Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center

I fell in love with this yoga studio the first time I went there. The energy was great and I really enjoyed the flow of the classes: breathing exercises, asanas, guided relaxation. This is my oasis of peace in New York City!
In fact, I liked the studio so much that I decided to take their Yoga Teacher Training course in an ashram in India. It was an absolutely amazing and eye opening experience.
I highly recommend this studio if you are looking to classical hatha yoga style.

In a city filled with distractions, noise, it is wonderful to find a yoga center that focuses on the spiritual as well as the physical aspects of yoga. The teachers are well trained and understand the benefits of yoga — physically, mentally, spiritually. The programs are always a mix of healthy cooking, philosophy, life! And I LOVE that international aspect of the center — you’ll meet fellow yogis, travelers from all over the world!

terrible energy. un yogi-​like. i went to sivananda looking for a place to practice that was not just gym type yoga – that also had an emphasis on the spiritual aspect to it too. i walked in, and received the worst side eye from the girl who was working there and the guy behind the desk. i asked some simple questions about the center and its practice and received «more-​spiritual-​than-​thou» answers and a bit of arrogance in return. it was so strange. for a place that is about mindfulness and peace, they really put out an aggressive, non welcoming energy! its yoga for hypocrites!

This place is New York city’s best kept secret! My sanctuary in the midst of NYC’s craziness. Def will recommend.

Sivananda is a very nice studio. It is a nutshell glimpse at the Sivananda philosophy famous around the world. You walk in and see a small shop, a dining table and beyond that a kitchen where they prepare delicious vegetarian meals on site. You can’t beat that. Although my yoga practice is highly vigorous, it is always nice to visit this studio and do their 12 posture vinyasa. Alas, the yoga teachers primarily teach the Sivananda Sun Salutations and that’s pretty much it. They do offer other styles with a few «advanced» postures thrown in for variation, but not at the intensity that I’m accustomed to. The emphasis is on lifestyle, philosophy and spirituality, which includes vinyasa yoga. However, people being people, do not expect your fellow yoga students to smile, be attentive, friendly, or welcoming. Sigh! The world of yoga seems to be filled with people who are perpetually dealing with petty ego issues. It doesn’t hurt to smile at your fellow students, people! Don’t just smile and mingle with the staff and teachers!

Great teachers! Spacious classes! Amazing atmosphere! Loved everything! Restorative yoga, highly recommended! The satsang — meditation, mantras chanting and lecture are also worth going!

Good, authentic Yoga spot. I heard the instructors here are all volunteers, they are the people who truly love Yoga and do it as their own practice. Would recommend this place.

I would recommend their registered yoga classes (that’s why it’s 3 stars), however the open class is always the same (sun salutations, nose breathing, etc), disappointing. it’s practically rote — it’s more suitable for absolute beginners who have never memorized the sun salutations. I just felt as if I could just do the open class at home. I would still go back there for the intermediate class, but glad I found another yoga place for the open class.

Amazing! Need to go to understand. It is everything you think it won’t be– and everything you could ever of wanted. Needs to be experienced. Sort of want to keep it a best kept secret. May have changed my trajectory.

I first went to the Sivananda Ashram as a teenager, with my mother. Fast forward twenty years and the place is still lovely — just as clean and spiritual as it has always been. You can FEEL the love and good karma when you walk in the door! This is an ashram, not a gym, so please be aware of that. It’s spiritual center. The yoga classes are amazing, and just challenging enough to make me ache for a few days afterwards without being sore. I much prefer an ashram to a gym to learn yoga. They even have upstate yoga retreats, classes on meditation, positive thinking and vegetarian cooking! Don’t worry if you don’t know the chants — these people are very welcoming of newcomers. I just signed up for another class, so you know I like it! I recommend starting with a beginners trial class or an open class (if you are more experienced) to try it out before starting.

I discovered the center after visiting the Sivananda Ashram. I have been visiting the center weekly since. I have attended a headstand class, dozens and dozens of yoga classes, lectures on karma, weekly satsang, as well as the Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations.
The yoga classes with Mahaakaanta are awesome as he roars like a lion and I seamlessly follow his directions. I also, enjoy the satsang for the chanting, Swami’s jokes and the unbelievable soup afterwards (it’s free :))
Although it takes me 30min to get there rollerblading I always make it there when I am in NYC. I might move to a new city for my MBA. I will miss sorely this island of paradise.

I love this studio, it’s very much mind and soul rather than a «sweat as much as you can» workout. So if you’re looking for something vigorous this may not be for you but it is an amazing studio.

I really do like this place. It is a little slice of tranquility in a chaotic NYC world. Start with the beginner’s yoga class its really informative and a great place to start.

this was my go-​to yoga class when i was flexible (sigh). inspiring routine & peaceful setting. their meals are splendid as well.

my back owes 15 years of strength to this studio. There are other locations such as Yoga Warehouse in Ft. Lauderdale. This Organization is international and the only technique I have comitted to since 1997. Teaching a technique over 3000 years old, it does not get any better. To top it off its also the most affordable studio on the planet.

