January
2003
Trenton
is a state of mind for Siri Om Singh 
By
Joe Emanski
When
Siri Om Singh first encountered yoga, he was exploring its usefulness
as a component of his professional work as an occupational therapist.
He and his wife, Ayela Shimelman, had a business together, offering
alternative therapies, and he wanted to see if it was something
worth adding to their repertoire.
Today
Siri Om teaches yoga, as well as art, in Trenton and the surrounding
area, and like many who practice yoga, he describes it in a serene
and even voice.
"The
goal of all yogas is to help the individual discover who he or she
is," says Siri Om. "The self-discipline of that practice
is to be able to be happy with who you are and where you are at
any given moment in your life, not be drawn or ruled by what's outside
of you."
As he became more familiar with yoga, it became a spiritual practice.
Talk to Siri Om or Ayela for just a few minutes, and you'll probably
be ready to try yoga.
"The only way I discovered for me to feel complete and happy
and healthy is to understand who I am and what that war is all about
within myself," says Siri Om. "Yoga helps me to diminish
the chaos and anxiety that permeate my entire being."
The
yoga that Siri Om teaches is known as kundalini yoga. Like there
are different martial arts, there are different forms of yoga. Kundalini
was the first yoga he and Ayela came in contact with, at a retreat
they saw advertised in a flyer.
There are four paths of yoga: the mantra, the breath, meditation
and the postures.
"All yogas follow the four paths, but kundalini is unique in
that it encompasses the four practices in the learning of it. In
other yogas the paths are practiced separately," says Ayela.
"The purpose of all yoga is to bring the kundalini energy from
the lower part of the body to the higher part of the body."
You can take yoga with Siri Om at several locations. Tuesday mornings
he can be found at the Meditation Institute in Yardley, Pa., teaching
a 4 a.m. class, a 7 a.m. class, and an 8 a.m. meditation class.
From 7:30 to 8:45 p.m., he teaches a class in his home. He also
offers training Fridays from 7 to 8:30 a.m. at Conduit. Classes
are on-going, meaning that they are open to new members all the
time.
Siri Om and Ayela have plans to start offering classes for those
who want individual training and for groups and corporate classes.
That's not all, of course. Siri Om is an accomplished artist whose
works have been on display at Ellarslie, the Trenton City Museum,
three times. His works have also been displayed at Artworks, the
N.J. State Museum and the Urban Word Café.
"I love to draw, I love to create, I love to share. I personally
feel that everyone has the ability to create. Everyone doesn't have
the ability to become a great artist, but that shouldn't exclude
people from experiencing creating something from their heart and
soul and having fun with it," he says.
He uses primarily pastels but also does oil painting, mixed media
with collage, crayons-"I practically use anything at my disposal
that I feel will go well in the artwork," he says. "I
try not to limit myself to one particular medium. The creative process
is about creating and exploring."
Ayela,
who is from Israel, says, "The last place I ever thought I'd
be living is Lakehurst." She came to the United States 12 years
ago for an advanced masters at New York University, and, after stints
in Virginia and Louisiana, got "stuck" in Lakehurst on
an assignment.
Siri Om was raised in Philadelphia, but he's lived all over the
country, including Texas, Florida, North Carolina and California.
In school Siri Om was a 400-meter specialist in track and field.
They have been married for six years and have been in Trenton for
two and a half years. Both have studios in the Trenton Makes building
on South Broad Street.
"We decided that we needed culture, a place that was expanding
and dynamic," says Siri Om. "We decided to come to Trenton
because we discovered this wonderful niche in Glen Afton and we
fell in love with it. We're excited about living in Trenton. We
love the town, we love the people, we love the location, close to
New York and Philadelphia, where I visit my family. We're just happy
to be here and happy with the potential of the place."
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