Integral Yoga Institute

 

4

21

Erin P.

Brooklyn, NY

I am so all about the friday evening yoga nidra/relaxation class.  IYI has an amazing feel inside--you instantly forget you're in New York City.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

16

155

Sara C.

Brooklyn, NY

I used to be one of those silly people who scoffed at yoga.  I used to call it the New York City version of being a Born Again Christian -- everyone who does it gets obsessed with it and talks on and on about how yoga totally changed their life and how you should totally come to their yoga studio and then you can see the light, too.

Then I went to India for 2 months.  Even in India, I kept meeting (Western/White) yogis and yoginis who talked of nothing but their practice and how what I really need to do is scrap the rest of my travel plans and go to Rishikesh to do yoga.  I kept scoffing.  

India seeped into my bones.  I got to where I could spend 20 hours on a train and it would zip by like 20 minutes.  Nobody and nothing could get to me.  I was perfectly at peace never drinking alcohol, squatting to pee, and not a Scharfenberger chocolate bar or a Cowgirl Creamery brie to be found.  

Then I came home.  Suddenly I was back in this big crazy city and that sense of peace I'd had in the face of a thousand inconveniences faded faster than the henna tattoos on my hands.  

You know what I needed?  I needed yoga!  

After a little questing to find the right studio, I settled on giving Integral a try.  And then I came down with the flu.  2 weeks later, however, I was sitting on a mat at one of their Saturday afternoon introductory sessions, chanting "Hari Om" without even breaking a giggle.

Now I try to go every week.  Integral is very much about the spiritual rather than physical side of yoga, and the classes I've attended contain almost as much pranayama and meditation as asana practice.  You will probably not break a sweat here.  While I haven't found the spiritual stuff to be in any way proselytizing, cultish, or overbearing, it is there.  If you think meditation = naptime or feel weird chanting in Sanskrit, this might not be the studio for you.    

Mega-tip:  one of my favorite things about Integral is the 7:45 pm hatha classes, especially the Friday night hatha 1.  Nobody wants to go to yoga on Friday night, they want to be at happy hour.  Which means a practically empty class.  Even better?  Right now all their 7:45 classes cost only $10.  I've never had a Friday night class with more than 5 or 6 people in it, which means tons of one-on-one attention.  It's easily the best yoga deal in the city, better even than Yoga To The People because it's so empty.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

2

94

brooklyn c.

Brooklyn, NY

do vegans swallow?

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

Elite '08

278

720

Sean S.

Oakland, CA

Review 700, something memorable: Picture it, the year is 1998, Madonna's Ray of Light hits the street and with it this campaign to portray her as Spiritual Girl more than Material Girl.  Well, everyone in Chelsea was catching the yoga bug and I was no exception.  Thankfully, I was able to start with it at Integral Yoga Institute and not some gym teaching it as a trendy fad like striptease or as something just to get a hot body like Madonna's.

IYI is based in the 5,000 spiritual teachings of Yoga Masters and is presented that way.  For its bit of RocknRoll Relevance, IYI was founded by Swami Satchidananda, the guru who kicked off Woodstock and the founder of Yogaville in Virginia. This Chelsea location was recommended by a work colleague.

Immediately, the space was both welcoming and challenging to my preconceived notion of what Yoga was all about.  Done on carpets not hardwood floors, the institute radiates peace and the lobby if full of "saints" of various traditions including Christ, St. Francis of Assisi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi as well as yoga masters.  Raised in a Franciscan environment, I was a big fan and felt like everything I was looking for was right here.  

As a seeker, I was inspired that they had all the religious symbols displayed around a lotus with the motto "The Truth is One, the paths are Many". Wow!

And in that spirit I took my towel, sat down and waited to bend like a pretzel.  Yet it wasn't like that at all.  The teacher, no Madonna body but more like a Michael Moore body came in and gently welcomed us.  We were slowly taken through a carefully designed series of poses and offered variations for those with an advanced practice.  I thought everything was a challenge but not all that hard.  I could not touch my toes.  No matter, we still grooved on and "There is no judgment or competition, with a neighbor or with yourself" Wow, I thought, this is so different than the gym, or heck with life in general!

At the end of the class came savasana, like a 5 hour nap done in 5 minutes.  We then moved from the restful pose to breathing exercises, meditation and chanting.  Wow these people really are hard core about this stuff I thought.  When I opened my eyes I felt like I was looking on the world with new eyes. And I haven't looked back since.

Yoga has helped me to find my true nature and to strive towards that at all times.  I'm not sure I achieve that as often as I would like but I know the destination and I have the roadmap.  

I have taken thousands of yoga classes since that first day and was so uninspired by some that I decided to become a yoga teacher to share what had been my first experience with folks.  So in 2002, at the encouragement of the one Yoga teacher in San Mateo who I thought "got it" about Yoga I agreed to enter Teacher training.

Funny enough, she gave me the application to do teacher training at "this school in San Francisco" which turned out to by Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco.  My life was transformed and came full circle.
Nearly ten years later I still look with great fondness on this school and how my life has changed because of it.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

1

21

liss b.

New York, NY

Pros: The grooviest of the groovy (if you're into that, which I am). It's got an early-70s feel of communalism and Carol King (she once donated land to the founder, Swami Satchidananda). The teachers take you to your Self through the asanas, mantras, and pranayama alone--no watered down dharma talks. Their egos stay out of the way and often you don't know who your teacher will be, which was disconcerting to me at first but it's great for non-attachment. A wonderful place to take a beginner, this is some authentic Hatha Yoga.

Cons: You are unlikely to get a great ass from practicing this yoga.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

 

3

6

hruska co s.

Los Angeles, CA

One of my favorite things about the Integral Yoga Institute is how affordable it is compared to other places in the city! I'm a fan of the 20-class card for $220 (and there's no time limit to use it within, like some places - for the oft lazy among us...) They offer Free Deep Relaxation class, Open Meditation, Diet and Nutritional Consultation, and mats. I understand you can even volunteer in exchange for classes!

IYI offers a wide variety of Hatha classes, including Spanish and H.I.V. Hatha. They happen essentially every day at a variety of times, so it's easy to fit into your schedule. Thier special workshops range from Financial Yoga to Yoga for Anxiety to Chair Yoga. They also offer teacher training.

The only minor downside I've found, is that the class tends to depend on who's teaching. No major mishaps. But, I've occasionally come across teachers that seem unsure of themselves or run class at a pace that's on the slow side.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review

Elite '08

22

91

Jim C.

Jamaica, NY

My main Yoga school. A wonderful place with a true spiritual atmosphere. The teachers are excellent and always available to help students reach the next level. Also features many seminars and workshops tailored for those seaking self-improvement and spiritual fulfillment through meditation and study.

Bookmark   Send to a Friend Link to This Review