Finding the Peace in Miami with Good Karma Yoga

Nicolay Del Salto

Miami, FL – February 16, 2015 – After battling a long day of intense meetings, traffic, and whatever daily challenges life tends to bring us it can be hard to find that happy place to help oneself relax and recover. With the assistance of Bayfront Park and a few yoga experts, Miamians now have the ultimate place to unwind and alleviate all those stressors with free or donation based classes with Good Karma Yoga. Ok, so the obvious may be a little true, that most yoga classes are attended by fit, flexible females in super tight clothes. Contrary to what some may think, yoga is not just a sport for ladies to don their sexiest workout-wear, it is a practice that anyone no matter the size or athletic ability can enjoy and benefit from. With classes being offered daily, Monday through Saturday at Bayfront Park, everyone now has the opportunity to join the spiritual and physical journey.

WorldRedEye got our meditation on this week, and after attending a invigorating class we caught up with one of Bayfront Park’s Good Karma Yoga instructors, Nicolay Del Salto, who gave us an in-depth look into the world of yoga and how it is making a positive impact on the residents here in Miami.

WRE: How long have you been teaching yoga at Bayfront Park? How often are these classes available?

NDS: I have been teaching at Bayfront Park for over 3 years, although the program was there before I started teaching there. There is a classes each day, Monday through Sunday. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday classes are free and sponsored by the likes of Whole Foods or Naked Juice. The Tuesday, Thursday and Friday classes are simply by donation, hence the name Good Karma Yoga.

WRE: Some would say your class can be more demanding than others, what are some things you try to bring to these Bayfront Park sessions?

NDS: I teach what I call URENERGY yoga, where your energy and or the concept that you are energy come together. As a result each class is different, depending on the energy that I am vibing and the energy the students are vibing. That exact union is the yoga that happens during the class. During this process, I bring different styles into the mix, Sivananda, Ashtanga, Iyengar principals, Universal yoga by Andrey Lappa, Alignment principals by John Friend’s Anusara and a few other teachers and styles I have learned. All this comes into play when we create a yoga session.

WRE: Where did you learn and practice these various expressions of yoga?

NDS: Do what you can and be mindful not to allow your ego to injure you. I learned it in my teacher training, in fact that is what I teach in the teacher trainings that I conduct. After my teacher training in 2004, I have taken different workshops and advanced teacher training to deepen the understanding of these styles and to understand my own practice. That has enabled me to convey and teach those different modalities with my students.

WRE: How does Miami reflect the growing interest in yoga?

NDS: I have practiced in Miami for 11 years and have witnessed the yoga community grow exponentially, as well as the number of studios popping up. I love teaching at Bayfront Park because allows me to bring yoga to the masses either free or a $5 dollar donation, which in comparison to a studio and or gym is a give away.

WRE: You mentioned the word mindful, thats a heavy word in some circles of thought. How do you think Bayfront Park’s yoga classes relate to mindfulness?

NDS: By simply being aware of your breath, your musculature and your gazing point during the asana brings great awareness and mindfulness to what you are doing and what is going on around you. By being present you are mindful. Your mind is not in its own little world, it is here and ready for the task at hand. More often than not people are thinking of what they are going to do, or what they did or did not do, but not in what they are doing that very moment. Yoga stops the variations of the mind.

WRE: What do you hope to teach in any given specific class?

NDS: That really depends on the energy of the class. I don’t plan the classes, they just happen. However, it usually involves a Chakra journey, hip openers, back bends, inversions, or a combination of them all. However, there are months that I choose a style for that month, like Sivananda, where I would emphasize the benefits and the things that make this style what it is.

Nicolay Del Salto

Yoga is healing people, not I or any of the instructors, we are just instruments.

WRE: How do you think Miami as a whole can benefit from Bayfront Park’s yoga and other yoga experiences?

NDS: We are creating a community and in a city where people hold back given the transient nature of our city, this is huge. We are creating a healthy, positive atmosphere and in the process we are healing thousands of people. I must quantify that Yoga is healing people, not I or any of the instructors, we are just instruments.