Your guide to Bushwick’s booming yoga scene

Deep conversations about gentrification aside, let’s face it: you or someone you love will live in Bushwick soon. If it hasn’t already happened.

And while the Brooklyn neighborhood is newly stereotyped for being home to scenesters, when it comes to the burgeoning yoga scene, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead of luxe amenities or celebrity instructors, Bushwick yoga has something Manhattan yoga sometimes lacks: warmth.

When you tote your mat around the ‘hood, you’ll find there are lots of spaces that host yoga classes, like wellness center Bhati and The Cobra Club, a bar that’s home to metal yoga (yes, yoga to heavy metal music).

And then there are the three biggest, dedicated yoga studios in the hood you should really get to know. We practiced our Brooklyn bridge pose at all of them to help you choose.  —Jamie McKillop

(Photo: Loom Yoga Center)

Loom Yoga Center

Tucked inside the Shops at the Loom, Loom Yoga Center offers a surprising variety of classes for being such a low-key studio, like Ayurvedic yoga and aerial yoga classes. On average, classes here are slightly longer (an “express” class clocks in at 60 minutes) and prices are low compared to Manhattan ($15 per class, including a mat and props). The vibe is super friendly.

The Vinyasa Express class that I took had a slow-ish pace and mixed in meditation and breathing exercises, so I left relaxed and centered, not necessarily dripping with sweat.

(Photo: Loom Yoga Center)

Jai Yoga Arts

This studio focuses vinyasa flow-based classes with elements of meditation, yoga philosophy, and breathing exercises (all $15 each). We spent the first ten minutes of class focusing on breath, which is built into the class time at 75 minutes long, in addition to another 10 minutes focusing on inversions at the end.

The structure was a nice combo of toning chaturangas and spiritual reflection, and the sense of community in the space was really striking. After class, all of the students (about 12 of us) hung around in the lobby area to sip on complimentary tea and chat.

(Photo: Phillip Van Nostrand)

Goodyoga

With three locations in Greenpoint and Bushwick, Goodyoga is the most established studio in northern Brooklyn. The Bushwick location is bright and open and has a slightly more modern, trendy feel than others in the neighborhood. There are a range of classes on the schedule, from Ashtanga and hatha yoga to mat Pilates, and most clock in at an hour or 75 minutes.

During the classic Goodflow class, the assists were really spot on (a skill their teacher training graduates are known for), as were the mini essential oils massages from the instructor. There were also small but surprising twists that made the class feel fresh: We skipped corpse pose, for example, and laid with our legs up the wall at the end, which does wonders for circulation and the curse of repetition.

(Photo: Goodyoga)

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