As we ring in another new year, many of us are setting goals and intentions that will help us improve our physical and mental health over the coming months, and hopefully beyond. And a perennially popular choice for resolutioners, since it conveniently covers both, is yoga. The ancient Indian practice aimed at controlling body and mind has been a staple exercise for Westerners for decades, and there are many forms available for a range of preferences and skill levels. Popular variations include Vinyasa, Bikram, and more recently, Hot Yoga, but other lesser-known but equally effective types are starting to gain traction too.
Inside Alex Schatzberg’s loft space yoga studio and home
New York-based Alex Schatzberg is a master of Ashtanga yoga. Born in California but with strong family ties to New York, Schatzberg moved to the city to attend NYU. It was during his studies that he first discovered yoga, and for a time practiced in the very same East Village loft in which he currently runs his own studio, New Vibe Yoga.
Built in 1833, the townhouse on St Marks Place has several distinctive architectural features, including a 200-year-old spiral staircase that forms a ritualistic procession up to the studio space. 'There's yogic symbology in the spiral,' says Schatzberg. 'Anybody who walks up the staircase knows they're in something very unique and special.'
Schatzberg both lives and works from the third-floor loft. Pre-pandemic, New Vibe Yoga occupied the entire building and multiple classes would take place simultaneously. But operations were scaled back—for the better, Schatzberg has since realised—and now group and private sessions all take place in the same room, blessed with dual-aspect windows, tall ceilings with skylights, exposed brick walls, and warm wood surfaces. A far cry from the typical sterile gym class spaces.
In the early morning, light reflects off the wood and creates an orange glow that’s echoed by flickering flames in the open fireplace, while during a storm, the sound of the rain pattering on the skylights provides a soothing rhythmic soundtrack. Plants are arranged beside the front windows, creating a verdant backdrop for Schatzberg’s teaching, and a roof terrace at the back is also bountifully green during the summer. This deck, accompanied by an outdoor shower, offers a space for Schatzberg to complete his own practice when the weather’s fair.
Like many Americans, Schatzberg began his yoga journey with Vinyasa—a branch popularised in the 1970s that involves connecting various poses into a series of flowing movements. As his love of the discipline grew, his curiosity led him to dig deeper and find the origins of the tradition. 'I started realizing there was maybe more to this yoga,' he recalls. 'And I wanted to figure out, where did all this come from? What was the root practice?'
All outstretched fingers pointed to Ashtanga, a more primitive yet pure practice from which Vinyasa stems. He found a locally based teacher who has studied under famed Indian guru K. Pattabhi Jois—who was responsible for popularising yoga as an aerobic exercise in the U.S.—to show him the method in its traditional format, and spent six years immersed in an apprentice-style program.
'Yoga is not something to be thought of or talked about. It's something to be experienced.'
Alex Schatzberg
Ashtanga translates from Sansrkit as 'eight limbs,' and in Schatzberg’s analogy, these limbs are all connected to one another like the strands emanating from the centre of a spider’s web. Together they form a guide to a balanced life, and the goal is to tap into all of them simultaneously during yoga practice to help energy flow through the body. This is achieved through a sequence of movements that remains constant every time. Beginners are taught an initial set, then with experience, more are added until the full sequence is learned and repeated in each session. 'At a certain point, you can tune out the teacher and just tune into the sound of your breathing,' Schatzberg says. 'Then you get into a place of meditation, which is really the goal with yoga practice.'
New Vibe Yoga’s classes are much more than just about movement. Developing a sense of community, an innate awareness of self and mindfulness of others, and an appreciation for the world around us are all part of the wider journey. Ritualistic practices, such as carrying logs for the studio’s open fireplace up the spiral staircase, and chanting together in Sanskrit at the beginning and end of each session, are not mandatory for students but are intended to connect everyone more deeply with yoga philosophy.
Schatzberg quite literally lives and breathes his practice, and he spends the majority of his time in the studio, starting classes at 7am and ending at 8pm. He has no time or need for a TV, cooks in the small kitchen adjacent to the studio space, and sleeps in a small bedroom directly off the large room, which is packed with artworks, books and personal objects he’s collected over the years. Running his own studio allows him to fully control the environment—from the eucalyptus scent in the entry, to the soft lighting in the studio—and 'create a whole experience of bringing people into your home, and giving them a feeling of relaxation,' he says. 'Yoga is not something to be thought of or talked about. It's something to be experienced.'
For those looking for an introduction to yoga or to shake up their current routine, Schatzberg recommends coming to a beginner’s class since Ashtanga can be more intense than other branches. 'Don't try to jump ahead, slow and steady wins the race,' he recommends. Learning from an experienced, qualified teacher in an inspiring and uplifting environment can certainly offer the impetus and encouragement necessary to develop and retain new, healthy habits. New Vibe Yoga offers classes seven days a week, throughout the day, as well as private sessions. So there’s no excuse to break your 2025 resolution.
