Everything in New York City moves quickly (except maybe the traffic). New Yorkers talk fast and walk even faster. That’s why it’s all the more important to seek out little moments of calm when you can. To help make that a little easier, we’ve selected 12 of the best yoga and Pilates studios in NYC so you can flex your muscles and relax your mind.
Photo: Edge NYC
High above the trees or just below the city streets, you will find tons of zen spaces to help you get your daily fix of yoga or Pilates. All around the city there are plenty of yoga and Pilates studios that offer a variety of styles, from hot yoga to aerial classes. Here are 12 of the best, for all types of practitioners:
SKY TING
(Photo: skyting.com)
With bright loft studios in Chinatown, Tribeca, and Brooklyn, plenty of plant life and a plush giraffe mascot, SKY TING is a New York favourite. Founded in Chinatown by Krissy Jones and Chloe Kernaghan in 2015, this Downtown yoga hub has assembled highly qualified instructors who blend a variety of styles, particularly Katonah (a slow-moving hatha style developed in upstate New York and integrating Chinese medicine principles), hatha, and vinyasa. In addition to yoga and Pilates, SKY TING offers extras to help nurture different aspects of your well-being, including Yoga + Chill (extra-long final meditation or savasana), pre-natal yoga, and infrared saunas to rejuvenate tired muscles. A separate conversation pit keeps mat space distraction-free, and there’s a good chance you’ll be asking your instructor for their playlist on the way out.
17 Allen St Ste 7, New York, NY 10002 and other locations / http://skyting.com
Kula Yoga Project
(Photo: kulayoga.com)
‘Kula’ is loosely translated from Sanskrit to mean ‘community’; indeed a strong sense of yoga family reigns at Kula Yoga’s two inspiring studios in Williamsburg and SoHo. Brick walls and hardwood floors create a sense of warmth and familiarity in classes including Iyengar method, ‘Groundcontrol’, a mat Pilates-based format using props to facilitate a core-based workout, or mysore ashtanga classes in which the student moves through the ashtanga series silently, at his or her own pace.
Williamsburg: 85 North 3rd Street, space #113; SoHo: 481 Broadway / https://kulayoga.com
The Well
Adjacent to Union Square Park and just off 5th Avenue, this impressive center prides itself on being ‘a complete ecosystem for wellness’. Perhaps he most luxurious location on this list, The Well is something of an oasis in the heart of New York City, offering a mix of Eastern and Western medicinal consultations, sauna access, spa treatments, private coaching, vibrational energy healing and acupuncture in its sprawling, 13,000-square-foot wellness retreat. There’s even an organic restaurant, health library and foot rub lounge in situ. Not pampered enough? Three impeccable yoga, fitness and meditation studios complete the experience with ‘mindful movement’ classes including athletic vinyasa, mat Pilates and meditation. Your body will certainly feel like a temple after just one visit.
2 East 15th St, NY 10003 / www.the-well.com
RA MA Yoga New York
For yogis wanting to deepen the spiritual side of their practice, look no further than RA MA Yoga on the Lower East Side. Founded by the late Guru Jagat in 2013, the studio is decked out in traditional Indian colors and offers Kundalini classes (an esoteric, more static style of yoga that aims to harness the cosmic energy of the chakras stored at the base of the spine), deep meditation, gong sound baths, and pranayama (breathwork) classes. The boutique provides a center for ayurvedic beauty products, yoga clothes and accessories, literature and crystals. Instructors are likely to chant mantras and offer words of wisdom on yogic philosophy in the form of a dharma talk. Children are welcome in the classes.
125 Stanton St NY 10002 / ramayogainstitute.com
Sky-high Yoga at The Edge
Looking for an unforgettable yoga experience in New York? Then it’s time to do your sun salutations suspended in mid-air, on the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, with a stunning panoramic view of all Manhattan. The season opens with Spring Equinox and continues until September. Mats are provided, and admission includes an extra 15 minutes after class to admire the view, plus a gift bag of natural beauty products and yogi would love. Tickets sell fast, so be sure to book in advance to ensure a yoga high in every sense of the term.
The Edge, 30 Hudson Yards, 10001 New York / www.edgenyc.com
HealHaus
(Photo: healhaus.com)
HealHaus is not just a yoga and Pilates studio, but a café, wellness center and inclusive space that emphasizes the ongoing process of healing the mind, body, and soul. The Clinton Hill, Brooklyn site was co-founded by interior designer Elisa Shankle, and it shows: each area is perfectly designed for a minimal yet warm and inviting feel. A variety of healing modalities are on offer in indoor and outdoor practice spaces, including workshops on cord-cutting rituals and chakra alignment, reiki tea ceremonies, breathing work and meditation classes. Get moving with vinyasa, hatha, candlelit yoga, and Kemetic Yoga, inspired by ancient Egyptian rather than Indian customs. Linger in the café to prolong the feel-good vibes.
