Yoga flash mob hits Grand Central station
Update: Due to threats of arrest from the MTA police, the yoga flash mob has been postponed! Click here for details.
Having conquered Times Square, yogis are laying claim to another New York City landmark with a frenzied vibe—Grand Central Station.
Catch the 6:00 Om this Wednesday night, when a group of yogis will unfurl their mats in the main concourse of the iconic travel hub in a Yoga Flash Mob, a project of Storm Yoga, an organization that works to bring yoga to unlikely places and people.
Miles Bukiet, one of the founders, said that while yoga has grown into a huge industry, there’s still a narrow framework. “Certain types of people tend to do yoga,” he says. “So many people who aren’t fit, or flexible, or wealthy, could use it in their lives. It’s about human potential and discovering the power that’s inside of us.”
Here’s how it will work: Yogis will meet at a predetermined spot, most likely Bryant Park, where they’ll learn a quick sequence. After practicing it together a few times, they’ll enter the concourse from all sides, roll out their mats, and begin the practice with a few Oms, which Bukiet hopes will resonate throughout the station. The flash mob is open to everyone, and the sequence will be simple enough for beginners, he says.
Bukiet wants people to stop, watch, and be inspired by the contrast—he’s not worried about agitated commuters weaving through mats during Savasana or cops telling the group to move on.
“It’s just a 10-minute thing, so by the time they figure out that maybe we shouldn’t be there, we’ll be gone,” he says. “I don’t even know if there’s a rule against doing yoga in Grand Central. Probably not!”
Yoga Flash Mob, Wednesday, August 24, 6:00 p.m. For details, visit www.StormYoga.org or RSVP on Facebook for information and updates.
Ugh, stay out of grand central during rush hour. Nobody needs you laying on the floor while I’m trying to run to my train.
[...] of city life almost became a chaotic mob of yogis handcuffed on their mats.After we published our story on the yoga flash mob that was set to take place this evening in Grand Central station, the buzz began to grow.It got so [...]
Thank god for the MTA police. I am all for spiritual enlightment, but what an ignorant, inconsiderate, obnoxious thing to do. That’s right: as I am running to catch the subway home to Brooklyn to my sick kid as part 2 of my 2-hour commute, what I want the most is to dodge and dive to avoid some pretentious pricks with nothing better to do, than clog an already-congested train station. UGH.