NY Post - page six

[Guest guest]

RIVALRY RATTLES

YOGA PARLOR

By RICHARD JOHNSON

with Paula Froelich and Chris Wilson

------

 

Christy Turlington

- Photo by:

Marion Curtis/DMI

LIMBER yoga lovers are getting bent out of shape over a recent

shake-up at trendy Jivamukti Yoga Center - one of the yoga

world's most star-studded studios.

 

In the past two weeks, an un-zenlike furor has erupted at the

Lafayette Street studio where bold-faced practitioners include

Gwyneth Paltrow, Sting, Madonna, Christy Turlington, Russell

Simmons, Donna Karan, Woody Harrelson and Courtney Love.

 

In late January, yoga guru Christopher Hildebrandt resigned

from heading Jivamukti's intense Ashtanga yoga program, which

was wildly popular with the center's teachers.

 

Sources tell The Post's Deborah Schoeneman that Hildebrandt

was forced out by Jivamukti founders Sharon Gannon and David

Life because he wouldn't stop practicing at Eddie Stern's rival

Patanjali Yoga Shala studio on Broadway.

 

After Hildebrandt left, many of Jivamukti's other teachers began

studying Ashtanga yoga at Patanjali. When Gannon and Life

learned of this behind-the-mat betrayal, they banned their

teachers from frequenting the rival studio, say sources. The ban

has caused almost half of Jivamukti's staff to bolt.

 

According to Jivamukti's Web site, almost 30 teachers have left

since Hildebrandt's "resignation," including popular instructors

like New York magazine covergirl Kelly Morris, Emily McDonnell,

Barbara Verrochi, Randy Aromando, Rhana Harris and Jenny

Meyer.

 

A Jivamukti insider claimed the controversy started when the

founders "fired" Hildebrandt, "because he refused to stop

practicing at Eddie's."

 

"Basically, I think they're just mad because almost all their

celebrity yogis and half their teaching staff now study with Eddie,

who is completely unassuming and won't have anything to do

with the press and is essentially the antithesis of the Jivamukti

theme park," tattled the insider, referring to the center's line of

clothing, cosmetics and books and $17 class fee.

 

But Gannon says many of her teachers were driven out because

they didn't go to the mat for the Jivamukti program.

 

"We wanted teachers who taught Jivamukti to also practice

Jivamukti," she said. "We felt that would bring integrity into the

classroom. A lot of those teachers weren't interested in Jivamukti

yoga as a practice for themselves, they were interested in

Ashtanga yoga for themselves, and I felt that translated to the

students."

 

But she denied banning her teachers from taking classes at

Stern's Patanjali studio, or anywhere else. "It's a big risk that

we're taking," she admitted. "We're trying to stay afloat here."

 

Stern declined to comment.