Upper West Side Yoga and Wellness

I took a class with Stephan while I was on vacation in NY. I immediately noticed the difference in the studio vibe when I walked in. There’s a very small reception desk and area to store your shoes by the window and the practice room closed off by barn doors, not much space outside of the practice area.
The printed flyers on the wall and design of the schedule make it feel small locally owned neighborhood business, austere and unpretentious. Contrast this to the fitnessy yoga and polished modern vibe of studios I go to in SF (not that it’s a bad thing). The clientele are also very different than what I’m used to, it’s the UWS so there’s a lot of older, middle aged folks who are serious about their health and practice. I got the sense they’ve built a community here and other yogis were welcoming and encouraging.
Stephan is a very direct and anatomy focused instructor. Initially, I thought his cueing was a little on the calm, monotone side but he has bursts of energy and humor that motivate. The sequencing, while included a lot of the base surya namaskar poses, wasn’t a traditional sun salutations I’m used to warming up with in Vinyasa classes. For example we did upward dog first, then chaturanga, pushup into plank and back to down dog vs your usual high to low plank, backbend, down dog.
Throughout the class, it was clear that Stephan was engaged with each student and for regulars who were coming he was aware of their level, modifications or variations make the pose more effective for them or their body. e.g. going lower or deeper into a lunge for a nimble person might not be as challenging because they’re compensating with their flexibility. He leads a very knowledgeable and mature practice! Even as a new person, during the class he noticed I had the strength for inversions and gently pushed me to try entering supported headstand with legs straight. I felt like I couldn’t do it the first few times but eventually managed an attempt.
If I lived in UWS, I could see myself becoming a regular here and I would gladly take another class again!

This studio is fantastic! I loved both classes I took there and can’t wait to go back. The people who work there are so lovely too, I must say. The other week I arrived to yoga (late), was all freaked out (in a very un-​yoga state:) and then (after they graciously said I could join the class) realized I couldn’t find my cell phone. It was not in my bag… I had just left it in the cab! Camilo at the front desk was so incredible. He immediately swung into action, was like don’t worry it’ll be okay… he immediately jumped on the computer, suggesting we log on to Find My Phone. Luckily, I had that setting active on my phone… he helped me to trace it, saw that it was indeed in the cab I had just been in. He sent a message to my phone for the cabdriver (or whomever now had my phone) to call the studio. Voila… Five minutes later, the cabdriver called with my phone… and soon after that, the cabbie drove back to the Yoga Studio and gave it me. Mission accomplished! I missed the yoga class I’d originally been trying to go to but now with my phone back, I was able to take the next class. Throughout this whole debacle, Camilo was so lovely and gracious and really took care of me. He even gave me a hug when I was in OMG my phone may be gone forever flip out mode… and was so serene and chill, he really saved the whole situation. The infra-​red sauna is wonderful too btw. In short, this is one of those NYC hidden gems… you just turn the corner and there it is… the cutest little studio with great classes and such a great vibe! Thank you!
P. S. When I did the sauna, after class, I heard a little of the next class… they were having a yoga for kids class that was so so cute…

Ingrid is by far the most wonderful yoga teacher I’ve had. She keeps the classes light, yet focused. I always come out feeling rejuvenated and having learned a new technique. I’ve made UWS Yoga a weekly occurrence!

During my summer visit to NYC I was lucky to run into this studio where I ended up practicing yoga every day. The owners are very friendly and well trained in yoga, as well as are all the teachers I practiced with. They have different schedules and different types of yoga practices including some meditation classes. They also have different activities related to yoga such as Kirtan, retreats, special classes, which takes you out of the routine. Sometimes classes can be crowded, but I take it as part of the practice. Prices are the best in the UWS, I compared several places before staying at this one.

