Matsu Udy and Julie Anderson play some of the Indian instruments used during classes at the Yoga Pit in Brigham city on Wednesday April 12, 2022.
BRIGHAM CITY – Yoga is becoming more popular in recent years with videos online and on television featuring the ancient practice of meditation and body relaxation methods anyone can try.
Matsu Udy, a native of Cache Valley, is the owner of the Yoga Pit in Brigham City, located at 148 North Main St. His approach to yoga is more traditional and spiritual. He said with all the strains and uncertainties we are facing today, it is important now more than ever to have a place to cultivate a conscious community.
“The practice of yoga has been increasingly watered down by an over emphasis on the physical postures,” he said. “At our studio, we focus on the education of the yoga philosophy culminating in other branches of the yoga tree, such as sound meditation or what is known as Kirtan.”
Kirtan is a call and response style of musical meditation which is accompanied with traditional Indian instruments like the Yich, the mṛdaṅga (hand drum) and kartalās (hand cymbals).
“This enthusiastic congregational meditation spontaneously brings about divine absorption that very quickly brings one to the perfectional stage of yoga,” he said. “After searching through all the eastern practices, one cannot find a method simpler and more sublime than the chanting of sacred sound vibration.”
During high school he completed Yoga Teacher Training, and after high school he moved into a monastery to learn the ancient philosophy of Yoga in a more intimate setting.
“After a trip to India I was inspired to bring back the ancient practices from there,” Udy said. “In March of 2021 I opened the Yoga Pit.”
He uses what is considered the most ancient form of meditation and together with other class members they engage in this most essential yoga practice.
“We also offer Tai Chi, massage, a unique gift shop and beginner-oriented and traditional yoga classes seven days a week,” he said. “The education we provide is based on bona fide ancient wisdom texts from India.”
The studio offers an abundance of opportunities to explore the transcendental knowledge of the ancient traditions of yoga or bhakti-yoga.
“Our team at the Yoga Pit consists of a diverse and exceptional group of educators who aspire to use their unique backgrounds and talents to share practical spirituality,” Udy said. “I am also an author, and I record audio books. The books I write or record are all based on the practice of mindfulness and eastern spirituality.”
The Yoga Pit in Brigham City is the only yoga studio in town and has a very unique approach to yoga. They can be reached at (801) 390-5029.