Art & Yoga Urban Retreat

Are you passionate about both art and yoga? Make connections between the two in this one-of-a-kind retreat.

Join NY YOGA + LIFE magazine and the Rubin for a full day of workshops and classes pairing the art of the Himalayas with the magazine’s community of teachers, artists, and leaders in the yoga community. Events, which will take place in the museum’s galleries and theater, will focus on asana sessions from prominent teachers, including MC YOGI, Sarah Platt-Finger, and Alan Finger, as well as in-depth and intimate workshops led by Sara Clark, Ali Cramer, Tashi Chodron, Paula Pavlova, photographer Robert Sturman, artist Miriam Castillo, and Satya Scainetti of Satya Jewelry.

View the full schedule for the retreat below. Please note that certain sessions are full. After purchasing your ticket, you’ll receive an email prompting you to complete your registration and designate your preferences for each session. Every effort will be made to accommodate your preferences, but note that certain restrictions, including maximum program capacities, apply.

Presented in partnership with New York Yoga + Life Magazine

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Schedule

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Session A | 9:00 – 10:15 AM

 

 

Sound, Body, Mind Experience with MC YOGI

Open to all Art & Yoga Urban Retreat attendees

 

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Session B | 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Mantra, Meditation & Flow with Sarah Platt-Finger + Alan Finger (Option 1)

Pranayama with Sara Clark (Option 2)

Movement, Yoga, and Dance in Photography with Robert Sturman (Option 3) SOLD OUT

Please Choose One

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Lunch Break | 12:00 – 1:00 PM
(Please note: Lunch is not provided)

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Session C | 1:00 – 2:30 PM

Healing Crystals and Chakras with Paula Pavlova (Option 1)

Mantra & Meditation with Tashi Chodron (Option 2) SOLD OUT

Sound Bath with Basia Blonska (Option 3) SOLD OUT

Please Choose One

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Session D | 2:45 – 4:15 PM

Mala Workshop with Satya (Option 1)

Coloring Sound with Miriam Castillo (Option 2)

Yoga Connections with Ali Cramer and Jeremy McMahan (Option 3) SOLD OUT

 

Please Choose One

 

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Session E | 4:30 – 6:00 PM

Sound in Motion, Sound in Rest (Option 1)

Coloring Sound with Miriam Castillo (Option 2) SOLD OUT

Pranayama with Sara Clark (Option 3) SOLD OUT

Please Choose One

 

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Session Information

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Session A | 9:00 – 10:15 AM

Sound, Body, Mind Experience with MC YOGI

Open to all Art & Yoga Urban Retreat attendees

The Art and Yoga Urban Retreat kicks off with the the ultimate sound, body, and mind yoga experience in this early morning asana session with international yoga teacher, artist, and musician MC YOGI.

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Session B | 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

(choose one option)

Mantra, Meditation & Flow with Sarah Platt-Finger + Alan Finger
Join Sarah Platt-Finger in her signature ISHTA breath-based flow. The class will combine intelligent sequencing and ancient kriya techniques to purify the consciousness. This session will lead you back to your source of unbound potential and help you to recognize your own divine nature as embodied by the primordial buddha, who represents the potential for all beings to become enlightened. The class will begin with a mantra and meditation led by Alan Finger.

Pranayama with Sara Clark
Through the ancient practice of pranayama, cultivate an intimate relationship with the sound and rhythm of your breath. Learn to more efficiently manage stress and awaken both your inner wisdom and inner peace. Leave feeling energized with new breathing techniques that will increase mindfulness and compassion towards yourself and others.

Movement, Yoga, and Dance in Photography with Robert Sturman
Photography enthusiasts: learn about composition, balance, integration of the pose with the environment, connecting with the model, and much more. Come be the photographer, model, artist, muse, or all of the above. Bring your camera, phone, questions, and curiosity. Discover the secrets of how to make powerful, poetic images celebrating the beautiful art of yoga.

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Lunch | 12:00 – 1:00 PM

(Please note: Lunch is not provided)

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Session C | 1:00 – 2:30 PM

(choose one session)

Healing Crystals and Chakras with Paula Pavlova
The use of precious stones and crystals in Himalayan art is prolific, often signifying protection and guidance. Crystals vibrate at specific frequencies, which correlate with the seven energetic centers, or chakras, of our bodies. We will match the stones with the energy centers on the body, and focus on the healing powers each stone has with each energetic center from root to crown. The session will begin with participants handling and understanding the crystals and their meanings. Then they will be guided in a seated meditation and taught a chant that includes the seed sounds for each chakra. The workshop will end with a long meditative savasana, during which participants will lie down with crystals resting on each of their corresponding chakras.