I’m surprised at how good the reviews are for UWS Yoga — I’ve practiced Yoga for a long time at a lot of different studios but the yoga class I took here was probably the worst I’ve ever had. I came to one class and vowed not to return as I’ve never felt more claustrophobic or uncomfortable in a Yoga class in my life. I was mere inches from the people all around me (the grid pattern for yoga mat placement in the wooden floor is great theoretically, but when the class is packed and people have to follow it you end up a few inches from your neighbors).
I even got smacked in the face by my neighbor when he was doing a swan dive. When i asked the instructor if we could ask everyone to shift a little to the right (the gentleman next to the wall was taking up 3 spaces) he told me no and just move to the front of my yoga mat which is not really a reasonable strategy as you are constantly moving and reaching in Yoga and can get hit in several positions. Besides disliking the proximity of the neighbors on each side of me, my face was also just inches from the feet of the person in front of me when I was in plank or cobra… not very pleasant in my opinion.
For me the class produced anxiety (didn’t want to get accidentally hit again) and frustration, rather than peace and focus.
To be fair to the studio, maybe not all of the classes there are this full so this may not be everyone’s experience. I went during the day on the weekend, for reference, which may be a more popular time? I would recommend to the studio that they not book so many people per class or maybe warn people that it is a very tight space?

I’ve been consistently attending yoga classes (3−5/week) at UWS Yoga and Wellness for 6 months now and LOVE IT. Even though I am not a fan of waking up super early, the 6:30am class with Ingrid brings so much joy and positive energy to my day. It also just makes my body feel soooo happy! Additionally, the urban zen restorative class is amazing — my body and mind is in total peace during and after those classes. If that weren’t enough, Ingrid and Stephan are so very knowledgeable, kind, and delightful. Thank you for bringing joy into my body and mind!

This place is absolutely phenomenal! I’ve gone to a couple if their morning classes and it’s been a truly peaceful and inspirational way to start my day. Stephan & Ingrid are wonderful instructors who are truly passionate about teaching others the divine art of yoga. I look forward to learning from them! Thank you!

This place has the healing energy we all need. Ingrid and Stephan are beams of light in this urban jungle. As a practicing Chiropractor, I couldn’t ask for a better place to send my patients, and have total faith that they will get top notch instruction. Warm and healing every time. Dr. Jamie Blau, Upper Westside Chiropractic.

This is the best yoga studio in the city! The instructors are patient, kind and knowledgeable. The space is peaceful and a lovely retreat to the buzz of the urban jungle in which it lives. I learn more about the essence of yoga practice as well as tactical information each time I go. I’m so grateful for this studio!

Just took my first of what I am guessing will be MANY classes here. Ingrid was just lovely and the class, Urban Zen Restoration, was exactly what I needed. The studio is small but everyone is very friendly and there are jokes made about how close we are to each other! All props are provided and everything is explained really clearly. Recommend this without hesitation and look forward to going back. If you’re new to the area, take advantage of the unlimited 2 week special. Even without it, though, the classes are quite reasonable.

I just spent a «spa» week in NYC, staying on 85^th street at West Town House and taking classes every day at this wonderful yoga center. Every teacher I had gave a great class and had great training. I’ve been doing yoga for 40 years, and Iyengar yoga for 22, so it makes me a bit fussy in yoga! So my only complaint is that this lovely place is not here in LA! I took classes with both of the owners, Stephan and Ingrid and they were so caring and such great teachers. I wish them much success and hope I get back there soon — for my next NYC spa week. If you live on the Upper West Side like I used to? Give them a try. And of course, appreciate October! The only good weather month! ;^))

A year and a half later the studio has lived up to my (high) expectations and continues to impress me regularly. I was lucky enough to recently attend a weekend retreat with Ingrid and 16 other amazing women and I am so grateful I did. Ingrid’s urban zen classes are second to none!
Thank you Ingrid and Stephen for opening up the studio any your lives!

This place definitely earns its 5-​star rating.
I went this morning for a 6:30 AM class and as someone that is not a morning person, was all over the place. I walked in a little bit late, had to turn off my phone, grabbed one block instead of two, was slipping all over the place, and just being a mess. Our instructor was incredibly patient, attentive, and motivating.
Our class was small (about 8 – 10 people) which was probably due to the early time. I thought it was a perfect size and really liked the personal attention that we got because of it.
This was one of the best yoga experiences I’ve had thus far and I look forward to coming back!

