The Week in Yoga, February 4-10, 2024

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Each week, the editors at Yoga Journal compile moments—sometimes mind-bending, sometimes simple—that remind us yoga is, in fact, everywhere.

LISTEN

The rumors are true. Lil Jon will release a meditation album on February 16. The rapper and record producer had been largely silent in response to social media musings until Wednesday, when he shared a sparely worded Instagram post promoting the album, “Total Meditation.” We have yet to confirm teasers that Lil Jon may be a guest in Usher’s Super Bowl Halftime performance and whether that will include engaging us all in meditation.

OVERHEARD

“You know it’s a good yoga class when you forget your shoes afterward…” called out a student as they headed back into the studio upon reaching the parking lot and realizing that they had left their flip flops where they’d kicked them off before class. Affirmative.

Woman walking barefoot on a parking lot after yoga class. — You know it’s a good yoga class when you find yourself barefoot in the parking lot afterward. (Photo: Brooke Cagle | Unsplash)

BREATHE

As tradition teaches us, the breath can make a profound difference. Yet in the current episode of The Funny Thing About Yoga podcast, yoga teacher and YJ contributor Ashlee McDougall challenges a common misconception. “I feel like a lot of yoga teachers and a lot of people in this community are like, ‘If you breathe correctly, it’s going to change your life, you can heal anything.’ And I actually have not found that,” says McDougall, who was born with cystic fibrosis. What yoga has brought her, she says, is the ability to navigate “being uncomfortable being uncomfortable.” Listen to the full podcast.

EXPERIENCE

Imagine gazing out from your Warrior I to panoramic views of New York City from the 102nd floor of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. That’s exactly the type of epic experience, promoted as “the highest yoga class in the world,” taking place at One World Observatory weekends during February. Tickets start at $59.

Image from One World Observatory with yoga mats on the floor before class. — Class with a view. (Photo: Up and Away)

DISCOVER

The south Asian country Bhutan announced plans to build a “mindfulness city” that will span 1,000 square kilometers near the town of Gelephu, not far from the Indian border. Woven among the region’s natural rivers and streams, a series of inhabitable bridges will contain Eastern and Western medical facilities, greenhouses, spiritual centers, and an airport. Mandala-shaped neighborhoods will encircle public spaces.

Gelephu Mindfulness City is an effort to sustainably build a modern city that exists in harmony with Bhutan’s biodiversity and also promote the “personal wellbeing” of its residents while encouraging an influx of tourism into the small country, according to the kingdom of Bhutan’s press release.