"There's so much that asana can't fix, and yogis are always looking for alternative ways to heal themselves physically and beyond," she says. And so, in addition to the main studio space where classes will be held, the third-floor, light-filled location also has four bodywork spaces for members of the community seeking a broader range of modalities. (Warning: Just climbing up the steep, tin-walled staircase is a workout in of itself.) From one-on-one Pilates instruction to acupuncture sessions, the goal is to help yogis think more broadly about their bodies.
"There's so much that asana can't fix, and yogis are always looking for alternative ways to heal themselves physically and beyond"
"It feels really holistic—that's a word that's bandied around a lot, but that's what we're after," Grant explains. "It's one of the reasons why people really like gyms: You can go and get a really solid yoga class and then work out and then get in the steam room. I completely understand the appeal of that—and what I'm excited to offer [at the new studio] is superlative bodywork." (The other thing this Kula location offers? Direct access to Lululemon—the store happens to be the first-floor tenant in the building.)
Can't commit (or afford) private sessions? The Soho location is expanding The Rub—Kula's 30-minute guided self-massage class ($10)—to six days a week. And if you book a mat in the yoga class before or after it ($20), you can join The Rub for no additional charge. "For the price of a regular class, you get a great Kula class and then just get massaged out," says Grant. "After The Rub, people are just drooling—we have to scrape people off the floor!"
And ultimately, that's something she believes helps build a better, stronger, smarter yogi. "Sometimes people get injuries from doing yoga—it's part of the practice—and you have to be reasonable about it and have modalities to complement it," explains Grant. "It feels really right to have those processes integrated into one space."
481 Broadway, betweeen Grand and Broome Streets, third floor, New York, NY, 10013, (917) 472-7499, kulayoga.com
To fete Kula Yoga Project's Soho opening, on Thursday, June 23, the Lululemon on the first floor is hosting a cocktail party from 6:30-8:30 p.m., before the celebration moves upstairs to the studio until 10 p.m.—and all are invited!
Other exciting things happening in the world of yoga: the body-positivity movement. And if The Rub doesn't get you excited, this adorable new teaching tool will do the trick.
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