I really, really like this place. I love Stephen and Ingrid, I love how clean the studio is, and for the most part, the other patrons are pretty great too. I love that they provide props, have mat storage if you need it, and options to pay for packages or just by class.
The reason I did not give it five stars is because of how crowded it can get. The other day I was in a class and there were probably 40 people in the room. For a class with a flat rate, I think they should cap off at 20 (or however many can fit comfortably, comfortably being that everyone has his or her mat in the little grid they provide on the floors). I was so disgusted the other day when someone stepped on my mat when he was walking to get a block. It’s not only disgusting, but rude. Not to mention my face was in the person’s feet who were in front of me, my arms were hitting my neighbor, my feet were hitting the back cubbies on down dog splits. I just think that, unless it is a donation-​based class, there should be reasonable space surrounding each mat. Isn’t that why they laid out the flooring the way they did? It’s unfortunate that a $ 20 class by Stephan one week can be so excellent and then the next week, the value-​for-​price really drops. No fault of Stephan or any other instructor, but simply a matter of having space to actually practice comfortably and effectively. I want to walk in to a class and know what to expect, especially for $ 20.
I really do love this studio, and am very happy with the teaching. I highly recommend it, but when recommending to others, I will have to add that classes can become too crowded. Hopefully this can change.

A very clear, very clean space to practice with very experienced and conscious teachers.

This yoga studio is the cleanest yoga studio I’ve ever been to. A pristine, open space with sunny yellow walls, is perfect setting to do yoga mindfully. The instructors are helpful to make the most out of the practice, gently guding, helping you achieve at whatever level you are comfortable. There are all different body types and ages in the studio, making the experience joyful at every level. There is a fantastic Far Infrared Radiation (FIR) Sauna there — totally worth $ 25 for 30 minutes. It’s great on a cold day to get the warmth and energy back into your body, plus it speeds the metabolism to help weight loss. It FEELS great. It’s like being in Hawaii for a half hour, you won’t want to leave. I go and bring a big bottle of water and drink the whole thing for extra hydration, relaxation and to have glowing, gorgeous skin.
Please don’t tell anyone about this hidden gem of a place! It is so fantastic, they should open one in every neighborhood. Worth the schlep from anywhere in the city. This is not your run of the mill yoga studio. This is the top of the line — that every yoga studio aspires to be!

I am just delighted that my first review in NYC is a glowing one!
I am a beginner at yoga and Ingrid has made me feel very welcomed. I called to double check that level 1 – 2 was suitable for a complete beginner and Ingrid was extremely polite and encouraged me to stop by for a class and see if I enjoyed it.
In the past I have only attended several classes in London. Which don’t even compare to the serenity of this cozy studio.
Ingrid explains everything and makes it very simple to keep up. She knows each students name and really has fun with it. What a lovely lady.
Just amazing. Excited for more!

I have to admit, I’ve waited a while to write this review because I wanted to keep this little gem to myself and feared too many great reviews would mean crowded classes. But Ingrid and Stephan have created such an amazing space that I feel compelled to share my experiences.
I’ve taken most of my classes from Ingrid. She is incredibly nurturing. She doesn’t just guide you through the class, telling you what pose to do next. She takes the time to explain each pose, what parts of our bodies we’re working with, how it should feel. She carefully watches each student and helps to make adjustments, add props, as necessary. She is incredibly knowledgeable about anatomy and physiology and I leave classes learning something new each time. In addition, she has an incredibly soothing, pleasant voice that makes you feel relaxed the minute you enter the studio. I leave restorative classes feeling like I’ve just gotten a massage. She uses essential oils and even sings to us, with an angelic voice!
My two children have been taking the kids classes there for a couple months and love them! Seriously, my 6 year-​old son wakes up on Tuesday mornings and says, «We get to go to yoga today!» We’ve also taken a parent-​child class with Stephan, which was wonderful.
The variety and availability of the classes makes sticking with a regular yoga practice very easy and convenient. I’m now addicted and feel completely out of whack if I go a few days without being at UWS Yoga and Wellness.

