Get ready, folks—as of 3:58pm yesterday, Mercury is officially in retrograde, which is one way of explaining all the instances of failed calls and lost keys for the next three-and-a-half weeks (the cycle ends September 12). Neat, huh? But for those of you who like to take matters into your own hands, head on over to Golden Bridge Yoga (253 Centre St at Broome St; 212-343-8191, goldenbridgeyoganyc.com; 1:30–4pm; $30) for Celestial Communication, a multifaceted workshop consisting of yoga, singing and meditation, led by kundalini yoga instructor and acupuncturist Joseph Amanbir Young. Unlike other meditation workshops Young has led in the past, this one will specifically address problems of communication that are generally associated with the Mercury’s retrograde period—especially during the months of August and September, when Virgo signs (who are ruled by the planet Mercury) are supposed to be particularly affected.

Starting off with some light stretching, Young will then guide students through a series of seated meditations known as celestial communication, which involves special movements of the hands and arms—the idea is to perform the spoken word throughout your entire body as a way to”rebalance the channels of communication to our hearts and the divine within.” “Celestial Communication is great because you can teach anyone. It’s very easy to do for people who are normally freaked out by yoga,” explains Young, who will also help students develop customized meditations that suit their own needs to use at home. So instead of wallowing in your own frustration, release that inner cosmic tension with a little joyful singing and arm waving! Sign up here or call the studio to R.S.V.P.

Image via infolizer.com

Two thousand five hundred years ago, the Buddha supposedly attained enlightenment after a 49-day seated meditation. Tonight, get comfortable and enjoy your own spiritual awakening at a vegetarian potluck and screening of David Grubin’s documentary The Buddha, at the New York Insight Meditation Center (6:30pm; by donation).

The 13-year-old center’s Potluck and Movie Night has now become a monthly fixture. Board member Gina Sharpe will lead the group through a short meditation, followed by a dinner of homemade vegetarian treats (if your dish needs to be reheated, don’t worry—there’s a microwave handy). Aimed at giving new and prospective members “time to meet and connect,” the event offers a relaxed introduction to the center’s beautiful space and many programs, workshops and sittings—like its popular two-hour beginner meditation courses held every fourth Monday (7–9pm; by donation).

The film, which premiered in April on PBS, is narrated by Richard Gere, and incorporates interviews with the Dalai Lama and poet W.S. Merwin as it tells the story of the Buddha and his teachings on mindfulness. A discussion afterward will also help to educate newbies on the ancient practice.

Image via pbs.org

Is it just us, or does the city get incredibly awesome in the summer? Museums morph into disco halls, free outdoor concerts abound, and—best of all—there is always some scrumptious seasonal treat to be savored. This weekend, the joys of the sweaty months continue as fitness hub YogaWorks offers all of its classes for free to first-time YogaWorks students. Score!

If you’re unsure of which class to check out, a good place to start might be the one-of-a-kind BarWorks, which combines elements of traditional ballet into the yoga-dance hybrid class. However, if a pas de deux isn’t exactly what you had in mind, browse all your options, and see which of the studio’s four locations (1319 Third Ave between 75th and 76th Sts; 459 Broadway at Grand St; 138 Fifth Ave at 19th St; 37 W 65th St between Columbus Ave and Central Park West) is most convenient for you. The offer is available to anyone who has never taken a class at YogaWorks before—all you have to do is show up and enjoy the open house.

Image via yogaworks.com

What’s missing from your yoga routine? How about a bright set of tie-dye workout clothes? Head to Sangha Yoga Shala (107 North 3rd St between Berry St and Wythe Ave, #2H, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-384-2097, sanghayoganyc.com) this afternoon for a Tie Dye & Yoga workshop (1:30–4pm, $25), where you can twist, spray and stencil to your heart’s content—and not even worry about leaving bleach stains on your mom’s carpet!

Following an hour-long vinyasa class, which studio manager Kayma Englund promises will be open-level and “very low-key” (Englund concedes that many will be more interested in tie-dyeing than in an actual workout), students will be given a quick demonstration on basic tie-dyeing techniques before going to work on their own multicolored creations.

