In this city of yoga-addicts, venturing into a big yoga class at a big gym can be scary. What if you don’t execute the perfect downward dog? Or what if you are a pilates devotee and not so sure about yoga?

The owners of the Joschi Body Bodega, Joschi and Monika, put a lot of effort into creating a studio with a relaxed, inviting, family feel. There’s no loud aerobics going on in the next room, and there’s no set program. Instead, members can take a variety of classes with a variety of exertion levels, including vinyasa yoga, pilates, conditioning classes, and a series of signature classes. One of these signature classes, Energy Balancing, includes innovative wholistic techniques such as light therapy, aromatherapy, and music therapy into a yoga class, aiding in deep relaxation.

The studio is rounded out with changing rooms, cubbies, fresh towels, a shower, yoga mats, and a private training room. Joschi hopes to expand into training other teachers and incorporating new and innovative techniques into the schedule. There are several levels of membership (unlimited, per class) and the personal attention ensures they’ll work with you to help you design the program that fits your lifestyle.

Joschi Body Bodega
163 West 23rd Street, 5th Floor between Sixth & Seventh Avenues
F/V or 1 to 23rd St
212.399.6307

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Yoga is not a workout. Repeat: Yoga is not a workout. People who aspire for the sleek Gwenyth abs, the uber-sculpted Madonna arms, saunter into studios that offer racks of $400 Marc Jacobs mat bags, ready to kick their new-year’s resolution body into shape, and after time, they realize they’ve been tricked. Yoga is a life practice – how you live life off the mat – and this is the kind of pragmatic, yet inspiring philosophy you’ll hear at Virayoga, a minimalist Anusara yoga studio, that has developed a a devoted following in the four years they’ve been in business. Hidden away from the chic couture shops and industrial-chic buldings that swarm Soho streets, you’ll find the scene at Virayoga free from pretension and attitude.

Enter the 2,000 square foot studio billowing with light, and you’ll encounter a friendly front desk staff, minimal hocking of trendy yoga wares, and a class that is focused and precise. Sure you’ll leave having gotten your workout grove on, however, don’t be surprised when a little Tantra philosophy sneaks in.

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Yoga studios in New York are much like Duane Reade and Starbucks – they’re everywhere. One can walk through the streets without spying yoga bags and Be Present pants. With so many studios selling scented oils, WAH! cds, mats in fuchsia and baby blue, and a philosophy that guarantees to change your life, a new student can be overwhelmed and frankly, intimidated.

After five years of practicing yoga (considered a short time in yoga years), I continue to search the city for studios that focus on alignment and awareness, without being overly dogmatic and serious. So it’s with great pleasure that I stumbled upon Yoga Mandali, New York’s first and only center devoted to Anusara, a school of yoga founded by John Friend, in the vibrant and fashionable Soho area. Studio director, Phil Di Pietro says, “While based in a philosophy to engage in the deepest desire of the heart, Anusara Yoga looks to three elements of practice that are distinctive of yoga: Attitude, Alignment and Action.” Anusara’s remarkable popularity is due in large part to its uplifting philosophy, epitomized by a “celebration of the heart,” that celebrates the good in all people and all things. Students of all levels of ability and yoga experience are honored for their unique differences, limitations, and talents.

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In a city where flyers advertising yoga studios share real estate alongside vendors selling imposter Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs handbags on the sidewalks of trendy Union Square, it is an Olympic feat to discern the real thing amidst the slew of imposters. A studio that stresses principles of alignment, places a distinct focus on breath instead of the fanfare and confetti of gym billboards toting bleached blondes in white leotards that read, “No Pain, No Gain!” is what makes OM YOGA, steps away from Union Square, such a delectable find. Under the direction of the renowned Cyndi Lee (a twenty-year practitioner of both Hatha Yoga and Tibetan Buddhism and author of several books and DVDs, most recently, Om Yoga Beginner/Intermediate Class.), her and her team of over thirty experienced teachers will lead you through a vigorous, but playful, alignment-centered asana practice.

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