Events
Get Ready For Solstice in Times Square
Mind Over Madness Yoga will return on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 with their 21st annual event! Experienced yogis and first-timers alike are invited to join for one of seven free yoga classes taking place throughout the day on the Broadway pedestrian plazas, finding calm once again within the chaos of life in New York City.
Registration is now open! Use the form below or register directly on Eventbrite.
2023 Class Schedule
| 7:30am – 8:30am | Douglass Stewart |
| 9:30am – 10:30am | Peloton Yoga Flow with Kirra Michel |
| 11:30am – 12:30pm | Ruchika Lal, presented by Consulate General of India, NY |
| 1:30pm – 2:30pm | Marco Rojas |
| 3:30pm – 4:30pm | Nyota Nayo |
| 5:30pm – 6:30pm | Joseph Encinia |
| 7:30pm – 8:30pm | Matt Boylin |
Instructor Bios
7:30am – 8:30am Class, Instructed by Douglass Stewart
Douglass Stewart has been teaching yoga since 2001. He is the co-founder of Yoga in Times Square, celebrating the Summer Solstice by uniting the community of yoga enthusiasts across the country. Douglass, in collaboration with Times Square Alliance, received Gold Distinction in the Shorty Awards for their Summer Solstice Video during the Covid 19 pandemic. He has received the Community Service Award for volunteering yoga classes at the LBGTQ Community Center. He is inspired by the notion that if peace is our goal, then it is also the means. Douglass is a Yogiraj at the ISHTA Center and he is currently preparing a beginner’s yoga series for YogaUOnline.
9:30am – 10:30am Class, Instructed by Kirra Michel, Presented by Peloton
Kirra grew up on the beach in Lennox Head, Australia. She was a dancer, rhythmic gymnast and surfer through childhood and loved all the ways she could express herself through movement. Although she grew up in a spiritual household, Kirra didn’t fully dive into yoga and meditation until moving to NYC. It allowed her to feel grounded and settled in the midst of the chaotic New York energy. She’s passionate yogic philosophy, alongside the mental and physical aspects yoga brings and tries to make each of her classes an experience in authenticity.
11:30am – 12:30pm Class, Instructed by Ruchika Lal, Presented by Consulate General of India, New York
Ruchika Lal has been teaching holistic yoga including asanas, pranayamas, and meditation since 2010 with the Art of Living Foundation. As a seasoned and inspiring instructor, Ruchika has over 20,000 man hours of facilitation and has impacted the lives of thousands of people. She has conducted programs for C-Suite, Fortune 500 organizations like American Express, Unilever, Deloitte, E&Y and Universities like Columbia, Wharton, and Parsons. She is also a Founder, CEO of Winked!, a wellness & meditation company inspired by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Ruchika serves on the Board of the Art of Living Foundation and on the Steering Committee of The World Culture Festival taking place in Washington DC in September 2023. Previously, Ruchika was Vice President leading B2B for the Americas at American Express.
1:30pm – 2:30pm Class, Instructed by Marco Rojas
Marco Rojas, called Coco, is a messenger of yoga. His teachings follow the Krishnamacharya tradition. He trained to be a teacher under the guidance of Chuck Miller and Maty Ezraty, creators of YogaWorks, in Los Angeles in 2003. For seventeen years, Marco cultivated a vital and rewarding yoga experience throughout New York City in studios such as YogaWorks, ISHTA, Pure Yoga, and Equinox. Presently, Coco leads master classes on zoOM and IRL reaching yoga students worldwide.
3:30pm – 4:30pm Class, Instructed by Nyota Nayo
Nyota Nayo is a prolific professional dancer, performing both Egyptian Belly Dance and Brazilian Samba styles of dance throughout New York, the United State,s and internationally for over 20 years. She is a master dance and yoga instructor, a certified doula and birthing coach, and a teacher training instructor. Nyota has taught extensively for the past 20 years throughout the New York Area, including workshops and classes at Alvin Ailey and Steps Studio, and internationally in the Caribbean, Asia, Guam, and Europe. Her career experience extends to film and television performance and production. Nyota is also Hatha, Prenatal and Postnatal yoga instructor certified by the Integral Yoga Institute of New York, and a DONA-trained Doula/Childbirth Coach. She is a registered member of Yoga Alliance, Integral Yoga Teachers Association, International Association of Black Yoga Teachers, and the Temple of Aset based in Nubia, Egypt.