I am a student and teacher of the Integral Yoga school. Being out of touch with everything Yoga of late, I wanted a quick re-​immersion and so I decided to walk into the open class offered by the Sivananda center. I could have chosen the Integral Yoga Institute in NYC, but having heard volumes about the Sivananda school, I wanted to try it out.
To begin with, I turned up late to the class, thanks to NJ transit (O.K. I started late from home). When I walked in, the class was already 5 minutes underway. There was only one empty spot (in a class meant for 22). I quickly settled in trying to keep it as low as possible (and being pretty unsuccessful). The teacher (I do not know her name and I am very embarrassed about that) was completely self-​assured and in a nice even-​paced voice gave out the instructions in a clear and precise fashion. My rusty muscles, bones and memory benefited immensely because her instructions were specific, accurate and filled with compassion. Asana after asana, pushing my body to its limits, followed by a quick and relaxing Yoga Nidra (Deep relaxation). I had a very nice and peaceful feeling after the session. Will certainly go back again!
Having said that, I had intense body pain for almost 48 hours after class (what do you expect if the only exercise you do is starting the car and stopping it at Point B) albeit in a healthy sort of way.
They also have a nice small (fairly over-​priced) store selling (what else) t-​shirts, mats and other accessories. I gave in and bought a Yogi toes mat, which came in about 10% cheaper than the ones in Lululemon Athletica.
Now the rhetoric — this class is not meant for beginners. It is fairly advanced in the sense that they start with Head stand (Shirasasana). If you want to learn Yoga the Sivananda way, it would be best to join a beginners class. I think the high point is that they have retained their authenticity without any dilution or compromises over the decades. And, if you are looking for pop Yoga or hot Yoga or whatever that is, please leave this place alone (yes, that is what I said)…

This was my first time EVER doing yoga, so I don’t really have anything else to base/​compare my experience to, but if all other yoga places are like this then I will be hooked. For my first time, I decided to take an open-​level class and even though I was the only beginner that day, the instructor was really helpful and came over to fix my poses and help me individually. The open-​level was a bit fast paced for me, but not so much so that I couldn’t follow along or where you feel like you are holding the rest of the class back. Being that it was my first time, it was hard for me to get the posing, breathing, and letting my mind go all in sync, so I just tried to get the poses down first. Whenever you do something athletic for the first time in a classroom-​setting, there is always that fear of ‘judgment’, but this place is totally a judgment-​free zone and everyone is really helpful and so nice.
The yoga center is located in Chelsea, but it is tucked away in a quiet residential street so once you are in the brownstone you forget that you are even in the city. The class is $ 10, but it was free for me since I was a first-​timer to the center. The classrooms already have mats, but you can buy your own for $ 24 downstairs in the lobby/​store area. From reading the other reviews, I can agree that Sivananda is far from hip/​trendy. This place is REAL. Overall, I really enjoyed my first yoga experience.

This is the first/​only place I have taken yoga classes, but here are my thoughts…
I love the vibe. In an old brownstone on a quietish street. Not trendy or loud. The classes are slow (which is good for me) and the teachers (volunteers?) have all been great so far.
The prices are also real good (for NYC). As of this writing, the 4 week, twice a week (1.5 hour each) beginner or intermediate classes cost $ 85 ($ 65 if you buy the $ 100/​year membership).

This studio must be perfect for some people. I get the sense that this is much more traditional yoga than I was looking for — and it seems like a rich and mindful practice. Whether or not it’s a good thing, though, I’m accustomed to yoga with more movement, more sweating and maybe even some pop music thrown in (maybe).
The class I took involved a series of static poses with a period of savasana/​resting in between each pose. It was a very calm class — too calm for me.
The room was definitely nothing special — dark and tunnel-​like. The spaces you practice on are already set out for you and although they are spread out side to side, you are surprisingly close to your neighbor along the other wall, who is facing you.
This is a very different experience than you get at a typical yoga studio in New York and it’s worth a try if you want to get away from trendy studios and try something that’s more of a meditation than a workout.

This was my first ever NYC yoga experience, before yoga became the trendy pastime it is today. Sivananda has none of the flash you might have come to expect with your typical urban yoga studio: no fancy, sun-​drenched, enourmous multiple-​studio offerings; no Friday night midnight DJ-​enhanced kundalini klash; no sexy pick-​up scene. But what you will get is an excellent, consistent, and most of all authentic and heartfelt grounding in Hatha yoga.
Consider hatha almost like the alphabet of yoga. The basic ABC postures you learn in Sivananda’s hatha practice will come up in every Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and Bikram class you take in the future. Sivananda’s hatha sessions are 90 minutes long open to all levels. The teachers are all excellent and friendly, although not as hands on as some modern-​day practicioners may have come to expect. Rooms are somewhat crowded (let’s say «intimate» where you will be close to your mat-​mates) but never stuffy, tend to be chilly, and max out at about 27 participants.
There is a yoga boutique that has an excellent selection of books, mats, tapes, and incense. Since Sivananda is very grounded in both the philosophy as well as the practice of yoga (you can take meditation, positive thinking, kirtan [chant] and other «mind» classes here; not just body is trained at Sivananda), the boutique offers books on Vedic philosophy and other topics of interest to budding yogis and yoginis.
There is a kitchen staffed by yogis that live in the Center, and you can take cooking classes here or for a small fee, delight in a yummy and nutritious meal that usually involves some kind of lentil, legume, and vegetable.
All classes begin and end with chanting, which after practicing here for some time, you will come to love — greatly enhances relaxation and entry into the yoga zone. Ten-​class cards are affordable, and a yearly membership option reduces prices by a hair more.
I will always remember Sivananda fondly and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone exploring yoga for the first time. It is a nurturing and friendly environment with just enough of the true yoga/​hippy/​peacenik vibe left over before yoga became hip to make this a very special experience.