Looking for a little inner peace? Hoping for some enlightenment along the way? Or maybe you’re just curious about exploring a past life or two. If so, then Yogi G is your man.
Yogi G is the creation of Sag Harbor playwright and actor Geoffrey Gordon and this Saturday, he will return to the Unitarian Universalist meetinghouse to lead another session of “Kahmic Yoga” his successful one man lecture/demonstration. The audience is invited to join him in “assuming the position.” Or they can just sit there and laugh.
With Yogi G all things are possible.
Gordon, a longtime aficionado and practitioner of Kripalu yoga, explains that he first began “channeling” Yogi G as a character at the end of 2007.
“I was doing my own yoga practice and I started to laugh at the absurd position I was in,” recalls Gordon. “It’s funny that it’s so popular — not just yoga, but all sorts of self-help groups and gurus of many stripes for those seeking spiritual fulfillment.”
And in “Kahmic Yoga,” Yogi G (he’s a disciple of Yogi F and also certified in Kahmic Sutra by the way) tells his own personal journey of enlightenment.
“It’s a little saucy,” confirms Gordon. “It’s a bit of a composite of all yoga teachers. It makes fun, but gentle fun. There are also a lot of shenanigans — heightened intimacy between certain teachers and their students, for example. I won’t tell tales of certain teachers, but let’s just say he enjoys the full range of perks of leading yoga.”
This weekend’s performance will be Yogi G’s third engagement at the UU meetinghouse since Labor Day. Gordon admits he is surprised by the number of audience members who follow Yogi G’s lead by taking on the poses he strikes in the course of the hour long performance.
“I don’t require people to do anything, but I’m pleased when they do,” says Gordon, who adds that yoga mats are not required.
“It’s all seated,” he says. “In Kahmic Yoga, why move around if you don’t have to?”
Given the quick success he’s experienced with this show, Gordon must have his chakras all in a row. He has been invited to bring “Kahmic Yoga” to New York City for two nights this fall where Yogi G will appear at Don’t Tell Mama on the west side.
“Word of mouth was great,” notes Gordon of the show’s run at the meetinghouse. “A couple theater people suggested I shop it around. They said, ‘You have no set. This is the cheapest show ever.’”
So on the recommendation of friends, Gordon took his press kit and his Yogi G accent to Don’t Tell Mama and the club owner booked him.
“I’m a playwright and I thought the length was too short, but it turned out to be perfect for cabaret,” he adds. “I’ve got two dates — one in October and one in November.”
With Yogi G hitting his stride and the big time, it may be that he will soon be out of reach to his devotees here on the East End, so Gordon hopes people take advantage of their chance to see him locally this Saturday. For Gordon, taking Yogi G to the next level requires that he reincarnate the actor he was in his younger days when he studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse in the city.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve performed at this level and intensity,” notes Gordon. “I’ve done staged readings. But the difference is I wrote this for myself. In writing it, it was thrilling and constructive. What I learned at the Neighborhood Playhouse as an actor is that sometimes, we fall in love with concepts that are not actorish. When you have to approach it as an actor, you really learn what has to be in there when you’re writing it.”
“It’s kind of amazing. I’m a 25 year over night sensation, from the acting side of it,” says Gordon. “As an actor, what I’m most proud of is I sustain this piece. It’s a lot like stand up, which is the most naked and frightening thing you can do. It’s also the most you. You really get to be the whole show. It’s fun. As far as my acting experience, this is really a step forwards.”
For the audience, in the end, Gordon — who’s currently at work on Intermediate and advanced Kahmic Yoga — notes that Yogi G’s goal is ultimately to show people the path to a good time.
“It’s all about the healing power of laughter,” says Gordon. “That’s his only bottom line. All the methodology is about bringing about that result. I think the audience really appreciates it. He’s not up there to show how limber he is or even to teach — it’s a lecture demonstration.”
“But I do tell the audience the meaning of life,” whispers Gordon.
Kahmic Yoga begins at 8 p.m. this Saturday, October 18, 2008 at the Unitarian Universalist meetinghouse, 977 Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Turnpike. Admission is $15. To reserve, call 899-3181. Yogi G himself (or at least his voice) is standing by now to take your call.
Kahmic Yoga will appear at Don’t Tell Mama (242 West 46th Street, New York City) on Saturday, October 25, at 8:30 p.m. and again on Sunday, November 16 at 5:30 p.m. There’s a $15 cover with a two drink minimum. Call (212) 757-0788 to reserve.
Â
