The Fierce Club

Yoga to kick your asana… claims this new studio —

Free class first-time students only. Print the pass on their website. 269 Elizabeth Street on Houston.

www.thefierceclub.com

Straight from their website:

“The Fierce Club is a yoga studio, event space and all-around life transforming destination in the midst of SoHo, New York City. Our main style is Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga, created by co-owners Sadie Nardini and Shannon Connell. Our cutting edge yoga, which is designed to give you a 90-minute gym-strength, cardio and muscle-sculpting workout in just 60 minutes, we’re real, and use real life as our classroom.

Named “One of the Top 10 Ways to Change Your Life” and “Calorie-torchers” by New york Magazine, our signature Power Hour classes will give you all the benefits of most other styles’ 90 minute sessions…in only one hour! Great for multi-taskers and busy people who want the full mind/body workout, without spending hours at the studio or gym.

We also offer events by well-known authors, lecturers and teachers from all across the country. Whatever you do at The Fierce Club, it will expand you body, mind and heart…and rock your world.”

What would Chirstian Siriano have to say…?

Read Full Post »

Rodney Yee – if you like short shorts

Just heard about this teacher training program through Urban Zen feaeturing Rodney Yee.

The Urban Zen Yoga Teacher Training Program is an in-depth 200-hour yoga teacher training program that can be completed on its own or taken as a suggested pre-requisite for the Urban Zen Integrative Therapist program. This program begins March 13, 2009, in New York City, and will run through September 2009, one weekend a month, with a break in July.

News to me, the Urban Zen was founded by Donna Karan to create awareness in areas of well-being, preserving cultures and empowering children.  Check it out at www.urbanzen.org.

Read Full Post »

My beef with Hard Tail Forever

So a while back I bought myself a standard pair of black Hard Tail yoga pants. Nothing special. I got them at a YogaWorks on the UWS and because I already own a few pair I didn’t bother trying them on or anything but my last pair had faded and grown holes thanks to the notoriously crappy coin operated washing machines of Manhattan apartment buildings. Anyway they ended up sitting in my bureau just long enough for me to lose the receipt.  When I finally did throw them on I noticed that one leg was noticeably shorter than the other! I thought maybe it was me – could I possibly be a bit lopsided? No – it’s not me.  When I took them off after my class and folded them over it looked like the manufacturers must have paired an XS leg with a S leg or something cause there was a clear difference.

So you may know where this is going. YogaWorks as a retailer obviously couldn’t take them back without the receipt but I couldn’t continue ignoring the situation – as embarrassing as it looked it was actually just uncomfortable!  I called Hard Tail directly from the # listed on their site and spoke to a woman who said she’d help me – just e-mail her.  I’ve e-mailed twice and called a second time as well and NOTHING. No one’s gotten back to me – not even to acknowledge the defect.

As someone who works in consumer goods I know what good Customer Service is as rare as it may be.  This is terrible customer service and they’ve officially lost my business.

Take heed when buying in the future – – any recos for great yoga pants?

-Eliza

Read Full Post »

Enlighten Up! …a documentary

“Enlighten Up!”

A Skeptics Journey into the World of Yoga

Directed by Kate Churchill

The film follows Nick Rosen, through mainland United States, Hawaii and India as filmmaker and yoga enthusiast Kate Churchill documents his increasing immersion in the world of yoga. Her goal is to prove that yoga can transform anyone, even Nick. Before he can say “om”, Nick finds himself twisted like a pretzel surrounded by celebrity yogis, true believers, kooks, entrepreneurs and some dedicated teachers. The more Nick investigates yoga, the more contradictions he discovers. Tensions run high as Nick’s transformational progress lags and Kate’s plan crumbles. What unfolds and what they discover is not what they expected.

The film features well-known yoga teachers from India and the U.S. including B.K.S. Iyengar, the founder of Iyengar Yoga, Pattabhi Jois of Ashtanga Yoga, Norman Allen, Sharon Gannon and David Life of Jivamukti Yoga, Rodney Yee star yogi in Living Arts videos, Cyndi Lee of OM Yoga, Beryl Bender Birch of Hard and Soft Yoga, Natasha Rizopoulos of Yogaworks and Boston’s Baron Baptiste of Baptiste Power Yoga.

To Premier at The MFA, Boston

The MFA Film Program is presenting a 5-show engagement of Enlighten Up!, September 12-14, Boston-based filmmaker Kate Churchill’s irreverent look at the world of yoga through the eyes of novice practitioner and skeptic, New York City journalist Nick Rosen. Director Kate Churchill will be present at all five screenings and star Nick Rosen will be present on Sept 12, Sept. 13, and at Sun. 14 morning screening. A reception follows the opening night show on Sept 12.

Also showing September 19 – 25 at the Kendall Square Cinema

Date: September 19, 2008
Time: 1:45, 4:15, 7:15, 9:15 Free Yoga Classes with Aaron Cantor: 3:30, 6:30 weather permitting, these classes will be done outside the theater, please bring a mat

Visit the official website http://enlightenupthefilm.com/
-Eliza

Read Full Post »

Yoga to the People

Yoga to the People is a yoga studio with the great ambition to make yoga available to everyone. What does this mean? It means that their yoga is donation based. Yoga to the People understands that there are a lot of people in New York who want to practice yoga regularly and in a public class setting but simply cannot afford to–

In a time where yoga as a business is getting a lot of attention, the fact that it is being priced out of many people’s reach is in direct conflict with what we consider to be the spirit of yoga itself…
…There is a suggested donation of $10 a class. Suggested donation means that if you can put $10 in the box, please do. If you are not in a position to do so, contribute what you can. Nobody will be keeping track of individual donations.

Better yet, the yoga at Yoga to the People is a Power Vinyasa Flow inspired by Bryan Kest and taught by certified, experienced teachers for every level.

Classes are generally 1 hour. As mentioned above it’s a suggested $10 donation but mats rental and water are non negotiable, $2 and $1 respectively.

Located at 12 St. Marks Place (at 3rd Ave. ) 2nd Floor.

-Eliza

Read Full Post »