Yoga classes in the slope?

the slope health and fitness. They have great classes and a variety of instructors.

I second the Jaya rec. I took 4-week intro class there with Alison Dorfman a few months ago, and I've felt fully prepped for every kind of class I've taken since. The techniques were intense, but she was really thorough, and let everyone work at their own levels of flex and comfort. I believe Jaya runs these intro sessions periodically, and they're deeply worth checking out.

You could try the place on Union Street between 6th and 7th. I haven't been there in a long time but they used to have some very good teachers.

Rose, you're talking about Park Slope Yoga, right? Over by Dixon's Bikes and the Food Co-op? I'm partial to them because a good number of their teachers went through the same teacher training that I just completed. I would recommend their basic level Hatha class to beginning students.

I haven't checked out Jaya yet, but have been meaning to since I've heard some positive things about them. A 4-week intro class is a great idea for absolute beginners. It helps to have someone explain the fundamentals from the absolute beginning instead of being thrown into a drop-by class. If you do it there, Natstar, I'd love to hear feedback on the boards.

If you decide to do Bikram, please, please, please be very careful. Really listen to your body. Take it slow and if the teacher gives you special modifications of poses for beginners, take them. I know that the point of the heated studio is to facilitate stretching, but sometimes this can be too extreme. My sports doc told me that all the yoga injuries that she has seen have been from Bikram. Plus, you really need to be hydrated-- and that doesn't mean just drinking water right before the class, you should be drinking more water than usual throughout the day before the class. If you're prone to overheating, be careful. Our bodies' way of cooling themselves is the evaporation of sweat from our skin. Being in a closed, humid studio that is heated to over 100 degrees doesn't allow your body to do that. So, if you've ever had problems with overheating while running, you may find Bikram to be unenjoyable or even dangerous. Just like PenFish said, it's not for everyone.

Subject: Re: Yoga classes in the slope?

natstar wrote: So I have never done yoga, looking to get into it. It's a pretty pricy thing to sign onto, especially when you don't know what you're getting into! Anyone have any spots they can reccomend to someone who knows nothing about this art? I want to feel comfortable and okay about my yoga newb-ness, find something at a fair price, with well trained teachers...

many thanks for any suggestions!

I like the Slope Health & Fitness. They have classes in the morning, and you can sign up for the individual classes without having to join the club.
You should check it out.

Subject: crunch yoga

i belong to crunch (have been a member there since it first opened in '99 as park slope sports club) and take their yoga classes. i really love the tues night 8:15P class and saturday 11:30A class, both taught by reina. she's been there for years and is really great. it's a bit fast paced (vinyassa) but no judgements if you need to take a child's pose to catch your breath or slow down your pace. also, they used to have pretty gross mats and no blocks but when they switched to crunch they got new mats and blocks, which is nice. all in all, i'm a fan and need to belong to the gym for cardio and weights. wish i could just do yoga all the time for my workout - i totally love it - but i would miss the cardio. i used to live right near the gym but now i'm between 4th and 5th ave and still hoof it up there for those yoga classes i mention above. i can't vouch for any of the other yoga classes though...

I hardly think insulting someone just because they like a place is justified or called for.
People "shill" for other places, but they aren't insulted.
An open forum means that people can express their opinions openly.
You don't have to insult people to express it.
If there is a place you like, please let us know.
The Slope H&F is not the only place to go, but you don't have to be nasty to people who do like it.

Rose wrote: As one of the mods pointed out, all the "people" who claim to like Slope H&F so much are actually posting from a single IP address under different names. No one else here is shilling. Simply recommending a particular place isn't "shilling." Shilling means you have a personal or financial interest in the place but are pretending you're simply a satisfied customer. It's deceptive. Especially since you're one person pretending to be multiple satisfied customers. You're not "expressing your opinions openly," you're lying to us.

Thank you. I noticed early on that Garfield Girl in particular was making wayyyyy too many posts about Slope Fitness for her to be legit.

Subject: yoga in north slope

Has anyone tried Yogasana in the north slope, on Fifth Avenue? And I think there is another yoga studio on Fifth Avenue?

Yes Yogasana is Iyengar. Which is a shame because I find Iyengar a real drag.

Subject: Brooklyn Yoga

I have to give a plug to the Brooklyn Center of Yoga. I was a complete yoga beginner (and still am) but they were (and are) awesome. Fair warning, I've only ever taken yoga at one other place (Yogaworks) which was decidedly inferior. They hold free community classes as well as regular, paid ones. The only difference is that in the community ones it's taught by a teacher-trainee who is overseen by one of the instructors.

I've only ever had one other instructor than Jonathon, but I think he's spectacular. He's very down to earth and explains the heck out of things. I've also never seen him forget someone's name, even those who show up every few months.

It's down on 9th St and Union (right by the F stop), so it might be a little out of the way for North Slopers.

www.brooklynyoga.com

Bendy Broad-- where did you do your teacher training? I'm just starting to look into that.
Also, I'm a fan a Jaya as well. I haven't been there in a while though for fear of running into someone I'd rather not. Thanks for all of these other suggestions. Anyone know if any of these studios have smaller classes (days/time)? I would love to find something that isn't totally mobbed.

Thanks Bendy Broad! I've actually taken a class once at LL with Bryn and she is really great. My friend takes her class on mondays so i'll probably go back with her again. The studio was just so so crowded, I don't know if it was just that day or what, but there were like 50 ppl in there. I take classes thru my job (so lucky) and I'm used to very small groups.
Unfort, I am a 9-5er so no empty weekday classes for me.
Thanks again for your response.

As one of the mods pointed out, all the "people" who claim to like Slope H&F so much are actually posting from a single IP address under different names. No one else here is shilling. Simply recommending a particular place isn't "shilling." Shilling means you have a personal or financial interest in the place but are pretending you're simply a satisfied customer. It's deceptive. Especially since you're one person pretending to be multiple satisfied customers. You're not "expressing your opinions openly," you're lying to us.

The only reason I'm responding to this is to let the group know that I never ask or pay anyone to say great things about my facility. As far as the IP goes, I have no knowledge of anyone sending messages from here, but I will look into it. I invite you all to experience the Slope for yourselves. Then you can say what you like and it will be based on your own experience not cyber-forum hearsay.

Best Regards.
Jason Daniels
Slope General Manager

Just to clarify, if ccoldhandluke is the Slope GM and he's promoting a gym he works at, isn't that precisely what shilling is? After all, he must have a personal and financial interest. I'm just putting my two cents in because I posted for spinning classes and a guest kept promoting the same gym after I precisely said no gyms. That's just useless information.