Mantra & Meditation with Tashi Chodron
In this session, Tashi Chodron of the Rubin Museum will explore the law of karma through the symbolism of the Wheel of Life. A breathing exercise in the Tibetan Yantra Yoga tradition, meditation, and a brief Q&A will follow the discussion.

Sound Bath with Basia Blonska
Enjoy this deeply immersive experience featuring crystal singing bowls, gong, and several other highly resonant instruments. A sound bath can help support anyone seeking to connect to a moment of relaxation and experience the benefits of meditation.

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Session D | 2:45 – 4:15 PM

(choose one session)

Mala Workshop with Satya
The mala is a traditional garland of prayer beads. Every bead represents a truth, and meditating on them with an affirmation, or mantra, is used to bring peace of mind. The mala can also be seen as a metaphor for life: a small knot between each of the beads represents a challenge between the smoother, more beautiful aspects of life. In this fun, inspiring workshop led by Satya Scainetti, co-founder of Satya Jewelry, participants will learn the sacred art of mala making and how mala are used in daily practice. Each participant will leave the workshop with a one-of-a-kind mala bead bracelet. Materials are included in the price of the workshop.

Coloring Sound with Miriam Castillo
Join artist Miriam Castillo for a coloring meditation in the galleries of the Rubin Museum. Together we will color and fill in a large piece of art created exclusively for this event. It has been reported that similar to meditation, coloring for adults may have stress-relieving effects, allowing us to switch off our brains from other thoughts and focus on the moment.

Yoga Connections with Ali Cramer and Jeremy McMahan
Join the Rubin Museum’s Jeremy McMahan and the director of the Ayurveda program at Laughing Lotus, Ali Cramer, as they discuss art and yoga and take an in-depth look at the system of chakras, the energetic centers in the body. Participants will look at how chakras manifest physically, emotionally, and spiritually (in and out of balance), and discuss practical ways to address imbalances using essential oils, movement, and mantra. The session will close with a short chakra tuning meditation.

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Session E | 4:30 – 6:00 PM

(choose one session)

Sound in Motion, Sound in Rest
This session begins with Robert Sturman presenting a short film created with Visionary Organics about one of his muses, 99-year-old yoga teacher Tao Porchon-Lynch , followed by a short discussion and Q&A about Robert’s work with Tao. The session will conclude with a synchronized sound meditation led by Reem Abdou and Tania Kazi. The powerful combination of binaural beats soundscaped by Reem with hypnotic singing bowls rung by Tania is intended to facilitates alpha brainwave activity and subtly reorient the energetic body to balance as participants dive into the deep waters of sound.

Coloring Sound with Miriam Castillo
Join artist Miriam Castillo for a coloring meditation in the galleries of the Rubin Museum. Together we will color and fill in a large piece of art created exclusively for this event. It has been reported that similar to meditation, coloring for adults may have stress-relieving effects, allowing us to switch off our brains from other thoughts and focus on the moment.

Pranayama with Sara Clark
Cultivate an intimate relationship with the sound and rhythm of your breath through the ancient practice of pranayama. In this program you’ll learn to more efficiently manage stress and awaken both your inner wisdom and inner peace. Leave feeling energized with new breathing techniques that will increase mindfulness and compassion towards yourself and others.

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About the Instructors

 

From living in a group home for at-risk youth to becoming known as one of yoga’s modern-day ambassador to the West, hip-hop artist, MC YOGI is on a mission to introduce yoga to large, mainstream audiences.

His latest album, Ritual Mystical (featuring East Forest), reached #1 on the electronic charts in August 2016. In 2015, his album Only Love Is Real, featuring guest performances from Matisyahu, Trevor Hall, and Dominic Balli, debuted at #12 on Billboard Heatseekers and at #24 on iTunes Hip-hop.

In 2011, MC YOGI and his wife, Amanda, were named ambassadors by Michelle Obama for her “Let’s Move” initiative, and they have taught yoga at the White House four times since. Additionally they have performed and taught yoga at Stanford University, The Smithsonian, San Francisco Asian Art Museum, and Dallas Asian Art Museum.

