A few hours ago I attended the grand opening of Shakti Yoga on Grant Street. For me, this will be one of the more memorable evenings in my Buffalo Rising career... and I didn't even get to stay for that long. My whirlwind self guided tour started as I walked across the street towards the former bank building - the full moon was a brilliant backdrop for the towering edifice that stood larger than life in front of me. Just walking up the steps of the 'temple' I felt that I was in store for a real treat. If you had told me what I was about to encounter next I probably wouldn't have believed you.
Upon entering the yoga studio I was greeted with a hallway full of shoes. That was something that I had not expected... the crowd inside was apparently walking about in their socks... in a cavernous bank, with live tunes and pink and yellow lights, at night, on Grant Street. So I took off my shoes and walked into a sea of people - it was like being in an acid jazz night club, but the crowd was made up of musicians and artists, and holistic healers and spiritualists, and henna tattooists and writers and poets... what a scene.
There were people hanging out up in the balconies, and people sitting on pillows on the floor, and musicians walking around with djembe drums and guitars on their backs.
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Upon entering the yoga studio I was greeted with a hallway full of shoes. That was something that I had not expected... the crowd inside was apparently walking about in their socks... in a cavernous bank, with live tunes and pink and yellow lights, at night, on Grant Street. So I took off my shoes and walked into a sea of people - it was like being in an acid jazz night club, but the crowd was made up of musicians and artists, and holistic healers and spiritualists, and henna tattooists and writers and poets... what a scene.
There were people hanging out up in the balconies, and people sitting on pillows on the floor, and musicians walking around with djembe drums and guitars on their backs. At the far end of the room, a group of musicians began to play - I spotted Mir Ali, Buffalo's Pakistani-born guitar virtuoso and founder of the Buffalo Guitar Society, and there was Jeff Wilber, a writer for HBO and Showtime pilots who recently moved back from LA. And of course Michelle Gigante was there - she's the Director of Shakti Yoga who brought this entire vision together and everyone along with it. As I stood there taking it all in, I thought of Gabrielle Bouliane, who would have been in her element... she would have totally dug the place.
Around every corner was another surprise. The immaculate bank vault worked like a fine-tuned instrument. The vaulted ceiling was more reminiscent of a church than a bank, and the enormous windows somehow cast a surreal yellow glow over the crowd. A projection screen danced on a wall. The western balcony featured a music trio playing for a small crowd. The eastern balcony acted as a viewing arena for guests while a neighboring room had been built with a glass wall overlooking the first floor. The angled architectural features and the directional lighting created dramatic shadows on the walls and on the ceilings. Where there would typically be a door, there was not one. Where there would normally be an enclosure, it was left open.
The place was done the right way and will lend itself to artistic endeavors for years to come. This is no ordinary yoga studio... it's a cultural destination. And there were no podiums, or ribbon cuttings or anything else of that nature... just a homegrown, grassroots, spiritual enterprise that came to pass because a young girl with a dream was able to purchase a building of this magnitude on the West Side of Buffalo for around $140,000. Color me happy.
From a previous BRO article written by Justine Smith:
The new Grant Street location includes heated floors, multiple rooms to practice yoga in, a lounge area, changing rooms, showers and more.
Shakti Yoga
offers sessions for everyone. Those new to yoga are recommended to try
the Beginner's Vinyasa, and experts can choose from a variety of
classes. New students' first classes are free. A ten percent discount
is available for students, and Gigante has created a schedule that is
meant to accommodate Buffalonians' busy schedules. Classes begin as
early as 6:30 AM and end as late as 9:30 PM. Massages are also offered
for $70-75.
Around every corner was another surprise. The immaculate bank vault worked like a fine-tuned instrument. The vaulted ceiling was more reminiscent of a church than a bank, and the enormous windows somehow cast a surreal yellow glow over the crowd. A projection screen danced on a wall. The western balcony featured a music trio playing for a small crowd. The eastern balcony acted as a viewing arena for guests while a neighboring room had been built with a glass wall overlooking the first floor. The angled architectural features and the directional lighting created dramatic shadows on the walls and on the ceilings. Where there would typically be a door, there was not one. Where there would normally be an enclosure, it was left open.
The place was done the right way and will lend itself to artistic endeavors for years to come. This is no ordinary yoga studio... it's a cultural destination. And there were no podiums, or ribbon cuttings or anything else of that nature... just a homegrown, grassroots, spiritual enterprise that came to pass because a young girl with a dream was able to purchase a building of this magnitude on the West Side of Buffalo for around $140,000. Color me happy.From a previous BRO article written by Justine Smith:
The new Grant Street location includes heated floors, multiple rooms to practice yoga in, a lounge area, changing rooms, showers and more.
Yoga participants will thoroughly
enjoy Shakti Yoga's high ceilings, original 1920 marble terrazzo floors
and hardwood flooring. Another unique feature of the building is the
original bank vault. Gigante chose to keep the vault because "it's a
beautiful reminder of what was."
Shakti Yoga
offers sessions for everyone. Those new to yoga are recommended to try
the Beginner's Vinyasa, and experts can choose from a variety of
classes. New students' first classes are free. A ten percent discount
is available for students, and Gigante has created a schedule that is
meant to accommodate Buffalonians' busy schedules. Classes begin as
early as 6:30 AM and end as late as 9:30 PM. Massages are also offered
for $70-75. In the upcoming months, Gigante
says classes and events will include more chanting, meditation and live
music. For more information on prices, the current schedule, class
descriptions and more, please visit the Shakti website.
Shakti Yoga
133 Grant Street
Buffalo NY
(716) 884-YOGA
Shakti Yoga
133 Grant Street
Buffalo NY
(716) 884-YOGA
Way coooooool. Excellent to see and congrats.