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Okay, so you’ve discovered that you enjoy yoga. Maybe you went with the lady friend after work one day in an attempt to “share your interests” with each other. Maybe your Mom dragged you to class over Thanksgiving Vacation. Maybe after seeing all those babes walking around with yoga mats and those tight low-rise pants, you decided it was time. No matter what
2.
Integral Yoga Institute of New York
“Chill” doesn't even begin to describe it. The staff at the Integral Yoga Institute are so placid, you feel like you’ve wandered into a Buddhist Monastery. The cozy shop offers all sorts of yoga things for you to peruse, from sensible gear to zany knickknacks. Yoga-themed greeting cards, incense and reading material sit along side yoga mats: IYINY offers an array of products to nurture the physical and spiritual side of your practice.
The cashier engaged me, offering their newsletter and informing me of introductory classes they offer upstairs. Toddlers waited with their hippie and hipster parents for mother-child yoga classes as seasoned vets stopped in to pick up this or that tool for stepping up their yoga game. On my way out, the cashier said that if I wasn’t comfortable buying something for my mother (yeah, I used this lie again), I could come back to get a gift certificate or just stop back in with any questions.
Namaste indeed.
Bottom Line: IYINY is like your zany aunt. Though she may appear a little strange at first, she is ultimately sweet and informed. Even if you don’t dig the smell of incense in her house and you know some weird stuff goes on in the attic, you feel at home and at peace when you are around her.
Integral Yoga Institue of New York
227 W 13th St.
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