5:30pm – 6:30pm Class, Instructed by Joseph Encinia
Joseph discovered yoga at 19 years old and became a yoga teacher in 2007. After years of dedication, he won 1st place in the 2009 National Yoga Asana Championship and placed 2nd internationally. Three years later, in 2011, Joseph won the International Yoga Asana Championships and later served as board president of the USA Yoga Federation, bringing awareness of the yoga sports movement to venues such as the Arnold Sports Festival and the State Games of America. In 2014, he created the Yoga Youth Movement, a non-profit that offers free Yoga and meditation to underprivileged youth in NYC. Yoga has given Joseph the gift of life. Now his mission in life is sharing the gift of Yoga and inspiring others to be the best they can be. He is currently creating a system to guide individuals with physical disabilities and coach yoga teachers on how to approach and work with different physical conditions, and is partnering with the New York Restoration Project’s community gardens in Harlem and the Bronx Brewery to offer free yoga classes to the underserved residents of NYC.
7:30pm – 8:30pm Class, Instructed by Matt Boylin
Originally from Cambridge, England, Matt’s passion for yoga formed out of a need for exercise while travelling and soon became his life. He studied all over the world and in 2018, began teaching at Pure Yoga in Hong Kong and Singapore. Following his most recent roles as both Managing Teacher and managing Business Improvement for Pure Yoga in Asia, he returned to the USA and joined the Pure Yoga NYC Team in 2022 where he recently was promoted to the role of Assistant General Manager. Matt continues to teach a wide variety of classes within the Pure Community and beyond, including; Hatha, Vinyasa, Power, Yin, Hot, Restorative, Breath Work, and Meditation. He is a firm believer that everybody is amazingly unique, and we can all learn from one another regardless of individual ability.
EGEYAPI GLOBAL has officially open their new international headquarters in the heart of Miami’s Design District.
A VIP event hosted by visionary developer Cagri Kanver took place in early December 2023 with notable attendees from the realms of real estate development and the investment community. Powered by Red Connect, which is a real estate development networking event organization, and VV Global Partners for Podcasting, the invite-only list was a bevy of Who’s-Who in the Florida real estate industry.
The event in the 2,000 square foot interior space celebrated the groundbreaking work of EGEYAPI GLOBAL and their revolutionary concept to make the work-life balance something finally achievable. Offering a more sustainable office model that provides a launching pad for consistent high-quality developments, the coveted collection of work byEGEYAPI GLOBALsets an unrivaled level of consumer gratification as displayed in the office building that is replicated after the most comfortable and luxurious home environment.
Positioned in the heart of Miami Design District, the workspace captures the flow of positive energy. Gone are the days of cramped cubicles and sitting in traffic for hours to get to a stuffy building to slave away between 9:00am and 5:00pm.
The business space offers a warm and hospitable atmosphere that thrives off an open-air design concept in a well-positioned home. Elaborate decor is showcased with an expansive creative collection of artworks throughout the property.
Guests attending the event were able to view this visionary space and enjoy live music, thrilling conversations and networking along with award-winning small bites from the design district’s renowned El Turco Turkish Food during this grand soiree.
A Chanukah menu includes potato pancakes, fried, of course, in lots of oil. Sweet cream cheese rugelach. Strawberry-jam-filled doughnuts (sufganiyot), covered in powdered sugar. Fried apple fritters. Cheese-filled doughnuts fried in oil and dipped in honey and Cheese blintzes. Chanukah food traditions have their origins in the first years that the holiday was celebrated, and are meant to remembrances of certain miracles associated with the reason for Chanukah.
The first is the miracle of oil. One day’s supply of oil lasted for eight days. Mystically, both the menorah and the oil used to light it are associated with Chochmah, and the war between the Greeks and the Jews.
The word shemen, Hebrew for oil, contains the same letters as shemoneh, eight, the number of days that the miracle of the oil lasted.
The dairy is to honor a young woman named Yehudis. During the war against the Greeks, she fed a Greek General salty cheeses so that he would become extremely thirsty and brought him wine to drink. He fell asleep, she killed him. The Greek army fell into disarray and fled. Thus the dairy in the meals.
