Emily's May Inspiration "There Goes The Hood"

It was more than a restaurant, it was a symbol. And in the past decade, the last man standing in a sea of homogeny brought on by outsiders visiting the East Village on the weekends; dabbling in the hip, artistic, and edgy. Fact is MAMA'S was the neighborhood. At ten dollars a plate with a choice of meat and three sides, MAMA's was the spot you went for down home comfort. Nestled on 3rd St btw A & B, I walked past this soul food spot daily back in the nineties, sometimes stopping in just for a side of mash potatoes when the city got rough. They had the best veggies too, and if you didn't want meat you could get an extra side with their mac and cheese rivaling no other.

I encourage my yoga students to embrace change, to accept the only constant in our lives is just that. But as my old street in Alphabet City morphs into more and more sameness - that chain store, homogenized look that plagues our country - I have to cry out, 'Why this hood!?' Why the spot where artists flocked to so they could be different and accepted? With the fortune tellers, druggies, and performance artists singing their tunes, graffiti walls and dive bars that embrace all kinds... Why must the demographic who desires sameness, who feels more comfortable in an OLIVE GARDEN than an authentic Italian dive invade the one place on the planet where we screwed the Man?

Those who infest the East Village on the weekends are in no way supporting the community and those who inhabit it. They leave and go back to their commutes and cubicles, and tell stories about how they had a 'crazy' weekend in the village. We lived there, many old-schoolers still do. It's our home, and place's like MAMA'S, or the old KING'S PHARMACY replaced by a DUANE READE were our pride, our joy and choice to remain original, authentic to ourselves. Most moved to the East Village against their society's wishes. To a far away land where parentals did not understand paying a thousand dollars a month for a shoebox apartment on Ave C, but we did and sacrificed to be there. The natives know the secret to Alphabet City is its character, its funkiness, and constant groove we so adore. With the closing of MAMA'S, I dare say...there goes the hood.

PEACE,

Archived Inspirations

on Holidays

A SEASON IN LOVE

I had forgotten how inspiring the change in seasons can be. My experience in Los Angeles was always seventy degrees and sunny with Christmas lights strung on Palm trees round the pool. I lived in scarves and flip flops throughout the winter and swam outside until late November. But it never quite felt right to me as I honored the coming seasons in class, talked about transition and the importance of balancing your doshas and eating seasonally.

Now in the mountains of Santa Fe, I'm happy like a three year old to discover and experience each new season. Summer was wild, with the days hot and dry. Festivals everywhere, the plaza always buzzing and plenty of margaritas to be had on outdoor patios while watching the sun set. And then fall came and I was equally in love; the return to schedules and nightly yoga practice. The beautiful colored Aspens and crispness to the air. Many a fall hike was in gratitude for the abundant patches of sun and the crunching of the leaves beneath my feet.

You see the seasons; the change in lighting, temperature, clothing all adds to what we feel in our hearts~ a shift. Toward more play in the summer, new projects in the fall, deep sleep in the winter, and more energy come spring. And we need these seasons. It keeps us balanced and unattached. There's a lesson to each one, a period of growth that pushes us into the next and the deeper you tune in the more aware you become of the rhythm that is in our nature.

Of course we have our favorites, summer rates highest followed by spring and fall. But typically winter is dreaded. It's cold for one, the extra layers make us heavy and weighted as everything from getting groceries to running to the post office feels like a burden. The car must scraped and heated, the house warmed and toes covered. But there is a sense of calm to the season. The plaza is quieter now, and the smell of pinon wood intoxicates. I swear I can see all the way to Jupiter in this dark mountain sky, and the sound of snow is the prettiest I've ever heard. You see the stillness you yearn for, the need to retreat and curl up with a pet, book, or loved one is real. It can't be denied because it's innate to the solstice of winter. Hibernation is exactly what we are supposed to be doing with less light. The darkness, the snow bound is all part of the season and must be embraced.

Of course the holidays come and have us running everywhere but home, and that needs to be balanced too. Less stress, more love~ you create the peace… It's funny I used to hate winter. I never liked the flakes on my tongue and still can't really stand to be cold. But as I sat with my company this Thanksgiving night and we looked out to the first fall of snow, winter couldn't have timed it better. And I can't think of a more natural way to spend this season~ curled up…in love.

God bless~everyone,