Become Entranced
By Jules Verdone

When a Body Temple Holistic Celebration is in full swing, you’ll find yourself surrounded by dancers dancing and drummers drumming (sorry: no maids a milking). If you came at 11, you would think that the people are drunk or stoned, says Alok, director of Alok Holistic Health Center and an organizer of this monthly event. Actually they’re experiencing a natural high resulting from combining hatha yoga, dancing (with global trance spun by DJ Haj), active kundalini meditation and ‘live’ food consumption (No cooking is involved, Alok explains). Attendees can also pay for mini sessions of massage and other therapies, including Harp Healing ($10 for about 10 minutes), in which you recline on a massage table connected to two amplified zithers, with two more zithers on your body. When strummed, the instruments trigger vibrations and an immensely relaxed state,” says practitioner Tom Cushwa.

Time Out New York June 19, 2003

Energetics of Food

Want to get rid of that winter blubber? Need a spring pick-me-up? This lecture by certified holistic health counselor Alok will teach you how to use various foods and cooking methods to lose weight, gain energy and enhance relaxation. A brief education of genetically engineered foods, organic versus non organic, free radicals and antioxidants is also included in the program.

Time Out New York April 11-18, 2002

Alok Cooking Class: Live Food

Live or raw foodists are people who believe that heating food above 108 degrees kills beneficial enzymes and deprives the body of energy and vigor. Tonight, live-food chef Amy Rachelle teaches about this lifestyle as she takes you through the steps of cooking a vegetarian dinner.

Time Out New York May 16-23, 2002

Natural food stores can be overwhelming – hey, even the government seems confused about organic certification (although it’s not like the government isn’t used to being confused). You can banish the uncertainty about natural groceries on a tour led by holistic-health adviser Alok. His outing teaches participants how to navigate the aisles and offers tips on healthy eating and cooking. And aside from the heap of information you’ll have by the end of the evening, you may also have a mountain of groceries, thanks to the 10-percent discount offered to tourgoers.

Time Out New York Aug. 29-Sept. 5, 2002

Organic Vegetarian Cooking Class

Not your average cooking class, Alok’s version is more like a soiree, with the chopping and frying (of only organic and vegetarian ingredients) set against a backdrop of music by Italian singer-songwriter Irene Mastrangeli. On the menu: rice with quinoa and poppy seeds, steamed greens and sprouts, and something called Sweet Sensation.

Time Out New York September 19-26, 2002