“We’ll have a few ‘ohms’ and hearts available, but there will also be extra cardboard and scissors, so people can design their own shapes,” say Englund. All you need to bring are your own tie-dye-ready clothes: The rest of the materials will be provided. Wondering when you’ll next get to show off your new swirly-colored masterpieces? Check out these outdoor yoga classes, where you can flaunt your duds to the entire city!

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Satisfy your senses tonight with a restoration yoga class at YogaSole (254 Windsor Pl at Eleventh Ave, Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn; 718-541-1382, yogasole.com; 6:15–7:45pm; $15), followed by a free outdoor concert from the New York Philharmonic (8pm, free). YogaSole, which lies only seven minutes from Prospect Park according to director Evalena Leedy, hosts the class every Friday night as a way for people to let loose at the end of the week. But tonight, the chill factor is upped when instructor Merav Ben Horim leads the yogis en masse into the park straight after the class is finished. “We’re only two blocks away from the park, and this concert will be a great way to spend time with our fellow yogis,” Leedy enthused.

Starting at 8pm, the world-renowned orchestra, which happens to be the oldest symphonic institution in the country, will take the stage to perform a program of works by Tchaikovsky, Bernstein and Prokofiev. Expect picnics, little kids running around, and park concessions to satisfy your need for hot dogs and ice cream. Leedy advises attendees to bring along a blanket and some snacks, but if you’re worried about carrying too much, why not just use your yoga mat as a picnic blanket? You’ll be suitably mellowed out, but stick around for a fireworks display after the show to end the evening with a bang.

Image via nyphil.org

News flash: It’s hot as the Dickens. So naturally, we’re on constant patrol for ways to keep you cool. Urban oasis Giving Nature Center (155 W 19th St between Sixth and Seventh Aves, fifth floor; 212-489-8082, givingnaturecenter.com) is a state-of-the-art holistic health and wellness center that’s aimed at low-budget spagoers. Tai chi, free yoga, acupuncture and deep-tissue massage are just some of the treatments and classes offered at the beautiful 3,500-square-foot center, which relocated in February from a much tinier midtown space.

Janet Humphrey, the center’s founder and director who originally started Giving Nature as a Chinese herbal medicine company online, made sure every detail of the überserene space—from the amber lighting to the salvaged pine benches in the waiting room—contributed to a sense of relaxation. Our favorite part? The cushion-lined meditation room, which is available for use by anyone, anytime. Reserve a spot for Community Acupuncture—a twenty-minute session for $25—where you can chat with other patients in the common room while the needles work their magic.

Image via givingnaturecenter.com

Tomorrow at lunchtime, Yoga Sutra (501 Fifth Ave at 42nd St, second floor; 212-490-1443, yogasutranyc.com; Tue 1:30–2:30pm; suggested donation $10) marks the end of an era with a final meditation class at its current Fifth Avenue location. As of next month, the midtown studio will take over a new space a few blocks away, where “the noise of police sirens and ice-cream trucks” won’t be as much of a problem, according to studio manager Chris Reitz.

Views from the current studio, which was originally owned by the Astors, are certainly a treat, but Reitz is even more enthusiastic about the new studio’s amenities, which include a separate meditation room and full tea bar in the lobby.

Meditation classes have been an integral part of Yoga Sutra’s offerings for the past few years, and students who show up for these weekly open-level sessions range from beginners to regular practitioners. Guided by Jon Aaron of the New York Insight Meditation Center, the hour-long midday class begins with a silent seated meditation, incorporates a brief discussion period and ends with some walking meditation.

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled the new space, which is set to open for classes in mid July.

Image via yogasutranyc.com

A new yoga studio opens its doors this weekend, and to celebrate, it’s offering free classes all day Saturday and Sunday. YOGAMAYA (135 W 20th St between Sixth and Seventh Aves; 212-675-4555, yogamayanewyork.com), named after the Sanskrit word for personal power, was born from the shared vision of Bryn Chrisman, Stacey Brass and Glenn Riis to open a studio that resembled an Indian temple, where the worlds of yoga asanas and more formal spiritual teachings are often conflated. One of the ways they will achieve this goal is through frequent sessions of kirtan, or joyful singing.

