Style: Naada
Teacher: Elizabeth Emberly
Studio: Naada: Yoga, Sound, Tea.

The yoga of sound. At the moment I am speechless, feeling utterly at a loss for words. I have only recently returned from an inter-dimensional time-traveling expedition. My memories of the journey are hazy and abstract, consisting mostly of color and vibration. Slowly sipping tea, I feel the rest of my consciousness returning. I have no concept of time - I was either gone for an instant or a lifetime. Now I'm back on solid ground, back on this blue sphere known as Earth.

As I slowly finish my tea, I am in awe of the truly transcendent experience I just had. Saturdays are the hardest day to find classes, as many studios are either closed or offer only morning sessions. Following a friends birthday last night, I was in no rush to get out of bed. After a delicious breakfast I transitioned into the afternoon looking for a new studio. I stumbled across this website, scribbled down the directions, grabbed my bag and headed out into the sunny but frigid city streets. Naada's studio is absolutely stunning, including an in-house tea cafe. This could be love at first sight. The class was other-worldly. The room for practice is actually a full sound stage studio with bamboo floors and high quality speakers installed in the walls. Live music emanating from quartz crystal bowls, tablas and a Shruti box gave rhythm to the breath and movements, massaging my consciousness into putty. An extremely fluid style with its roots in Hatha, Naada yoga is very distinct and unique. Naada is the English transliteration of the Sanskrit word nada, meaning sound. According to co-founder and instructor Elizabeth Emberly, "the idea is that students will feel as if they are in a womb-like world of sound that embraces and supports their practice." I couldn't have described it more accurately. She goes on to explain that “sound is a means of bringing focus to the practice by providing an environment conducive to meditation" and that it helps students to "become more receptive to the concept of energy as vibration by having their own clear and physical sensory experiences.” Naada yoga is unlike anything I've ever witnessed. Even Elizabeth's bilingual instruction had a musical quality. The class finally ended with the most sonically gorgeous Om-ing session I've ever heard.

Sitting here now, the experience still so fresh, I am in an unbelievably relaxed state, thoroughly calm in both mind and body. The sequence was so magical that I'm already excited to come back next time I'm visiting Montreal. I'm at a total loss thinking about what I should do now. There is no human experience that would be a suitable following act to the yoga of sound. I'm feeling unfamiliar with this strange planet and the bizarre creatures who call it home. Walking back outside and raising my eyes to the sky I can't help but wonder what lies beyond our pinprick of understanding. The vastness of time and space is staggering, but for a few moments today I feel like I may have had a taste of something far larger... something friendly and wise and infinite.