Where: Bija Yoga, 20 East 17th Street, New York, NY
Bija Yoga: This Could Be Your Happy Place
Much to my dismay (SERIOUS dismay) Bija Yoga is a yoga studio, not a greenhouse where they magically harvest lollipops. I feel strongly that I should get my money back because their logo is false advertising.
First impression:
When I walked in, I got the instant sense of "happy place".
- Incredibly, the incense burning kind of smelled like Clinique Happy. Who knew that this existed?
- Happy, colorful pillows and bright tapestries hanging from the walls.
- The staff seemed super happy to see us.
- You get it: everything in this studio starts with an H and rhymes with Slappy.
Theme colors:
Red, yellow, aqua blue.
The actual studio:
- As you can see below (though not really because my iPhone photo doesn't do this justice in any way) the studio is beautiful and clean and shiny.
- The ceiling is clean and not bojangled (a lot of NYC yoga studios have unfinished ceilings, which I find distracting).
- Light wood floor.
- There are boxes both in and out of the classroom to store your belongings.
- The capacity seems like it's around 50 for a packed class.
- Before class, I discovered a heated pipe and lingered next to it (yes, it felt glorious). However, I would make the comment to Bija that there seem to be a few dangerously hot exposed pipes around the studio, so they might want to cover them (I saw a girl get burned in the entry)
The shrine.
Here's the thing about shrines, and why I usually hate them: crap everywhere. I like my yoga to be a calming escape from all of the crap scattered around my room, not a time when I look at the crap scattered around someone else's room.
This shrine, however, really worked. Here's what was on it:
- White Christmas lights at the front around a shrine. I love Christmas lights.
- Candles.
- Real flowers in glass vases - hydrangea, pink roses, orchids, and eucalyptus flowers.
- Framed photo of an old yogi-looking dude, but also framed photos of a bunch of other people (the instructors? That would be awesome)
- Some paintings of Hindu gods.
- Some statues of Hindu gods.
- Chime-y bells.
- Little glass globes with miniature succulent gardens inside.
- Tiny bejeweled boxes.
- A bright pink draped cloth.
Everything on it was pretty, fresh, and high-end feeling. Fresh flowers are the best thing ever. Not to mention my obsession with succulent plants. I actually describe my love for cactus in my Match.com profile.
In other news, I'm still single.
Look at this little elephant guy hanging in the bathroom!
Washing/changing/peeing facilities:
I don't believe they have showers, but they have a few curtained changing areas and a bathroom. On the bathroom:
- Spacious, clean, and cute.
- Toilet works? Check.
- Even the hand towels are sweet.
Merchandise.
I personally didn't really dig the clothes they sell, but everything was neatly organized and pristine. The selection was a little too extreme on the yoga scale for me (I tend to like casual yoga merch and fitness wear, not blouse-y, floral or Sanskrit-inscribed stuff)
They did have a yummy smelling lavender balm, but I had no idea where on my body it would be appropriate to apply said balm, so I did not purchase.
Entry.
Seating area with all of the pillows. Front desk is very Ikea - in a good way - they added a fogged sliding door to create an enclave and save space. Clever.
Of note:
Mats $2.
In sum.
Check out this beautiful studio. And ask them for a flower pop.
From the Bija Yoga website:Our teaching method and class schedule is inspired by the lineage of Krishnamacharya with an emphasis on both alignment and flow, keeping students safe yet challenged. Bija Yoga features the dynamic practice of Vinyasa Flow Yoga, which we interpret as moving with the breath, consciously.We encourage students to find their own unique path into the practice of yoga, and in that light we host a weekly series called Saturday Sadhana which is just another way of saying an extra long practice featuring a senior guest teacher or theme. This weekly practice is our offering to the students and the yoga community, something sweet to look forward to each weekend. We will be growing this series with locally renowned teachers and those visiting from outside our immediate yoga cosmos.In addition to the physical yoga practice of asana we invite you to take your yoga off the mat with our kirtans, satsangs, the new moon women’s circle, and wellness events that help us expand our reach to those outside our immediate community.The word BIJA means “seed” in the Sanskrit language. Defined by Shri Manorama-ji as “the seed of potential or awareness”, we like to think of the asana practice as the seed that grows into our consciousness of our true nature, our connection to one another, and the Universe.
Find out more about Bija Yoga at www.bijayoganyc.com
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