Wednesday, June 21st (today!) marks not only the Summer Solstice, but also International Day of Yoga! To celebrate both, Goodyoga (114 Greenpoint Ave.) is leading a Summer Solstice offering of 108 Sun Salutations. Taking place at 7pm in Transmitter Park in Greenpoint (West St. bet. Kent St. and Greenpoint Ave.), the donation-based event will support the Discover Outdoors Foundation, a local non-profit organization dedicated to providing life-changing, educational and fun outdoor experiences to kids who need it most.
Open to specific interpretation, the number 108 carries significance in many cultures and even appears in nature. 108 is a sacred number in Hinduism and yoga. It is the number of Upanishads comprising Indian philosophy’s Vedic texts, the number of pithas or sacred sites throughout India, the number of marmas or sacred points on the body, the number of names for both Shiva and Buddha, and the number of beads on a Tibetan mala, the prayer beads analogous to a Catholic rosary, which also has 108 beads. 108 is twice the number 54, which is the number of sounds in Sanskrit and six times the number 18, which is a Jewish good luck number. It is also the number of possible astrological positions (nine planets x twelve signs of the zodiac). 108 connects the sun, moon and Earth as the average distance from the Earth to the sun and the moon is 108 times the diameters of each respectively. In Vedic culture, 108 signifies the wholeness of existence. The individual numbers can be seen as representing unity (1), emptiness (0) and infinity (8). And 108 is the Chinese number representing “man.”
Tonight’s event will begin with a brief introduction of this significance and an overview of the format for tracking and flowing through 108 sun salutations, which will involve 12 sets of nine rounds of Surya Namaskar comprised of both versions A and B. The first set of 12 will be led and the remainder will be individual. Modifications will be offered to accommodate all participants.
Reserve your spot via MindBody. All donations will go to the Discover Outdoors Foundation to support outdoor education programming that empowers and expands the horizons of urban youth here in NYC. Suggested donation $20. Cash donations will be accepted at the event.