Gluten Free Latkes
Be sure to use high-heat oil, which will help keep things from burning. Pay attention to the temperature of the oil—keep it between 325° and 350° F—
Makes 24 latkes
Frying time: 6 to 8 minutes
- 3 large russet potatoes
- 1 large yellow onion
- ½ cup superfine brown rice flour
- 3 extra-large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 32 ounces safflower or other high-heat vegetable oil
- Preheat the oven to 170° F or your preferred keep-warm setting. Line a baking sheet with layers of paper towels.
- Peel the potatoes. Using a grater attachment, grate all the potatoes and onion together. Alternate, if grating by hand, coarsely grate half of the mixture and finely grate the other half, then combine the two mixtures in a large bowl.
- Line a colander with a clean dish towel. Place the potato mixture in the lined colander. Squeeze to get the liquid out. It will be messy, but keep going or the latkes will be greasy and not as light.
- Place the potato mixture in the bowl and add the flour, eggs, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Fill a skillet with ¼ inch of oil. Heat the oil until a tiny bit of the mixture sizzles when dropped in. Maintain an oil level that is ¼ inch deep with a temperature of 325° to 350° F at all times.
- Scoop ¼ cup of batter for each pancake, flatten to 4 inches in diameter, and fry over medium heat until nicely browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more.
- Place the finished latkes on the paper towel–lined baking sheet. Place the sheet in the oven to keep warm while finishing up the other latkes.
- Serve the latkes warm, topped with applesauce and/or sour cream.
“Light One Candle” is a song by the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary. This popular Chanukah song was performed in concerts starting in 1982 at Carnegie Hall, before recording it for their 1986 studio album No Easy Walk to Freedom.
At The Carney’s concert in 2019 I was introduced to this song. Reeve as a young child was part of the children’s choir to sing back up at Carnegie Hall.
I feel in love with the lyric and sentiment so from T2C to you we wish you a happy Hanukkah
As we head into the holiday season, The Algonquin Hotel’s December event lineup is open to both hotel guests and New York City locals. The hotel will spread holiday cheer with a variety of festive performances, cocktails, and experiences including:
- Cocoa and Carols Happy Hour: Daily, 5-8PM, Every evening this December, all are invited to enjoy Specialty Cocoa while Christmas carols chime at the Blue Bar. Drinks will include Mexican Hot Chocolate spiked with mezcal
- KT Sullivan Cabaret: December 5th, 12th and 19th, Sullivan will perform her iconic Christmas Cabaret. As noted by The New York Times, Sullivan is a thrilling Off-Broadway performer with over eight published albums
- Rocco Dellaneve’s Rat Pack Christmas: December 7th, 14th and 21st, Rocco Dellaneve will perform iconic songs from the Rat Pack Christmas album with special inclusions of Santa with Sinatra, Rocco of the Snow, Rudolph and the Rat pack
- The Serafina’s and Broadway Vocalists: December 8th, 15th and 22nd, enjoy the high kicking – precision line dancing Christmas tradition around The Algonquin tree. The Serafina’s will be available for pictures and autographs from 6pm to 7pm, followed by special Broadway vocalists
A portion of proceeds from all events will be donated to Toys for Tots.
Beyond the December events, The Algonquin Hotel is located in a prime position nestled in the heart of Times Square and Fifth Avenue, making it the perfect launchpad for a New York City holiday experience. The hotel is a historical jewel that emphasizes the importance of making unique, storied experiences. Since its opening in 1902, The Algonquin Hotel is famous for its timeless style and desire to honor the literary and cultural elite. The distinguished Round Table Restaurant and Blue Bar offer tasteful dining inclusions and curated cocktails that are sure to excite everyone.
Photo credit: The Algonquin Hotel, Autograph Collection
G.H. Harding
TREE LIKE ME — Monday morning, gossip-sites were ablaze with this missive from one Tree Paine – Taylor Swift’s publicist – about swirling rumors about the singer’s love life: Travis Kelce’s sister-in-law, Kylie Kelce, subtly supported Taylor Swift after the “Anti-Hero” singer’s publicist clapped back at rumors about her love life. Eagled-eyed fans noticed that Kylie “liked” a post from the Today Show about Tree Paine slamming celebrity gossip blog DeuxMoi for spreading “fabricated lies” about Swift’s relationship with ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn.
