SEXYLECTRIC:

Tesla’s Roadster has a more to do with yoga than you’d think.

It was Friday night and two yoginis (myself and Yoga Journal editor-in-chief, Kaitlin Quitsgaard) entered the Tesla electric car dealership on Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado, to pick up the new Roadster Sport for an overnight test drive.

Oxymoron?

The sales guys kind of thought so.  After all, weren’t yogis supposed to be renouncing their possessions and not being attached to toys—especially sexy, sporty, pricey, totally impractical two-seater sports cars that go really fast?

Depends on what kind of yoga beliefs you have, I guess. In my mind, I was open, and I discovered that indeed, the Roadster has a whole lot more to do with yoga than you’d think.

Right now, the Roadster is the only Tesla car on the market. (By 2012, the more practical, Model S, an electric 4-door sedan, will launch).  The Roadster is a completely electric sports car with an AC induction motor and single speed gear box that creates instant torque from 0 rpm. The car accelerates like silk from 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, a feeling no others have experienced in their lifetime up until now, unless you have travelled in a space shuttle.  That is divine intelligence embodied, if you ask me.

“So we are closed on Sunday, would it be alright if you brought it back on Monday at 10 sharp?” Erich asked.

“Oh, that’s no problem at all!!”

Oh my god, the overnight just turned into a full weekend.

Kaitlin and I got our “Tesla Legs” spinning around town, got some thumbs ups, got gawked at a bunch, and felt the feeling of what few others had ever experienced before—going from to 60 mph in a flash, with no sound except the wind and the tires on the pavement.  It was like flying.

One Tesla test driver said, it “slings you forward like a rubber band off the finger of God.”

Another said, “Driving the Roadster felt like having sex while being sprayed with Champagne.”

Arriving at our cocktail hour in the foothills, we were were, naturally, pretty buzzed, and of course had to do an impromptu photo shoot.

A life teaching #1: Broaden your mind, dissolve beliefs which hold you in a pattern, and then allow for unlimited possibilities to be available to you in this lifetime.  May we all welcome in choices which seem impossible!

When I pulled into my driveway that night, I was descended upon immediately by the pre-pubescent boys of my neighborhood. I could hear them excitedly exclaiming under their breath, “That’s the Tesla!!”  How could I not give them each a turn at a joy ride? I knew I was going to be able to blow their minds and give them a gift they’d never forget if I did.  And so, off we went (with permission from Mom and Dad, of course).  Not only was it the ride of their life, but they got the Yoga life Teaching #1, and a hit of what is possible in eco-friendly technology. For myself, several other life teachings came out of this encounter, including:

Yoga life teaching #2: When you have a gift to give, share it, pass it on, and pay it forward. Don’t hold back the offerings you have to share. Never underestimate how much you can make someone’s day, or month!

Yoga life teaching #3: When you share your gifts openly, it connects you to others and bonds are formed which mirror our own interconnection to the Divine.  I am now those boy’s BFF (best friend forever), and I tell you, we never spoke to each other before that night.

Yoga Teaching #4: It is possible to align with the nature intelligently in ways that do not gunk up the atmosphere, still kick car booty, and be hip at the same time!  May all of our youth, through example, get this lesson.

Over the weekend, I had the chance to introduce the Tesla to the kula (my yoga friends), kind of like introducing your new significant other to your parents, and knowing that they are going to totally approve, and love your new friend. During these various rides with each of my pals, we reveled in the feeling of total freedom, grace, and refinement, while at the same time making zero emissions from our ride. Each night, I went to bed with a huge smile on my face, knowing the Tesla was parked in my garage.  And no, I did not sleep in the car.

Monday morning.

It was time.  Though I was sad to see my new love go, I decided to be present, and simply enjoy every poignant moment behind the wheel of the Roadster on the way to the dealer.  With the top down, I pulled out, zoomed to the stop sign, and peeled out silently to the highway. I felt the sun on my skin, heard every note of the music crooning from the killer sound system, relished every head that turned to see the beauty flashing by, and rested my head back in the Tesla’s embrace, feeling like Lakshmi herself.  When I got to the dealer, I was ready to let this tour de force go.

Yoga life Teaching #5: Live in the fullness of time, and get good at letting things go.  May we learn from the past (like, for example, Big Oil is so 1956), so that we can plan for the future (a stable climate and an ozone layer would be nice), and while we are at it, enjoy the splendor of the present moment to the max.  When cycles come to an end, may we release them with ease, as best we can.

Riding in the Tesla was like surfing the wave of the future. Go on and get one.

For more information on how you can get the Tesla Roadster, or to get on the queue for the 2012 Model S, visit Tesla Motors website.

Amy Ippoliti is an author, teacher, leader, do-gooder, and entrepreneur. Amy enjoys bridging the gap between ancient yoga wisdom and our modern lives. She has been studying yoga since 1986, and became one of the first certified Anusara Yoga teachers in 2000 after being to drawn to Anusara yoga for the artistic, heart and community centered teachings. Amy apprenticed closely for many years with Anusara founder John Friend on his national tours, and currently chairs the Anusara Yoga Curriculum Committee. Amy is widely recognized for her down-to-earth teaching approach, lucid instruction, and for assisting her students in achieving personal breakthroughs on and off the mat. Visit her blog or find out more at her website.