Saturday, June 21, free, 5:30 am – 9:15 pm
Sunday, June 22, free, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
www.timessquarenyc.org
Times Square is generally not considered a place to bring together one’s mind, body, and soul in soothing contemplation and calming meditation, but it will be just that on June 21 & 22, when the Crossroads of the World celebrates the longest day of the year with a weekend of special physical and mental activities being held in conjunction with the summer solstice. “Life is thrilling, but it can be tough. Urban life can be even tougher,” explains Tim Tompkins, who cofounded the public event, now in its twelfth year, with Douglass Stewart. “The flip side of the astonishing array of choices, activities, and aspirations that we have in a place like New York is how hard it is to stay centered, focused, and present. Nowhere is that more true than in Times Square, one of the most intense and frenetic places on the planet. In a place that fuels our desires and offers distractions galore, achieving santosa (the Sanskrit word for contentment) can be a challenge.” On Saturday, Athleta Mind Over Madness Yoga will take on that challenge with eight yoga classes, including Sunrise Vinyasa taught by Tompkins, Salutations to Summer with Heather Lilleston, Sun Sequence for Bent on Learning with Barbara Verrochi, Kristin Leigh, and Annie Piper, and Sunset Flow instructed by Ali Cramer. On Sunday, the MINDBODY Sol conference at the Marriott Marquis begins at 8:00 in the morning with Rodney and Colleen Yee’s From Twists to Backbends and continues with such classes as Meditation for Real Life with Ethan Nichtern, Ayurveda’s Wisdom — Aligning with Our True Nature with Nicole Naclerio, and Dream Weaver — Shamanic Healing with Jenna Walter. If the specific class is already booked or you can’t make it to Times Square, you can take part by following the celebration online here.