live from NYC

[Guest guest]

For the second day of the second week, practice

was held on the basketball court of the huge Chelsea

Piers sports complex. In recent years, the one time

port for trans-Atlantic ships on the East River of New

York city had been transformed into a spectacular 30

acre sports and entertainment fantasy land. Nearly a

century after the piers opened, the site now contained a

brewing company, two soccer fields an ice rink roller

rink, spa, and banquet facilities for every corporate

or celebratory function under the sun. <br><br>.

Hundreds of yogis from all points of the city were keeping

the graveyard shift of taxi drivers working hard

during their last hour, and for whatever reason our

driver that day was one of the stereotypical cabbies.

Uncertain as to our destination — he was convinced we were

going to the hotel — he sped up to race stop lights,

yelled as much to keep himself awake, chastised me for

yawning and needed our help to get to the destination.

<br>“Just follow the rest of the taxis and let us off

beyond the flagpole,” I said, at once aware of the

driver’s foreign status and of my, neutral and perhaps

unresolved feelings for the America flag. We got out with a

sigh of relief, and joined the other yogis and yoginis

filing into the pier 60 building, thinking our tension

for the day had reached its peak. <br>There was

simply nothing in my experience like practicing with

that many committed Ashtangis with the support of

Guruji. A buzz filled the room despite the few hours of

sleep, the jet lag,and the sore muscles. Guruj walked

in, led us in the mantra and we began. <br>A few

people who had come to the sports center to work out

stopped and watched through the black mesh fence at the

sight of us. But I couldn’t help but one man pummeled a

punching bag as Guruji counted down the breaths. <br>

<br>It was Saraswati’s birthday, so a cake was brought

in before savasana. People sang and then attempted

to rest. While some things had come up in my

practice other than bliss, when I got up, it was with a

sense of gratitude that trumped any discomfort. For the

first time, I joined the line to bow at Guruji’s feet.

<br> <br>After practice several of us met up in a

cafe. In our post practice happy, open and ebullient

state, it took one of the employees coming over to our

table and asking us if we knew what had just happened

for us to quiet down and listen to the high volume

radio. No one could believe we were only a few miles

from the site of the worst terrorist disaster to hit

the country. It was like the San Francisco earthquake

combined with the Challenger explosion times 100??? <br>

“The challenge is to keep our hearts open” Sharon

Gannan said to a small group of stunned people who

assembled at the Jivamukti Yoga Center to meditate. I said

another thank you that I was learning to open my heart a

little wider. The next day and half would be filled with

walking the streets, telling stories, listening and

bearing witness. A walk across town saw a woman breaking

down as she found out a friend had been killed;

strangers hugging each other and 10-year old boys

skateboarding down the middle of Essex St.. Even now, having

seen the flaming building, fighter jets and the plumes

of smoke from the bedroom window, I still can’t

fathom, but I agree with Sharon, an open heart in the

best answer. <br>Practice was cancelled today--

rescheduled for Saturday - so three of us got up and

practiced on our own, helicopters overhead, sirens still

sounding.

[Guest guest]

After 6 am class was finished I was walking down

to 14th street to get a cross town bus, when I was

stunned to see the first tower with a smoking hole on the

side gaping open with a few flames lapping out. It

appeared to be about 2 miles directly down the road. As it

turned out, the building had been hit minutes before...I

just couldn't believe it...Other people like me were

just staring up at the building stopped in our

tracks...someone said it reminded them of a horror movie.<br><br>I

realized that many people were loosing their lives....I

could see black or flaming object occassionally

dropping out of the windows...I now realize these were

people trying to escape....I decided I just wanted to

get home before the transportation shut down....it

felt so good to be going away from the disaster

towards my family..... then someone said it was a plane

that had hit the tower, naively I thought a small

private 2 seat plane.<br><br>Then I was on a bus going

home and saw the other tower was hit. Someone who had

a walkman radio said it was two commercial

airliners that had deliberatly hit the towers. <br><br>I

got home and realized this must feel like Pearl

Harbor felt. At first you just think oh...a fire....and

then your life is put on hold and there are so many

people injured who need blood. So many people loosing

family members. <br><br>My family bunkered down in the

apt. After I got home it was strange to know we

couldn't leave the city. Transportation bridges and

tunnels were all shut down. Hoards of people were leaving

their jobs and schools to walk home...hoards of people

walking miles to get home. We heard a military jets

overhead securing the airspace. If any plane flew into the

secure space, the military jet was supposed to shoot it

down. <br> <br>I felt so sad knowing our country was

never going to be the same, things were changing from

here on out. All of the sudden war was here.<br>

<br>Now the thing that bothers me the most is what I

heard on the t.v. The events were precisely staged for

full media impact...i.e. the first tower was on fire

so the cameras were on that sight and then 10 min

later the cameras catch the second airplane exploding

in to the second tower.