Good Sweat
My favorite neighborhood yoga studio in New York City. What’s yours?
The sun-filled studio at Yoga Agora in Astoria
I discovered Yoga Agora (33-02 Broadway, at 33rd St., Astoria, www.yogaagora.com), a one-room studio over a shuttered restaurant on Broadway in Queens, because I took a different route home from the subway one day. I’m so glad I did.
Vibe: The sun-filled studio is totally unpretentious—and welcoming at $5 per class (or donation only). The instructors (Anna Ahlin is my favorite) gently push you towards your limits in “traditional power vinyasa flow” classes. Classes typically focus on the physical aspects of yoga (my cup of tea), but Ahlin is also great at coaching your breathing.
Drawback: Some classes are too packed for arm-swooping forward bends and you have to hop on one-foot while putting your shoes on for lack of a changing room or chairs.
Got a favorite local yoga studio?
Inspired by my discovery of this tiny New York neighborhood yoga studio, we at Well+Good started to marvel how many others exist, above bodegas and next to pizzerias, in every borough. Our finding: There are dozens of studios with quality yoga instruction and other great things going for them. Except that no one knows about them. Shouldn’t they get the limelight?
Since we’re a small staff and this is a very big city, we need you to be our yoga scouts! After all, who knows New York yoga better than Well+Good readers? Send us a 100-word review of your favorite neighborhood studio, like ours, above, to [email protected].
Please include where it is, why you love it, who your favorite teacher is (first and last name, please), and anything else you think warrants a visit. If you’ve got an iPhone photo of your studio, send it along, too! We’ll select, edit, and share your unsung yoga studio with everyone else.
Fine print: Well+Good reserves the right not to post reviews or photos for any reason, to fact check reviews with the yoga studio, and to contact the reviewer for further information.
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Any yoga studio that is primarily-home-practitioner friendly.
Which means I won’t be going there much.
That leaves out nearly all the trendy and trendy-wannabe ones, and encompasses a couple off-the-radar ones, such as Tree of Life Yoga on Metropolitan in Forest Hills …
Yoga-People (www.yoga-people.com) is my favorite yoga studio in Brooklyn Heights. It’s an unpretentious studio with a beautiful view of a cathedral across the street. Each of the teachers at Yoga-People has a completely different teaching style and each one brings wisdom and expertise to their classes. Added bonus!- The classes are never jam-packed.
Yoga-People in Brooklyn Heights is a special place (www.yoga-people.com), I have to agree. I also really like Jennifer Brilliant (http://www.jenniferbrilliant.com/)in Park slope! Way out on Long Island in the heart of Saint James, I would recommend Balance-Body, Mind and Soul!!!
Yogamaya! I’m biased since I’m one of the owners. But it is my favorite place to be & the yoga classes/teachers are great & the spiritual programs are top. Dhanurdhara Swami speaking every month, and our kirtans are over the top intimate, beautiful, and heart-blowing!
Jaya Radheeee!
Gotta be Yogamaya! Love the Bhaktified vibe there. I go every time I’m in NY :)
World Yoga Center on W72nd, UWS. Not only down the block for me but this small full of light space have been here for over 30 years. The Shakti of people practicing for so long is just rocking! it is a community, mostly from the neighborhood, very local in the best sense – a place that makes NYC as fun as it is.
Easy question — Yogamaya. It’s the best studio I have ever been to, anywhere. Bryn Chrisman is a brilliant teacher, and a great soul.
http://www.yogamayanewyork.com
Yogamaya! I love the atmosphere, the teachers and all the amazing workshops they offer. Try any teacher they are all great! They have amazing energy, knowledge and love for yoga.
Mine is YogaMaya. The space is gorgeous, very womb-like. And the classes are brilliant. Plus there’s so much kirtan… and tons of teachings beyond the physical part. Yeah, a total Yoga studio steps away from the office.
All depends on what you are looking for…. but hands down Yogamaya is the best thing for all things yoga.
I had been practicing yoga at the Iyengar Institute for years with a very wonderful teacher named Carrie Owerko. I love her teaching and learned so much on a fundamental level. The Iyengar institute is pristine and lovely but I recently discovered YogaMaya on 20th and 7th Ave. This yoga studio is so beautiful and inviting for students of all backgrounds. The owners Bryn, Stacy and Glen have created a gem in the world of yoga
Bhakti kiirtans are a regular staple at yogamaya as well bringing guest teachers to lead satsang and teachings from the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. The yoga classes are filled with joy and depth of knowledge that connects me to my soul. I have experienced a sense of body, mind and heart praying, singing, dancing and breathing together as one large loving community. Everyone is welcome, come join the movement.
ISHTA Yoga!! Laid back vibe, great teachers, unpretentious, a focus on finding your “own practice” and the new uptown studio has small classes! Great!
In Manhattan: Integral Yoga! – It’s very special and unique. It is a living center for yoga, where people dwell, teach and learn in peace in the heart of the West Village. Here you will find dedicated teachers giving classes for every level of student, free meditation each weekday, excellent teacher-training programs (I took all four of my yoga teacher trainings there!), a bookstore, herbal apothecary and vitamin shop, and a natural food store – it’s a friendly little yoga neighborhood.
In Brooklyn: Plaza Yoga and Wellness (where I teach!) – This is a beautiful, healing space where you can take yoga and meditation classes, and also have a massage and get acupuncture, there are even psychotherapists practicing there – truly a holistic wellness space! The yoga studio is gorgeous – spacious, ‘lots of natural light, wood floors and mango-colored walls.