“Our yoga studio will be run with the heartbeat of India,” says Chrisman of the brand new Chelsea space, whose design incorporates hand-carved wooden window screens, an altar with 1940s lithographs of Hindu gods, and ample changing areas. Starting Monday, various levels of vinyasa classes will be offered seven days a week by a roster of accomplished instructors. While a drop-in class will normally be $16, stop by Saturday (11am, 2, 4pm) and Sunday (10:30am, 2, 4pm) to gawk at the space and sample a class for free! It’s much cheaper than a ticket to India.

Tonight, you can feel good and be a do-gooder. As Reflections Yoga (250 W 49th St between Broadway and Eighth Ave, second floor; 212-974-2288, reflectionsyoga.com; 6:15–7:30pm; $10 suggested donation) turns its attention to the oil crisis in the Gulf, director Paula Tursi is finding new ways to engage her community of yogis and make a contribution. A Save the Gulf Dance Party was held on Monday, and tonight, all proceeds from the 6:15pm Reflect & Restore class will directly benefit the nonprofit wild bird hospital Seabird Sanctuary.

“Right now there’s a vague conscious push to try and do as much as we can from afar,” says staff member Sam. After the deep-relaxation class, which is split between asanas and gentle relaxation poses, students will have the opportunity to help pack up supplies that have been donated. If you can’t make the event, keep in mind the studio is also welcoming donations of any supplies that will be helpful in the cleanup process—from a bottle of detergent to a kennel to a roll of paper towels. To learn more about donations, click here.

Image via yogadork.com

If you’ve ever walked by the trendy Ace Hotel (20 W 29th St between Fifth Ave and Broadway; 212-679-2222, acehotel.com/newyork) and yearned for a peek inside some of the rooms, tonight’s reading by first-time novelist Jesse Jensen might be your best chance. The actor-writer, who has been working at the Ace’s front desk for the past seven months, will stage a workshop-style reading (7pm, free) in a loft on the eighth floor that Jensen claims to be “the nicest in the hotel.”

Despite having subsisted primarily as an actor, Jensen wrote Jake: The Story of a Young Man Who Might Change the World this past winter after failing to land any acting jobs and needing a “creative outlet.”

“This is the first time I’m sharing it with anyone,” confesses Jensen of the unpublished work, which tells the tale of a young soldier returning from war and slowly assimilating back to civilian life. “I’m moving back to California this weekend, so I wanted to share it with people in New York before leaving.” The book will be read in portions over a three-hour period by Joe Curnutte, an acquaintance of the author, and visitors will be treated to free wine and cheese. Just make sure to check in at the front desk and mention Jesse’s reading in order to be keyed up in the elevator.

Image via blog.acehotel.com

Yoga at the Great Lawn
For a real celebration, join 10,000 other open-minded revelers tomorrow for Yoga at Great Lawn in Central Park, a mass yoga session sponsored by JetBlue and Flavorpill that hopes to set the Guinness World Record for the largest organized yoga event. You can add your name to the history-making list by signing up. In addition to giveaways like yoga mats, water bottles, and 100-percent recycled-plastic tote bags, the stage will host comedian Reggie Watts and spoken-word poetry by Buddy Wakefield; music performances will come courtesy singer Wah!, bassist Garth Stevenson and drumming circle O’Nkosi Rhythms. Great Lawn in Central Park between 79th and 85th Sts (centralpark.com). Tue 22 5–8pm; free.

Solstice in Times Square: Mind Over Madness Yoga
The recent pedestrianization of Broadway in Times Square has made events like this—which will take place in front of TKTS—possible. Show up all day long for a continuous stream of free yoga right in the middle of bustling Times Square, starting off at 7:30am with a class taught by Douglass Stewart from Ishta Yoga and YogaWorks, and including a session with live music at 10:30am. Be one of the first 1,500 visitors and receive a gift bag with a free yoga mat! Sign up here. Broadway between W 46th and W 47th Sts (flavorpill.com). Mon 21 7:30am–8pm; free.

