Sunday, June 2, 2013

Yogitales: Dayton Haigney


Yogitales are your stories. At New York Yoga, we are continually inspired by what we hear from our students, about how yoga has had a transformative effect on their bodies and spirits. We wanted to share those stories with our community of yogis, and Yogitales was born.



I started practicing yoga approximately five years ago.  The York studio is located in my neighborhood.  One day, I decided to take a class for no particular reason.  That night, I could not believe how open my shoulders and chest area felt- I was sold.

Like many, I initially thought that yoga was all about bending and flexibility.  However, I soon learned that yoga is more about strength building (in particular the core and lower back).  I'm an avid skier- the yoga has immeasurably improved my performance on the hill.  Skiing is mostly about a strong core (the balance and lunges also help), which yoga practice builds.

More importantly, yoga has a strong spiritual component.  I've always had a spiritual life.  When I started practicing, I did not grasp the yoga/spiritual connection.  I was especially weary of the references to ethereal energy.  That changed through a profound experience.  My wife, Alexandra (Ali), practiced yoga for many years.  I think she was one of the original members at NYY.  She battled stage four cancer for many years.  After a long battle, the disease started to approach the end stages.  At this time, she was living in California.  I mentioned to my favorite instructor, Rachel Page, that Ali had gone into hospice.  Rachel took an interest in her progress.  Ali passed on a Wednesday.  I was beside myself and went to Rachel's class in an attempt to inject some normalcy into the day.  At that point, I was still a relatively new practitioner and struggled to make it through classes.  At the beginning of class, Rachel stated that I had suffered a loss and asked that the fellow students send energy my way.  During the class, I felt like superman.  I mentioned this to Rachel following class.  She pointed out that it was because the other students had sent their energy to me.  I left the shadows of doubt and became a believer in the super natural powers of yoga.


Thank you New York Yoga for transforming my life.