For those whose exercise routine is in a rut, the Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium in Centerport has a possible boredom buster with a program that adds a celestial element to yoga.
This coming Sunday, Oct. 13, both beginners and the advanced can experience yoga in the inspiring planetarium setting with two classes planned: Celestial Flow from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Rest & Restore from 7 to 8 p.m. Too busy this weekend? The sessions, launched by Jennifer Eagen of Pop Up Prana Yoga, are an ongoing feature with further dates to explore via the Vanderbilt Museum website.
A nature enthusiast, Eagen started her mobile yoga enterprise to take advantage of the especially good vibe of outdoor locations—a goal that Vanderbilt helped her achieve both via its 43-acre waterfront property and its star-studded planetarium.
“Personally, I'm very connected to nature and I like to think of out-of-the-box ways to practice yoga, especially when it comes to connecting with not only being outside but also the greater universe,” Eagen said. “So, for me, it was a natural thought for us to pilot practicing yoga inside the planetarium.”
The $37 cost per class also contributes in part to Vanderbilt Museum, meeting another of Egan’s goals, “supporting these nonprofit organizations in any way I can.”
In an interview with South Shore Press, Eagen described Celestial Flow as a Vinyasa yoga class, which transitions participants through dynamic Vinyasa sequences of focused breath and movement with celestial visuals.
“We then transition into more restorative style stretches as part of the cooldown sequence and make our way to our final meditation, which is a grounding meditation with gentle stretches. Then I guide everyone through a yoga nidra, which is a verbal meditation prior to their final meditations and complete silence,” she said.
It’s then that participants get a sense of their place in the universe. As Eagen explained, “At that point, the dome of the planetarium is in complete darkness, and you get a view of the stars. The whole idea with the planetarian views is that you're starting at the earth and you're slowly making your way to the edge of the universe and then slowly returning.”
Modeled after yin practice, the Rest & Restore class, Eagen said, has participants holding poses for a duration of three to five minutes and performing passive stretches. With its focus on the stars above, the class offers “the perfect blend of yin restorative postures and mindful movements.”
The planetarium setting “encourages you to explore your body and movement in complete darkness, which is something we typically don't do,” she added.
The guest instructor for these classes will be Nick Vishanka, whom Eagen describes as a teacher of teachers in the yoga realm. “It’s his primary calling so he's very immersed in all aspects of yoga," she said.
For tickets, visit popuppranayoga.com.