Hamptons Yoga Studios Help You Feel the Burn

In his seminal text Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda says that yoga is “the perfect and appropriate method of fusing body and mind together so that they form a unity,” which “creates a psychological disposition which makes possible intuitions that transcend consciousness.” So why aren’t you practicing yoga? If your excuse is you don’t know where to go, you no longer have an excuse. Here are a few studios for an eager would-be yogi to look into.

Good Ground Yoga (GGY) in Hampton Bays offers a variety of classes for every skill level. Most classes are either Forrest Yoga or Forrest inspired Vinyasa flow classes, GGY’s signature. After 15 years of intense training, Leslie Pearlman, owner of GGY, has recently become a Forrest Yoga Guardian, one of only 10 in the world, hand picked by Ana Forrest, the creator of Forrest Yoga. Forrest Yoga incorporates elements of Native American healing, encouraging students to go deep within and to use their yoga practice as therapy. “This is quite an honor,” Pearlman says. “It’s quite extraordinary that our small part of the world has such a rich community of Forrest Yoga. It’s changing people’s lives.” GGY also offers Lu Jong (a form of Tibetan Yoga) as well as restorative and therapeutic yoga classes. First time students can receive a free class; and every Friday night, the studio offers a free community Forrest Yoga inspired class. 107-5 Montauk Highway. 631-594-5050 goodgroundyoga.com

Energize your body, mind and spirit at Hamptons Hot Yoga (HHY), the Hamptons’ premiere Hot Yoga destination. HHY offers two yoga styles: Hot Vinyasa, in which the room temperature reaches 95–99° but gets hotter as the practice flows and more internal heat is created; and Bikram Hot Yoga, a static practice where students spend a lot of time in each posture at 102–105°. “There are many benefits to Hot Yoga,” say Lienette Crafoord, Director of HHY. “The heat allows your muscles to be more pliable, which allows you to go deeper into postures without risk of injury.” The heat also causes your body to sweat, allowing for a detox. And “going deeper into postures allows the organs to be compressed,” which allows for even more detox. HHY offers a New–Yogi $49 Intro Special which gives new students with a Long Island ID unlimited classes for two weeks. 2415 Montauk Highway, Bridgehampton. 631-537-9642 hamptonshotyoga.com

You can find a variety of yoga styles at KamaDeva Yoga in East Hampton. “The KamaDeva style is unique in that it’s a very strong, alignment-based flow style,” says studio owner Jessica Bellofatto. The classes “incorporate the best of the alignment-based styles such as Iyengar and Anusara and the best of the breath-based styles of Ashtanga and Vinyasa.” We’ve been told KamaDeva’s style is both unique and difficult to find in the Hamptons. Until May KamaDeva is offering four classes for $40 to new students. If four classes sounds like a weekend activity, they also offer a $160 unlimited monthly membership. During spring and summer, KamaDeva offers Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) classes. “We are on the water every day,” Bellofatto says. “We also offer SUP teacher training, full moon paddles, and a girls SUP and yoga empowerment camp for different age groups.” If you need to just get away look into KamaDeva’s yoga retreats in Mexico, Italy and Montauk. 15 Lumber Lane, second floor. 917-301-6919 kamadevayoga.com