2023 Solstice in Times Square: Mind Over Madness Yoga

Can't make it in person? Join us virtually by livestreaming any or all of the seven classes. All classes will stream on TSQ.org/Solstice via YouTube and on Facebook. There is no need to register on Eventbrite if you are not joining us in person.

To register for a class, click the green "REGISTER" button in the top right hand corner. You can choose your class time from the list of available classes, AFTER you click "CHECKOUT." Please note, each person must have their own ticket, and each person is allotted ONE class for the whole day. After you have finished the registration process, you should receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite with your ticket, which is also available in the Eventbrite app. For contactless check-in, please have your ticket ready to scan on your smart device or printed out on the day of the event. 

For more info and Frequently Asked Questions about Solstice in Times Square, visit TSQ.org/Solstice.

Share your Solstice photos and experiences using #SolsticeTSq via Twitter and Instagram, @TimesSquareNYC.   

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.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Times Square, Broadway at 46th Street, New York, United States