Ishta Yoga
Want to really feelly good? Instructor Jillian Pransky specializes in restorative yoga, which entails passive poses aided by props and held for 15-minute intervals. “The body opens without straining the muscles,” explains staff member Miriam. “It doesn’t have to do any work.” Pransky’s intentions for the two-hour class, which also includes an invigorating flow sequence, are to honor the sun, open the heart and brighten the spirit. Sounds good to us. 56 E 11 St between Broadway and University Pl (212-598-4800, ishtayoga.com). Mon 21 7–9pm; advance $45, at the door $50.

Shriyoga
This past December, more than 40 yogis turned up for a special candlelit Winter Solstice celebration at Shriyoga, and this month, director Elizabeth Rossa is hoping for the same. “Trippy and transcendent” music by cello and percussion duo Live Footage will punctuate the pranayama-meditation sequence at this cozy Tribeca space, which Rossa notes “creates a feeling of meditation.” Stick around afterward for edible treats, including raw foods prepared by Sarah Lovitt, whose apartment will host the celebratory class. 487 Greenwich St between Canal and Spring Sts, buzzer No. 1 (212-343-9642, shriyoganyc.com). Mon 21 6:30–8:30pm; suggested donation $25.

Kundalini Yoga East
Beginners to Kundalini will benefit from this Summer Solstice celebration, which offers a taste of yoga, meditation, healing and prayer—all trademarks of the more cerebral brand of yoga brought to the US by Yogi Bhajan in the ’70s. Kundalini often includes chanting, so expect to raise up your arms and join in the blessings, songs, and musical prayers led by instructor Sat Jivan Singh. 873 Broadway between 18th and 19th Sts, suite 614 (212-982-5959, kundaliniyogaeast.com). Mon 21 6:15–8:15pm; $18.

Image via flavorpill.com

Today, learn about an alternative way to reduce stress and find that “ahh” feeling we all crave. Biodynamic Breath (Reflections Yoga, 250 W 49th St between Broadway and Eighth Ave; 212-974-2288, reflectionsyoga.com, energyofbreath.com; 6-8pm; $25) is a workshop focused solely on breathing exercises—and whether you’re standing up, sitting down, doing it alone, or working with a partner, the approach remains the same.

“It’s definitely more therapeutic than yoga,” claims co-instructor Rikard Skogberg of Urban Breath NYC, who teams up with holistic health counselor Monica Aparicio to teach the class. “In yoga, you breathe through the nostrils; this is all through the mouth, so you take in more oxygen and it allows more expression. This breath work really opens up the body at a deeper level.”

The two-hour workshop is divided into three sections, the first of which involve bioenergetics, a set of physical exercises that open up specific parts of the body. Afterward, students lie on their backs with their eyes closed for a period of deep guided breathing. During the final portion of the workshop, instructors Skogberg and Aparicio encourage students to reflect on what they just experienced. “The whole thing becomes very much a body experience, so at the end, we want to bring the mind back.” Ideally, explains Skogberg, these are all techniques that can be taken home and used throughout the day in order to heal stress, trauma or anxiety. Amen to that!

Image via citysearch.com.

Sure, we’ve got your perfect Saturday taken care of, but what about the other days? Well, tonight’s free Yoga Wednesdays event (7pm) at the 14th Street Park might not be a bad place to start. This one-hour open-level vinyasa class is part of the Laughing Lotus in the Park series from Laughing Lotus Yoga (59 W 19th St at Sixth Ave, third floor; 212-414-2903, nyc.laughinglotus.com). The bright, technicolor space in midtown offers other fun classes, like the weekly Friday Midnight Yoga Jam with live music. But for some fresh air, head to the park today for alfresco ohming, meditation and vinyasa flow.

The gratis class will be offered every week through the end of the summer (September 1), with rotating instructors. It’s a good idea to check the website before heading out, since any cancellations due to weather will always be announced there. Additionally, keep in mind that yoga mats will only be available in limited supply, so bring your own and ward off unsightly grass stains.