1082 Fulton St Brooklyn, NY, 11238 / www.healhaus.com
Good Move
A complete and creative approach to fitness, offering not only yoga and Pilates but also HIIT, hip hop, accessible ballet and other dance styles. Yoga ranges from fluid, dance-inspired vinyasa to gentle restorative and sound bath experiences. The expansive Brooklyn studio features mirrored walls, snazzy lighting and light-filled windows looking out onto their patio. Yogis who are curious about dance but a little shy might like to try the ‘Adult beginner dance like the hot bitch you always knew you were’ slot. The friendly, feisty teachers will get your booty bumping in effective and surprising ways.
43 S 4th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249 / www.goodmovenyc.com
Urban Asanas
Urban Asanas is about movement through music, collaboration, and heart. Located in Crown Heights Brooklyn, they offer yoga health and spirituality, welcoming practitioners of all levels and backgrounds. Get your blood flowing with the typical meditation and yoga classes, including hatha, vinyasa, and kundalini, or bliss out in the fan favourite class: Soul Sunday. Every Sunday, you can enjoy the restorative benefits of yoga alongside the inspiration of soul music playing in the background while drenched in natural light. Other amenities include infrared sauna, access to yoga materials, and reiki, massage and acupuncture on site.
843 Sterling Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11216 / www.urbanasanas.com
The Class
Any yogi who wants to take their fitness routine to the next level will enjoy this challenging ‘spiritual workout’ blending yoga, Pilates, HIIT, calisthenics and plyometrics, with movement intensely linked to music. Never will burpees have seemed so cathartic. It doesn’t hurt that the Tribeca studio is simply gorgeous, with sweeping white, pink and gold decor for a touch of feminine luxury. If The Class’s method is too hardcore for you, try ‘Restore’, in which the gruelingly ‘cathartic’ workout is followed by an extended meditation. There are also kids’ classes, gentle pre-natal fitness and a donation class for just $15, with proceeds directed to a children’s charity in Peru.
22 Park Place, 3rd Floor, New York, NY / www.theclass.com
Modo Yoga
Founded in Montreal in the style of heated ‘moksha’ yoga, the Williamsburg and flagship West Village studios feature wall-to-wall mirrors, antibacterial cork flooring, infrared heat for a sweaty, cleansing practice (92-98 degrees Fahrenheit / around 35 degrees Celcius, with about 45-65% humidity), and spacious locker rooms and showers. Teachers are benevolent and sequencing is intelligent in vinyasa, hatha and core abdominal fitness classes. They also run classes with live music (from harpists to DJs), Friday-night rooftop classes in the summer, and monthly ‘Karma yoga’ sessions from which all the proceeds are donated to local international charities for a truly heartwarming practice.
434 6th Avenue, FL2 New York, NY 10011 / 109 Metropolitan Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11249 / modoyoga.com
Perfect Posture Pilates
At Perfect Posture Pilates, the mission is to guide you to move with ease and empower you day to day. This calm, light-filled boutique studio in the heart of Astoria offers a variety of group classes and private sessions that will get you breaking a sweat with reformers, springboard, and mat classes, all while keeping your body aligned and perfectly positioned. Owner and movement specialist Varvara Kalinin is knowledgeable, compassionate, and ensures classes remain small for plenty of individual attention. Great care is taken for students with special needs relating to sciatica, osteoperosis, post-surgery rehabilitation and other issues.
23-08 30th Ave, Astoria, NY 11102 / perfectposturepilates.com
Om Factory
(Photo: www.omfactory.yoga)
Om Factory is an international movement; founded in 2006 in New York City, the studio has since expanded to Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan and Malaysia, making aerial yoga playful, safe and accessible to all – even beginners. Discover your inner acrobat with a range of Aerial yoga, circus, and mat-based classes offered daily. You can try Acro yoga with a partner, Aerial dance, or bungee classes in their clean and calm studios in Union Square. Being suspended in the air in colored hammocks increases the body’s range of movement and relaxes the muscles used to ground us, enriching the creative possibilities and depth of the poses. The qualified and friendly teachers create trust and a secure and fun environment to fly. But If these classes aren’t for you, Om Factory also offers restorative yoga, vinyasa, and ashtanga classes for practitioners of all levels.
873 Broadway @ 18th Street New York, NY 10003 / www.omfactory.yoga