Ms. Paine’s PR-firm is called Premium PR and by all accounts, the Nashville-based mistress has had a great ride with Swift. As we go to press, Time Magazine just named her their person of the year.
Back in the day, ZZ Top and Michael Jackson had Howard Bloom; Debbie Gibson and Run DMC had David Salidor; Elton and the Rolling Stones have Fran Curtis; and Billy and Alexa Joel and Christie Brinkley have Claire Mecuri … all stars in our book, but Ms. Paine has Swift.
Brenda Lee
BRENDA LEE — (from People) Brenda Lee has a reason to celebrate the holidays early this year.
On Monday, the singer’s 1958 classic “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time, 65 years following its debut.
In claiming the top spot, Lee broke many records — including those held by Mariah Carey and her mega hit “All I Want for Christmas is You” — as her hit became the third holiday No. 1 ever to be featured on the Hot 100, per a press release.
This marks Lee’s third No. 1 hit in her career. She earned her first No. 1 with her 1960 single “I’m Sorry.”
Lee was just 13 years old when she recorded the Johnny Marks-penned hit debut, and at 78, she’s now the oldest woman to top the Hot 100, surpassing previous record-holders Cher for “Believe” when she was 52 and Carey for “All I Want for Christmas Is You” at 53.
In a press release statement, Lee called the song’s latest achievement “amazing. “I cannot believe that ‘Rockin’’ has hit No. 1 65 years after it was released, this is just so special!” she said. “Thank you to the team at UMG/UMe who worked so hard to celebrate the song’s anniversary this year. But most importantly, thank you to the fans who keep listening.”
Lee continued: “The song came out when I was a young teenager and now to know that it has resonated with multiple generations and continues to resonate — it is one of the best gifts I have ever received. Keep on Rockin’ and Merry Christmas!”
Last month, Lee released the first-ever music video for her Christmas classic, which features cameos from Tanya Tucker and Trisha Yearwood. Here’s the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFsZy9t-qDc
In addition to the music video, she shared the EP, A Rockin’ Christmas with Brenda Lee, in November featuring “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and other holiday favorites including “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” “Jingle Bell Rock” “A Marshmallow World” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” reimagined by Filous.
For record aficionados: The song was originally released on Decca Records in 1958. Dub Allbritten became Lee’s personal manager in 1956 and remained in that position throughout her formative years. In May 1956, Lee signed with Decca and two months later had her first recording session, supervised by Paul Cohen with the assistance of Owen Bradley
SHORT TAKES — RIP Denny Laine – best remembered from The Moody Blues (“Go Now”) and Paul McCartney’s Wings – and their best album Band On The Run. I loved “Go Now” btw. Here’s Roger Friedman’s take via SHOWBIZ 411: https://www.showbiz411.com/2023/12/05/rip-denny-laine-79-original-member-of-wings-and-the-moody-blues-wrote-the-hit-go-now …
Denny Laine; Linda and Paul McCartney
I didn’t see any reviews from Debbie Gibson’s 2 shows last week at NYC’s Gramercy Theater but Yahoo did run a headline that she had 5 costume changes! They were in support of her 2022 holiday Winterlicious album …The Kennedy Center Honors had their event this past weekend. Congrats all. Can’t wait to see the show next week. Here’s Deadline’s take: https://deadline.com/2023/12/kennedy-center-honors-joe-biden-robert-de-niro-billy-crystal-1235650306/ …
Debbie Gibson (by Troy Smith)
Here’s celebrity-biographer Mark Bego’s interview with NEWHD’s Zach Martin: https://www.spreaker.com/user/bigfatamerican/mark-bego-copy … RIP Norman Lear; Happy Bday Anthony Noto … On the mend: Jerry Lembo!
NAMES IN THE NEWS — Kimberly Cornell; Joe Lynch; Victor Kastel; Peter Shendell; Eppy; Kent Kotal; Roy Trakin; Melinda Newman; Tyson Terror; Vincent D’Onofrio; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Sasha Peres; Jacqueline Boyd; Cairo; Tanya Tenor; Jonathan Wolfson; Brad LeBeau; Wayne Rosso; Thomas Silverman; and ZIGGY!
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