Princeton Center for Yoga & Health Hosts a New Year’s Eve Celebration— Back by Popular Demand!
The Princeton Center for Yoga & Health (PCYH) is bringing back its popular New Year’s Eve celebration! The party starts at 6pm for those who might want to hit the yoga mat instead of the bars this New Year’s Eve.
“We used to have these alternative celebrations- alcohol free - with special activities to bring in the New Year and leave the old behind. Folks loved them, so we are bringing it back,” reports PCYH founder and director Deborah Metzger, who is particularly excited about this year’s unique and varied lineup.
The six hour celebration includes four different types of yoga, sound healing meditations with crystal singing bowls and a gong bath, healthy food savories and sweet treats, and yogic chanting. The night is designed to offer an opportunity to reflect in good company, explains Metzger:
“In most yoga classes, you set your intention for practice- it might be self acceptance or remembering to breathe as you struggle through an intense pose. New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to set an intention for the coming year.”
And there will also be time to yell or let out a joyful noise in the company of others. The evening will end with yogic chanting, which isn’t exactly yelling, but can be a liberating and powerful community experience. According to Suzin Green, who will lead the chanting: “I’ve been leading yogic chanting for over three decades. After all these years, I remain in awe of this simple practice. Chanting is the original mind/body medicine, an elixir that opens the floodgates of inner bliss. Along the way, it gentles the heart, stills the mind, and balances the nervous, respiratory and immune systems. While many chanters experience a state of ecstatic intoxication, the good news is, chanting is safe, non-addictive, and accessible to all! It’s a glorious way to bring in the new year...” No experience is necessary.
People can sign up for the whole evening’s festivities or just part of the evening. Price for the whole evening is $50 singles, $90 per couple. Price for Yoga Fusion or Kirtan, each with Bliss Café is $30 singles, $55 per couple. For more information visit www.princetonyoga.com. The basic event schedule is below.
Yoga Fusion with Jeanine Dietz (6 to 9 pm)
Experience a special three hour yoga fusion class which includes Kundalini, Vinyasa, Yin and Restorative Yoga. Toward the end of the session, teacher Jeanine Dietz will lead a powerful meditation using 8 crystal singing bowls and a gong bath.
Note: there is no water involved in a gong bath meditation! The sounds and vibrations of the gong create deep relaxation and a state of meditation. Gong sounds can be used to rebalance the physical, emotional and spiritual bodies. It is an excellent therapy for stress related issues along with many other conditions related to lack of balance and harmony in the body. The sounds of the gong can be used to create a sense of unity within a group and stimulate peaceful, creative solutions.
Bliss Café (9-10 pm)
Start the New Year off on a healthy note as you enjoy light fare, tea, sparkling cider and stimulating conversation! Satsang, Sanskrit for true company, is a gathering of people with the intention of bringing meaning to one’s daily life.
Kirtan with Suzin Green (10 pm -12 am)
And lastly, PCYH will come alive with the reverberations of Kirtan chanting led by Suzin Green with Dan Johnson-Tabla, and Kartikeya-halo drum, drums. Kirtan is call-and-response chanting performed in India's devotional traditions. It involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments. The evening will end with a dancing chant and sparkling cider and sweet treats to toast the New Year.
About Princeton Center for Yoga & Health
Featured as one of the top five traditional yoga studios in New Jersey by New Jersey Life magazine, Princeton Center for Yoga & Health (PCYH) is an independently owned and operated yoga and holistic health center, located just 5-minutes from downtown Princeton. Established in 1996, PCYH was the first yoga center of its kind in this area and is honored that the community continues to look to the Center for their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. A full schedule of yoga classes, holistic programs, training seminars and services are offered mornings, evenings, and weekends. The Center is located at the Montgomery Professional Center, 50 Vreeland Drive, Suite 506, Skillman, NJ, one-half mile from the intersection of Routes 206 and 518W. Ample free parking is available. For a full schedule of classes and workshops or directions to the Center, phone 609-924-7294 or visit www.princetonyoga.com.