Sarah Finger is the co-founder of ISHTA Yoga and the private yoga teacher of Deepak Chopra. She teaches trainings, workshops, and retreats internationally with her husband, yoga master Alan Finger, and is a featured teacher on Yoga U Online as well as Jiyo, a new digital platform that brings health and wellness to online communities all over the world. She is on the board of directors for Exhale to Inhale, a nonprofit organization that teaches yoga to survivors of domestic violence.

Satya Scainetti is the founder and designer of Satya Jewelry. A philanthropist, yoga teacher, and Reiki healer, Scainetti lives a lifestyle dedicated to giving back to the world community. The name Satya, meaning “truth” in Sanskrit, inspires each wearer to find their individual truth.

Robert Sturman is a dedicated yoga practitioner and photographer who has increasingly focused on capturing the timeless grace and embodied mindfulness of asanas in his work. His portraits, whether set in the lively streets of Manhattan, the expansive beaches and canyons of Malibu, the timeless elegance of Walden’s New England, the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, the bustling streets of Cuba, or the bleakness of Marin County’s San Quentin Prison, remind us that there is beauty everywhere. See his work at robertsturmanstudio.com.

Sara Clark is a five-hundred-hour certified yoga and meditation teacher residing in New York City. Practicing yoga and meditation for two decades, Sara is on the faculty at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health and leads workshops and retreats internationally. She has created a series of yoga and meditation videos for Shape Magazine and Yoga Today, and she is the newest teacher on Yogaglo. Movement, mindfulness, and meditation continue to enrich Sara’s life, and she looks forward to sharing these tools so everyone can enjoy a fulfilling and awakened existence.

Ali Cramer is the director of the Ayurveda program at Laughing Lotus and a senior teacher in their two-hundred-hour teacher training program. She leads retreats, workshops, and master classes both nationally and internationally. Cramer is honored to have led the first yoga teacher training program in the Sudan and to be a guest teacher on the faculty of Columbia University’s psychology and spirituality program. Visit alicramer.com for upcoming events and weekly schedules.

Paula Pavlova is a certified yoga instructor and meditation leader committed to creating a space where her students feel safe and comfortable to embark on a journey through their vast souls. Pavlova teaches meditation in a way that offers a path to centered ease and personal inspiration through visualization, pranayama breathing techniques, and gentle movement. She is the co-founder of GAIA Collective, an organization focused on connecting to Mother Earth and the universe beyond through crystals, essential oils, and alchemical creations tied together with moon rituals and meditations.

Tashi Chodron is the Assistant Manager of Himalayan Culture Programs and Partnerships at the Rubin Museum of Art. She leads the series Awakening Practice, a Saturday meditation and mindfulness class in the Tibetan Buddhist shrine room, and curates a monthly program on Himalayan Heritage. Ms. Chodron leads gallery and university group tours and teaches adult classes at the Rubin. She also trains guides and docents on Himalayan and Tibetan Buddhist art and culture. Ms. Chodron is the founder and current Director of Voices of Tibet, an organization dedicated to conducting interviews with Tibetan elders to save their stories for future generations and to educate the world about Tibet.

Miriam Castillo is a designer and illustrator based in New York and Valladolid in Yucatan, Mexico. Her whimsical, hand-drawn illustrations explore the world through both fantasy and the proximity to nature. She draws inspiration from her journey as a yoga instructor, which has bestowed her with an invigorating source of creativity. She believes that yogis’ connection with nature gives them a deeper wisdom and understanding of their own bodies. As such, she spends much of her life observing the natural world and exploring its intersection with the creation of art. For the last decade, Miriam had ventured in custom design, pattern making, and graphic design, illustration, and space intervention. To see her work, visit miriamcastillo.com.

Jeremy McMahan is the Coordinator of Interpretation and Engagement at the Rubin Museum. He started working at the Rubin in early 2013 and continuously brings his enthusiasm for the art and culture to Museum tours and programs. He has been fascinated by the religion, culture, and people of the Himalayas ever since he visited Bhutan in high school. As a college student, he participated in the School for International Training’s Tibetan and Himalayan Peoples study abroad program, living in the Indian Himalayas as well as Nepal. He has a degree in Religious Studies from the College of William and Mary, and worked in Nepal as a teaching assistant for S.I.T. before joining the Rubin.

Basia Blonska brings healing sounds to intimate sound baths, yoga classes, private, group and corporate sessions. She uses her unique musical skills and training to create tranquil healing soundscapes.