Yoga Vida NYC

Profile

Yoga Vida’s classes offer 65 minutes of peace of mind and tighter abs for $10 a pop. The sixth-floor space is welcoming and comfortable with two rooms featuring lofted ceilings, plaster columns, plenty of windows, and shiny wood flooring. With an emphasis on muscle tone as well as a restful mind, the Vinyasa-style classes are challenging but not punishing. Thighs and arms send up a slow burn the next day, the kind that lets you know you had a meaningful workout but doesn’t cry out for Ben-Gay. Many poses flow quickly from one to the next but some are sustained to increase flexibility. Sexy Bossa Nova sounds and some gentle indie tunes play softly as students work their way through warriors, down dogs and inversions. Opened in January 2010 by teacher-student duo Hilaria Thomas and Michael Patton, Yoga Vida’s vibe has a genuine friendly warmth thanks in large part to Patton’s front desk greeting (he runs the business end of things.) Thomas, a former flamenco specialist and ballroom dance instructor, apprenticed for years at the Berkley-born Yoga to the Peopleďż˝its stripped down, back to basics method a clear influence of her routines. The studio’s campus-hugging locale paired with a student discount ($5 per class) mean the place is overrun with chattering NYU co-eds. — Edna Ishayik

For $10 per class with a week free for new students, this is quality yoga at a bargain.

Cons
Classes get crowded, though not unbearably so.