Good Sweat
At the Nalini Method’s new home, fitness meets philanthropy
After a quickie-marriage, Nalini Method creator Rupa Mehta parted ways with Pure Yoga. “I’m onto the next chapter,” says the no-regrets fitness dynamo whose method is a mix of Iyengar yoga, Lotte Berk, and old-fashioned sculpt class.
The unflappable Mehta bounced back with her own fitness center on West 60th Street. (She’s the anchor tenant inside the Manhattan Movement and Art Center.)
The new-ish Nalini HQ is a compilation of all the things Mehta loves: her popular classes, healthy food (an organic café will open in January), and volunteer work in Bed Stuy schools.
She also just launched a 30-minute Express class on Thursday nights that serves as a lab for her to test new ideas—she’s currently creating Yogalini, a class that adds ankle weights to your vinyasa flow.
Ultimately, the workouts, the community she’s created, and the café all feed her truest passion—her One Word campaign that she outlined in her books, Connect to Your One.
“I’m exploring this whole idea of words putting weight into your life. I challenge my students to identify the one word that guides their life,” she explains. Mehta’s one word? Connect.
By using her position (and Aha! Moment) to foster philanthropy, Mehta could be the Oprah of fitness. —Alexia Brue
The Nalini Method, 248 W. 60th Street, btwn West End and Amsterdam Aves., Upper West Side, 646-775-6145, nalinimethod.com


[...] to Smyth and Arzt, who secured an agreement with 17,000 studios that include Barry’s Bootcamp, Nalini Method, and YogaVida in New York City, as well as hot spots around the country. (Go Recess gets a [...]