store mall classes. Don’t forget that many yogis struggle with time, location, and money restraints.

No matter the mall or the store, there is usually a generic mall yoga template; an all-levels vinyasa class, heavy on cat/cow warm ups, sun salutes, and a crow or pigeon accompanied by a popular play list, and not too much savasana. Instructors may vary the template, but generally not by very much. Occasionally, there is pranayama or a meditation, less often a dharma talk, but not too complex. Yet, the class is enjoyable. It’s not likely the most serious or challenging class, but it lends itself to fun, ease, and camaraderie. It’s a good class to meet up with friends. The casual vibe and low pressure environment make the experience non-intimidating.

Now for Something Completely Different

One Saturday last month, Diane Hancock, who teaches kundalini yoga every Sunday at Cityoga, garbed all in white, accompanied by her enormous gong, stepped to the front of the Indianapolis Lululemon store. The regulars expected a familiar version of the mall yoga class where a perky instructor, sporting malas or the latest store gear, cues them into down dog.

In a setting where people expect a physical workout, these mall yogis didn’t know they would spend most of the class in easy pose learning kundalini yoga. Maybe they hoped for energetic chatarungas to tone their abs and arms. Instead, they felt their abs and arms while vigorously breathing and chanting.

Diane capably and confidently introduced the class to kundalini yoga, a style not often encountered at the mall. In a clear, concise voice, she explained the meaning of Sanskrit chants, dristis, mudras, pranayama and the intent of the practices. Early on, the energy was restless. People looked around uncertainly. The first movements and chants were hesitant. Diane never wavered in her confidence. As the class evolved, the energy changed. The mall yogis opened up to discovering breath and awareness in new ways. A few still seemed a bit unnerved, but most enjoyed the experience.

By the time Diane rolled out the gong, the mall yogis were ready to relax into the vibrations. The store acoustics were actually quite conducive to the sound. As the frequencies vibrated off the running jackets and spinning tanks, they were able to surrender to the deep waves of sound, and maybe find some peace before dashing off. The Lululemon educators appreciated the moment of calm before they turned on the lights and opened the doors.

Afterward, one mall yogi whispered disappointedly there was no “real yoga”in the class. Another announced happily she had never been to a yoga class that emphasized anything other than physical movement. Many approached to ask questions about kundalini yoga or share observations. Diane never doubted these mall yogis would appreciate exposure to any aspect of yoga, including kundalini.

Retail stores don’t discourage mall yogis from purchasing pricey yoga pants, it’s what they do. However, these in-store yoga classes can be experienced as more than marketing and shopping opportunities. For the instructor, the class template doesn’t have to be so generic. For the student, the class doesn’t have to be so predictable. A little kundalini gong with the vinyasa is a good thing, even at the mall.

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Photo By: Courtesy of Diane Hancock

Monday, March 2, 2015

Yoga Local

ORGINALLY POSTED @ Indy Yogi

Indy, Support your Local Yoga Community!

by theyogarazzi
February 26, 2015

As a yoga enthusiast, I dig community. I love to hop around the local yoga scene, hitting major events and intimate classes. Yoga in Indy is both a big city with lots of little neighborhoods and a small town where everybody knows your name. There is the big Indy Community and smaller communities.

Back in the day, there were few teachers and fewer yoga studios. You didn’t have a lot of choices. Now Zionsville is becoming the Santa Monica of Indy. Once the gyms, CrossFit boxes, community centers, churches, and schools reach their limits on hosting yoga, classes will probably popup at the Super Targets. Yet, there will still be yoga ghettos and vast swaths of population who will remain unaware of yoga world. The yoga community is open and insular at the same time.

It’s easy to drop in almost anywhere. The odds are you will know the instructor and/or some of the students (many of whom are also yoga instructors). It’s like going to Cheers except you drag your bar stool around with you. Walk in, drop your mat, and you are at home.

Because you don’t actually have to know anyone to practice on your front porch mat, you can enjoy a solid practice anywhere. You don’t have to be afraid to roll without your besties. While it may be tough to play tennis without reassurance someone will return your serve, dropping into yoga is like hooping at the gym or the park. You can always get buckets. While the courts are competitive, yoga is not supposed to be. It should be easier to throw down your mat when you aren’t worried about throwing down. Plus, trash talking in yoga class is highly discouraged.

You can meet up with friends, run across friends, and meet new friends in the shared class experience. That’s community. What’s interesting about the pastiche of the community is that while you can see the same people at different times at different studios, you will still find some people that only go to one studio. This preference might be geographic, practice, or price driven, but it might also reflect a teacher/vibe preference. While an athletic yogi generally doesn’t prefer a devotional studio and vice versa, cross pollination does happen. For some yogis, their community is strictly the free community class. You may only see them at the weekend mall class, but it is as much a tight knit enclave as any studio or gym.

While you may only encounter certain yoga students at their singular space, you will almost certainly encounter the same instructors at many spaces. Somewhere, teaching yoga is wildly financially lucrative, but in this community, teachers must lead many classes in many places to garner any income. Wherever, you see a teacher, if he/she emits a friendly vibe and knows your name, the community becomes more accessible.

If you practiced yoga in a super metropolis, you could easily go to one or many studios on a regular basis and remain totally anonymous to the instructor and other yogis in a mega class. In this community, not so much. The connectivity of the community can be annoying and heartwarming. When you want to go here and not there, friends wonder why you didn’t go there with them or formally invite them here. When you go to one teacher’s class, another wonders why you didn’t/don’t come to “my” class. (Sigh). Yet, it’s so nice to be welcomed, wanted, encouraged, appreciated, and missed. You just can’t get that from anonymity.

Perhaps our Indianapolis yoga community is less established and less sophisticated than others. Perhaps are numbers are smaller. Maybe our community has unique practices and quirky ways, but it is ours. Join in my enthusiasm. Get to know the neighborhoods and be part of the big picture. Participate in community wide events like Monumental Yoga. Check out Indy Yogi and its calendar to stay in the community loop. Let’s support our community. Namaste.

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