I love this studio. I love yoga, and Ingrid and Stephan are helping me love yoga even more. I have done some yoga in the past, but it was often repetitive, and there wasn’t much emphasis on mindfulness or expanding the practice. At this studio, there is so much emphasis on the mental aspect of yoga it will really bring your practice to another level. I like that we can often practice more challenging poses in class with their help. The other teachers at UWS Yoga and Wellness are also great. Every class is new and challenging. Sign up for the unlimited class deal because you will want to come a lot and it is definitely worth it!

The more I do yoga with Ingrid and Stephan, the more I respect their approach when compared to most other teachers I encounter. There are some great people teaching yoga out there, to be sure, but even the best ones can hardly give you individual attention in the sorts of packed gym classes I regularly attend. They basically swoop in, do their routine (which may or may not vary), and swoop out. Don’t even get me started on Yoga for the People.
At UWS Yoga and Wellness, in contrast, the pace is never rushed. The classes are challenging but at the same time relaxed and almost conversational, as they are keen to respond to the needs and desires of their students (even their unspoken desires?). In fact, I’d go so far as to say the classes are *centered* on the needs and desires of the students; the teachers have enough ideas and experience that they don’t just come in with a preconceived routine that may not be appropriate, for whatever reason, for the specific mix of students who show up.
Many yoga teachers pay lip service to the idea of creating a space or a community (and maybe they really want to), but the outright commercial nature of so much yoga out there often makes it feel insincere to me, like they’re just using spirituality or whatever as part of their marketing strategy – pretty disgusting! In such cases, I prefer a thing to just be what it is (a crude monetary transaction?). Give me the glorified exercise class and let’s please just dispense with all the namaste’s. If I wanted someone to take my money while pretending to offer wisdom and enlightenment in return, I’d go back to India (rimshot).
But Stephan and Ingrid (I’m going to switch their names around for the sake of fairness), on the other hand, really mean it. Obviously, it’s still a commercial operation, but at least they’re the ones running it, and all us liberal UWS types love supporting small businesses, right? We all have to compromise somehow with the capitalist society that yoga helps us recover from. The point is, since they own the space, they set the tone, and the tone they set is not mercantile, it’s one of genuine dedication to what they do and for whom they do it. They’d have to be dedicated to teach as many classes as they do every day. I’m sore the next day after doing just one!
I’m a bit judgmental about yoga (see previous review) partly because it’s so trendy. It got so popular so fast, that is, that schools sprang up and teachers rushed in to meet the demand, even if they didn’t have the years of experience a yoga teacher really ought to have. It’s a serious discipline that requires, in my opinion, an almost life-​consuming passion. I don’t have that level of passion for yoga myself (maybe for other things), but when I’m looking for a teacher, a serious teacher – of anything – I do look for it. After half a year of the Ingrid/​Stephan experience, as limited as it has been due to my own circumstances, I can honestly say I trust them as teachers, and I don’t trust too many.
They offer many different types of classes at UWS Yoga. Urban Zen is an interesting option if you’d like to be gently guided into a healthier state of being for facing your day. Chair Yoga is something I’ve never seen anywhere else and is an extremely clever way to repurpose something that seems to have been designed with discomfort in mind. Tuesday at noon is the donation class, which is a great option if you aren’t ready for a class card or membership. I haven’t tried the guided meditation classes yet, but I think I might now that I’m convinced they not only know what they’re doing but are really worth listening to. Yeah, I know how modest I must sound. I blame it on too many years of thoroughgoing academic training in a basically intractable skepticism. But, hey, they even have baby yoga! Plus, Ingrid always smiles at me when I come in. Skepticism defeated!
Having recently been crowned the Unilocal Duke of UWS Yoga and Wellness, I felt that I should update my review. Long may I reign.