Image via nyc.laughinglotus.com

Event planners often swing by Manhattan’s Flower District (a small three-block area between W 26th and W 28th Streets, bordered by Sixth and Seventh Avenues) to load up on exotic bouquets, potted plants and decorative trees. The folks at the brand-new Eventi Hotel (851 Sixth Ave at W 30th St; 212-564-4567, eventihotel.com) have decided to embrace their neighborhood’s floral heritage by staging an old-fashioned flower market—right outside the hotel.

Local florists like Ovando (120 W 28th St between Sixth and Seventh Aves; 212-924-7848, ovandony.com), Starbright Floral Design (150 W 28th St between Sixth and Seventh Aves; 212-229-2623, starflor.com) and Superior Florists (828 Sixth Ave at W 29th St; 212-679-4065, superiorflorist.com) will be setting up stalls along the sidewalk to celebrate the opening of the new hotel, owned and operated by the same people who brought you Ink48 last fall.

Show up between 9am and 2pm on Tuesday to check out the bloomage, which hopefully will entice New Yorkers to start bringing business back to the area. Due to online stores and competing farmers markets around the city, outdoor flower markets like this one, once a local tradition, have all but disappeared. So stop by this morning to pay homage to a neighborhood relic while celebrating the arrival of something new.

Image via ovandony.com

Wake up and smell the essential oils! MiN New York (117 Crosby St between E Houston and Prince Sts; 212-206-6366, minnewyork.com), a modern-day apothecary with the look and feel of an old library, has begun an event series called Rituals (various days, $80 per person) that takes its inspiration from the store’s theme of pampering and indulgence.

The first installment will focus on aromatherapy, which makes sense (no pun intended), since the high-end grooming shop stocks more than 230 kinds of colognes, perfumes, oils, scented candles and sprays, which are all available at its online store. So be grateful for this ultrarelaxing event, designed to teach the various uses for essential oils, which are usually encountered only during aromatherapy massages. The three-hour session, which features nibbles by raw-food experts Organic Avenue and capsaicin-spiced elixirs by Prometheus Springs, will function like a crash course in how to re-create the aromatherapy experience in your own home. As an attendee, you will be treated to a mini aromatherapy and meditation session, with wellness consultation by Aromatherapy Associates. You’ll also head home with your own Aromatherapy Associates gift bag. Call to reserve a spot for sessions happening on Sunday, June 6 (1–3pm), Tuesday, June 8 (6–9pm), or Sunday, June 27 (1–3pm).

Image via ny.racked.com

On the first Friday of each month, Bikram Yoga Lower East Side (172 Allen St between Rivington and Stanton Sts, second floor; 212-353-8859, bikramyogales.com; 10pm; $10 suggested donation) hosts a special Bikram class known as Nite Sweats, where candles, pink Christmas lights and dance music set the mood.

“Just like every other Bikram class, you do all the poses, but in this class, it’s is a little looser. People really freak out!” explains studio receptionist Sayra. And how exactly does one “freak out” in the middle of yoga class in a room heated to 105 degrees? Apparently, with the aid of small dance breaks, or, as Sayra puts it, “boogie time.” An upbeat dance mix, compiled by director Tricia Donegan, plays throughout the class and helps it move along so quickly that it’s over before you know it.

Newbies to Bikram shouldn’t feel at all intimidated—the relaxed feel of these sessions is ideal for someone who’s just beginning to experiment with hot yoga and its routine 26 poses. While there is a suggested donation of $10, feel free to give generously, since all proceeds go directly towards the Lower East Side Girls Club, a group founded in 1996 to organize afterschool programs that benefit young women. Stick around after the 90-minute yoga class tonight and enjoy fresh homemade cupcakes, baked and served by the LES Girls themselves!

Image via bikramyogales.com

Yoga in Boerum Hill just got a lot more exciting, with Yoga to the People–style, donation-based classes starting today at Yoga at the Commons (388 Atlantic Ave between Bond and Hoyt Sts, ground floor, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn; 917-216-8754, yogaatthecommons.wordpress.com).

