“Good morning everyone,” Jack said to the women in the studio. “Given the rain, we will start a few minutes late today.”
It was a school holiday, which generally meant the yoga studio would be full. For a number of mothers in the studio, this class would be their only personal time all day.
Jack slowly scanned the room and noted several women typing into their iPhones. “Ladies, let’s put the devices away,” he instructed with a playful grimace. “Unless it’s an emergency, the studio is a phone-free zone.
“So how is everyone?” he continued.
“Good,” a number of women muttered back.
Leigh, who was seated up front next to Jack, said, “I’d be better if the rain stopped.”
“Yes, Leigh, I understand,” Jack responded while reaching out and clasping her hand. “The rain can bring us down.” He paused in reflection and then continued, “But we can’t control it, can we? I always find it helpful to focus on the things we can control rather than the things we can’t. When you feel down about something like rain, you have to train your mind to find another focus, because you can either be upset by it or not. It will still be raining outside.
“As a culture, we are losing the ability to look inside and develop coping mechanisms for the unpleasant aspects of life. Instead, we increasingly seek the stimulation offered in our privileged, wireless world, which really only functions as a distraction. Once that distraction is gone, negative feelings surface again. That is why your yoga practice is so important.
“For the next hour and a half, you can tune out the rest of the world and get back in touch with who you are and what’s important to you. If uncomfortable feelings arise, you will be forced to sit with them. Sitting with them and thinking about them is the only way to work through them. It’s one of the secrets to happiness. Isn’t it cool to know that exists within you? No matter what happens in your life, if you can face the related feelings, you have the ultimate control.”
Jack stood to lower the lights. Before sitting back down again, he stopped and chatted with Sylvia Dory, a local masseuse who was going through a difficult divorce. He gave her a heartfelt hug and then knelt behind her and massaged her shoulders. Moving back to the front of the studio, he settled in typical fashion on his mat and began to speak.
“Today, I want to discuss how yoga encourages daydreaming, and its importance in personal happiness,” he said. “Studies show that positive, mindful daydreaming helps manage conflict and aids in conflict resolution, improves cognition, and boosts creativity and productivity.
“How many of you daydream regularly?” Jack asked the class.
A number of hands went up.
“Good,” Jack said. “More of you do it than I anticipated. As I was saying earlier, it’s less and less common in our busy, wireless world. The kundalini yoga workshop I will be running is designed to encourage daydreaming—specifically erotic daydreams, which are fuel for the kundalini energy. Given that society and our small communities can tamp us down, it’s important for us to have a place, at least in our minds, where we feel uninhibited. Otherwise, all the restrictions and all the limitations can lead to aberrant behavior. Just like children who are told ‘No!’ one too many times, we react negatively when trying to fit into too narrow a view of acceptable behavior.
“My workshop starts a week from tomorrow. For those of you who want to take it and haven’t signed up yet, please see me after class.
“I also want to announce that the entire catalogue of auction items from the upcoming Auntie Arts charity benefit at The Glass House is available for review and early bidding on my website. Some of the new items added to the catalogue are: $10,000 in Mandarin Oriental hotel credit; a spa week in Fiji at the exclusive Turtle Island; center orchestra tickets for The Book of Mormon; and a complete collection of signed books by the late Connecticut author, William Styron.
“The benefit will be held on November seventh. All proceeds will go to help a community in West Bengal, specifically the women and children who live there. I hope you will visit my website to review the offerings and, if you haven’t already, consider attending the event. It’s going to be a great night.”
Jack stood up and began moving through the studio. As he walked through the room, his fingertips brushed across a few of the women’s shoulders and he whispered, “Welcome.”
“Today’s practice is going to focus on the hips,” he said. “The hips are huge depositories for physical and emotional tension. The poses we will do are meant to open up the pelvic region and release negative feelings and undesirable energy while activating kundalini. If the practice gets too intense, please take a break. Releasing the hips is often an emotional watershed experience, but don’t be scared or embarrassed by your feelings. It’s completely normal to have an emotional response. Students often weep during this class.”
He moved to the front of the classroom to instruct and observe the women. “Let’s start by sitting cross-legged with your left leg in front of your right. Place your hands on your knees. Take a deep breath in, and when you exhale, start moving your torso in wide circles. Make the circles as broad as you can while breathing deeply. Experience the entire range of motion in the hips and your lower back. When you are ready, change direction.”
Jack walked through the room. Once he reached Leigh, he crouched behind her and puts his hands on her waist. While whispering instructions on how to breathe in her ear, he started to direct the pace and direction of her circular movements. Then he moved to Adair and repeated the process. When he whispered in Adair’s ear, they both giggled.
For the next forty-five minutes, Jack instructed his students through a series of stretches to release the hips as well as the hamstrings and lower back. He ended the sequence with pigeon pose.
“This is one of my favorites,” he explained. “Physically, it releases the intricate group of muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support the hips. Emotionally, it releases the lower two chakras, the root and the sacral, which guide our relationships and house our human need for survival, intimacy, and trust.”
Jack ended the class with a longer-than-usual shavasana. “I’m giving you extra rest time today so that you have the opportunity to process the emotions you unlocked,” he said, speaking in a soothing, quiet tone. “Relax. Allow your mind to follow its natural stream of thought. You have nowhere to go. You have nothing to do. This is your time. Feel. Process. Release.”
When Abby and Elizabeth were rolling up their mats at the end of class, Leigh came over to them. “Hi again, Abby,” she said. “So you’ve already discovered Yogi Jack. Wasn’t that a great class? I’ve missed the last few and was so stiff.”
“Yes,” Abby murmured noncommittally. “Really amazing.”
“When I have private sessions with Jack, he leads me through a version of the hip-opening sequence,” Leigh volunteered. “If you can afford to, you should sign up for his private sessions. They really are amazing.”
“I’ve already signed up,” responded Abby, her interest piqued. “My first one is Friday morning.”
“Oh, speaking of Friday—Abby, are you free for lunch after you meet with Jack?” Leigh asked. “I’d like to show you my property. Elizabeth, you’re welcome to come, too. Brianna Worth is my neighbor, and she told me you’re featuring her home in next month’s issue of Cannondale Cottages & Gardens.”
She leaned in and continued in a stage-whisper, “If you ask me, our home is just as attractive as Brianna’s but with much better landscaping. Olivia Blackwell is my decorator. I think you’ll be impressed by it enough to want to feature it, too!”
The two sisters glanced at each other and grinned. “Yes,” they said in unison. “What time?”