A core curriculum
Lincoln City Cultural Center celebrates 10 years of New Moon Yoga
Instructor Brady Jansen leads a class at New Moon Yoga
By Eliot Sekuler
For the TODAY
With its new facelift — walls freshly painted in soft pastel blue and festooned with bright mandala wheels of color and newly hung artwork — the New Moon Yoga space at the Lincoln City Cultural Center is ready for a party.
The New Year’s Day 10th anniversary celebration will include free classes, snacks and giveaways of t-shirts and passes.
On Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014, while millions were sleeping off New Year’s Eve revelry, musician, actor and yoga practitioner Gray Eubank opened the doors of a new community-run yoga co-operative at the north end of Lincoln City. The sun and Earth were set to align that night on opposite sides of the moon, entering the new moon phase. And so, the new yoga co-op acquired its name.
Roughly 20 practitioners showed up that first day for a class led by popular local teacher, Kristina Grandbois. Enthusiasm was in the air, but it was not smooth sailing. The co-op lost its lease on that first location, encountered insurmountable parking issues on a second. Finances were touch-and-go and the future was in doubt.
“Then, Niki Price welcomed us to the cultural center,” Eubank said, “and that turned out to be the best possible location.”
Through COVID closures and teacher changes, the co-op has endured.
“There’s an effort to include younger people in the studio and to branch out with new class offerings,” said Eubank, noting that Price, the cultural center’s executive director, has continued to champion the non-profit yoga program.
Arriving at a definition of “yoga” is no simple task. For most westerners, yoga connotes a form of physical exercise, but in its country of origin, it constitutes an ancient branch of Indian philosophy. And though popular western yoga practice obscures some of those principles and traditions, most contemporary teachers agree that the ultimate aim of the practice is transformation, whether it be purely physical or profoundly spiritual. At even its most superficial level, yoga offers a path for change.
New Moon Yoga offers several styles suited to differing tastes and capabilities. Ashtanga-influenced classes, taught by Brady Jansen, are offered three times weekly. Classic hatha classes are taught by Kristina LaFever and Laura Cranston. Vinyasa Flow classes are led by Hannah Smith, Dawn Beyer and Reanna Shaw. A Yin Yoga class based on Chinese medicinal techniques, in which soothing postures are held for long intervals is taught twice weekly by Katia Kyte. Currently, New Moon offers 11 classes weekly from a roster of seven teachers. Although all of New Moon’s teachers evaluate the abilities of new students and tailor their instruction to accommodate injuries and limitations, new students are encouraged to sample a variety of classes to determine their own preferences. It’s a highly personal practice and not everybody connects in the same way.
“I was looking for spirituality, a holistic way to connect to myself,” Kyte said. “Yoga offered a way of moving through some of life’s adversities and helped me find my way back to my body. At first, I was attracted to the spiritual meaning. Later, it became a healing modality and now it's an aid to mindfulness. Yoga connects mind, body and spirit.”
Jansen was seeking only a program of physical exercise when she first began her practice 20 years ago.
“I practiced at different yoga studios for about 10 years with people who were influenced by different styles,” she said. When she encountered Ashtanga practitioners while living in Baltimore, something clicked. “There was something there that deeply connected with me.” After moving to Portland, she began working with teacher Casey Palmer at that city’s Near East Yoga, a traditional Ashtanga yoga “shala.” Palmer, like Jansen, has high regard for yoga’s traditions and for its purpose as a spiritual as well as physical practice. For example, Jansen calls out each posture by its Sanskrit name rather than using its often-clumsy English translation. “The translation doesn’t tell the whole story,” she said. “There’s a music and a vibrational quality to the sounds of the Sanskrit words, a certain rhythm that holds meaning. It’s important to honor that significance.”
As with many dedicated yoga practitioners, yoga has become central to Jansen’s spiritual life.
“It shifted my perception and understanding of the world over time in a way that has helped me to be a healthier, happier person and a generally more pleasant person to be around,” she said.
Whether students are seeking an effective exercise regimen or something deeper, all of New Moon’s teachers agree that the practice has rewards for both women and men of all ages. As Ashtanga yoga founder Patthabi Jois said many years ago:
“Anyone can practice. Young man can practice. Old man can practice. Very old man can practice. Man who is sick, he can practice. Man who doesn’t have strength can practice. Except lazy people; lazy people can’t practice yoga.”
Under the Lincoln City Cultural Center’s umbrella, New Moon Yoga has maintained affordable class prices. Drop-ins are $12, ten-class passes are $80 and monthly unlimited use passes are $100. Discounts are available for school district employees.
The New Year’s Day celebration runs from 10 am to 2 pm and will include free classes at 10 am and 1 pm. The Lincoln City Cultural Center is located at 540 NE Hwy. 101.
For more information, go to newmoonyoga.org or call 541-994-9994.