The 7,000-square-foot community center regularly hosts meetings for nonprofits and art exhibits, and it even keeps a vegetable garden on the roof. In fact, it was over permaculture that owner Melissa Ennan bonded with Francis Anderson, one of YATC’s instructors and a member of the New York Permaculture Society, and allowed her to set up the community-oriented yoga studio in the first place.

“We’ve done a lot of preparation,” explained prenatal yoga instructor Rosalie Hunt. “We sewed our own gold curtains, and we’ve been flyering all throughout the neighborhood.” PR efforts aside, however, it will be the classes that speak for themselves. Vinyasa, prenatal and sivananda will be offered seven days a week. Several of the teachers were in fact certified at Yoga to the People.

Tonight, stop by for the center’s first yoga class (7–8pm), held in the main studio, and hang around after for a potluck and a tour of the roof. If you like what you see, you may want to stop by for regular weekday “sunset” vinyasa classes (7pm), all of which will take place on the roof, weather permitting.

Image via yogaatthecommons.wordpress.com

Fourteen years ago, Vassar graduate Mark Elijah Rosenberg started an event series called Rooftop Films atop his tenement building on East 14th Street (he later had to change venues when a disgruntled landlord gave him the boot that same year). Tonight, the increasingly popular summer series continues its 2010 program with “Home Movies”—a collection of 14 intimate snapshots of family life.

Some of the lineup—which showcases filmmakers from France, South Korea, Denmark and across the U.S.—has already made the rounds on YouTube (like Jesse Selwyn’s “NJ Lady” series), but this particular group of films has never been shown together as a whole.

To catch the alfresco screening, head to the top of the New Design High School (350 Grand St between Essex and Ludlow Sts; 718-417-7362, rooftopfilms.com; 8pm; $10). Before the home-movie magic begins, you can catch live music from indie jazz band The Pendulum Swings.

“We choose the venues based on making connections with the community, and we want to show films that are relevant to the community,” explains marketing coordinator Lela Scott MacNeil. She advises guests to bring blankets and pillows, since seating is limited.

Afterward, head to Fontana’s (105 Eldridge St between Broome and Grand Sts; 212-334-6740, fontanasnyc.com) for free Radeberger Pilsner, and reminisce about the home movies you once starred in (but would never in a million years show to a group of strangers).

Image via rooftopfilms.com

Spend some time in the garden tonight at a “Rose Medicine Making Workshop,” hosted by the Namaste Yoga & Tanquility Center (336 Grand St between Marcy Ave and Havemeyer St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-874-3484, namastewilliamsburg.com; 6–9pm; $30). Owner and healer Deborah Desmond, who in the past has taught classes like sound healing and crystal healing, will lead the three-hour workshop. Culling flowers from a large rosebush in the spacious “tea garden” out back, students will be instructed on how to blend their own rose-flower essence, rose oil and rose honey. Base oils and base honey will be provided, but students are asked to bring along three of their own recycled food jars in order to take their fragrant concoctions home.

Weather permitting, the entire event will take place outside around the yoga center’s fire pit (which is hopefully positioned well away from the rosebush itself), in clear view of the Sagittarius full moon. Though the focus of the evening will be the medicinal properties of roses and rose oils, it sounds to us like a campfire rose-honey-making session should certainly prove healing in and of itself!

Image via Flickr

Classical pianist Phyllis Chen didn’t take the conventional concert-hall route after graduating from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Instead, she downsized. That is, she took up playing toy pianos.

The toy piano first made its mark in contemporary music via John Cage’s “Suite for Toy Piano” in 1948, and Chen has made it her trademark, earning press from the The New York Times and founding the UnCaged Toy Piano Composition Competition along the way. Her most recent project, a collaboration with video installation artist Rob Dietz at Baby Grand, includes several clever music boxes that the Queens-based musician constructs herself.

Tonight,  catch Chen performing a multimedia piece with Dietz at the Gershwin Hotel (7 E 27th St between Fifth and Madison Aves; 212-545-8000, gershwinhotel.com, 8pm; $10). Let the tink-tink of the baby keys lull you into a state of childlike bliss.

Image via phyllischen.net