By Leslie Albrecht
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
TIMES SQUARE — Call it the ultimate test of the calming power of yoga.
As sirens screamed and cabs barreled down West 46th Street, hundreds of people stretched out on mats for a free yoga class Monday in the middle of the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue between W. 46th and W. 47th streets, as the Times Square Alliance celebrated the first day of summer.
Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkins called the event a "battle between the forces of chaos and calm."
Just after noon, calm seemed to have the upper hand.
Kathryn Leary, 58, of Harlem, participated in the 12:30 p.m. bikram yoga session and called the class "amazing."
"It was a vibe of love and joy and peace and spirit," Leary, a bikram yoga teacher, said.
Instructor Donna Rubin told the class that if they could successfully practice yoga at the crossroads of the world, they could thrive in New York.
"All the things you need to live in this city and survive, you can learn in yoga," Rubin said.
