Pure Yoga

April 11, 2010
Ok, as a follow up to my previous post about Bikram yoga, I went for a free trial class at Pure Yoga on 86th Street and Third Avenue.  I took the "Basics 1" class at 9:15 on a Saturday morning.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of scaffolding happening on their street, so the entrance is kind of obscure.

But once you step inside, it has a minimalist zen sort of feel.  You descend a set of stairs into the main area.  The locker room is really great.  It does not feel sweaty and steamy like the one at Bikram and it is quite spacious.  Many lockers are available, many showers and many sinks with little toiletries and such.

The class description is "An iyengar inspired introduction to the fundamentals of yoga with an explanation of the postures combined with correct breathing techniques. Class is conducted at a more relaxed pace where students are encouraged to ask questions. Ideal for first timers to yoga."

I entered the dim studio and all the mats were spaced out appropriately.  I was told that there was no need to bring my own mat, because theirs were very high quality and very well maintained and cleaned.  The instructor was a young thin gent that had a very calming affect.

I really enjoyed the class and did not feel like I was going to expire at the end of it.  Definitely more my speed.

Now the only problem is that they only offer memberships that require a bit of a commitment.  The minimum required is a 6 class per month commitment.  I will have to think about it hard before I get into another situation like last time at New York Yoga.  This does seem like the superior studio though, in terms of cleanliness and modernity of the facility.  And, they offer quite an assortment of classes, including hot yoga.  More to follow.