Roll up the mat.
Rack the tiles.
We are a small and growing community who practice yoga and then sit down to play mahjong. It all started in our studio in New Paltz, New York. Now we play everywhere!
Same attention, different table
Yoga asks you to put everything down and be in one place. Mahjong asks the same thing, except there are three other people doing it with you and the tiles keep moving. The two fit together better than most people expect.
Full attention
A hand of mahjong will not let your mind wander. Neither will a balance pose. Both require your full attention.
Just people, face to face
No screens on the table. It is the most reliable way we have found to turn a class full of strangers into people who know each other.
Never finished
Mastery takes time. You get a little better every time you show up, which is the whole point of your practice.
WHERE WE PLAY
In the studio, and wherever the retreat is
Home base is Vitality Yoga Flow in New Paltz, New York. We play after class, we play on wellness weekends, and we bring a set on every retreat. Last one was Cala Luna in Costa Rica, tiles out on the deck once evening practice finished.
You do not need a group, a set, or any idea how the game works. Come to a table and we will get you playing.
START WHERE YOU ARE
Two ways in
Most people arrive knowing one half of this and none of the other. That is normal. Nobody at the table has done both for long.
You do yoga, not mahjong
Then you are in the majority. We teach at the table, one hand at a time, and most people are playing for real inside an hour. No app, no rulebook, no studying beforehand.
You play mahjong, not yoga
Come for the game and try a class while you are there. Every class at Vitality is open to people who have never done it! No pressure.
COMING SOON
A mahjong set drawn for yogis
We are designing our own American set. The bams are standing poses. The cracks name each pose in Chinese. The dots open and close like breath. Flowers, dragons and jokers finish it out.
It is a real playing set, not a decorative one. Standard American mahjong, jokers included, sized to be dealt with and shuffled for years.
THE COMMUNITY
@yogis_who_mahjong
Poses, hands, retreats, and the occasional argument about whether that was a legal call. Follow along and come play.
