Free Summer Solstice Celebrations This Weekend
Summer makes it’s official debut this weekend! To ring in the season yoga style, we’re hosting Summer Solstice events with most of our PFY studios including Chatham, Morristown, Glen Rock, Ridgewood, Westwood, Wayne and a big one in Clifton. Each event is free, and several are partnered with Athleta. See the full listing below to find the one closest to you. We can think of 108 reasons why you should come, but here are just a few:
So what is the Summer Solstice? It’s the longest day of the year, when the earth is tilted closest to the sun in the Northern Hemisphere. PFY yoga teacher Kanan Kapila has the most beautiful explanation. “The word solstice is from sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), meaning the sun stands still,” she says. What does that mean for a yogi? “We connect to the sun’s shift by reflecting on our own journey from darkness (winter) to light (summer). The yin and yang, ebb and flow, shiva and shakti.”
Traditionally, yogis do 108 sun salutations in tribute. “We are celebrating that we have made it through the winter blues and stand before the powerful sun which is the energizing source that will move through us for the rest of the year. Do the sequence to reflect on your journey so far and where you would like it to go next.”
108 is a sacred number for yogis. There are 108 beads on a mala necklace used for prayer and chanting. Actually, it’s kind of cool: The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth. “The practice of Surya Namaskara (Sun A) focuses our attention and awareness toward what is present and cultivates an attitude of using the energy wisely in our lives,” Kanan adds. There are also 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet, each with masculine and femine (shiva and shakti) versions–54 times 2 is 108.
Hopefully, you feel inspired to get into some Summer Solistice Sun A celebrations with us. You have plenty of chances to do it.
Free Summer Solstice Celebrations on Saturday, June 20, with PFY:
PFY Clifton from 4 to 8 p.m. (practice is from 4 to 6 p.m. with a party afterward)
Stop by the Clifton studio for a party in the parking lot! Vendors will give away freebies while your favorite teachers lead you through Sun As and Bs. Bring a mat and a friend. Teacher Kanan Kapila will start the event and lead salutations along with Kristen Kemp, Jessica Ernst, Brittany Messuti, Joelle De Amorin, Kristen Brunello, Meghan Hunter, Kim Copeland, Dima Paone, Kimie Mittman.
Tice’s Corner Athleta from noon to 2 p.m. with PFY Glen Rock, Ridgewood and Westwood (427 Chestnut Ridge Road, Woodcliff Lake)
Class will be held right outside store on sidewalk.
Free Summer Solstice Celebrations on Sunday, June 21, with PFY:
Willowbrook Mall Athleta from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. with PFY Wayne (1400 Willowbrook Mall, Wayne)
Class will be held outside, in front of the Gap. In case of rain the event will be moved inside in the Bloomingdale’s wing of the mall. Brittany Messuti from PFY Wayne will lead a solstice-inspired practice.
Morristown Athleta from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. (30 W Park Place, Morristown)
Class will be held inside the store. Meghan Hartigan from PFY Morristown is teaching.
Westfield Athleta from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. (234 E Broad St, Westfield)
Melanie Finner from PFY Chatham is teaching.
