Ishta Yoga

Wonderful classes and a very warm inviting staff. Nice clean space.

I love this place but only because of Marco Rojas. He has really transformed my understanding and appreciation of yoga. I had originally bought a groupon package last year, tried a few teachers and then was soooo happy to come across Marco’s class. I signed up for a year and have been pretty consistent with by classes. It is expensive, but Marco’s classes are well worth it. It does look like his classes are getting cut, leaving him to teach just one day a week. I am not staying if Marco is not teaching, the price is too much for all the other teachers.

Ishta has a lot to offer by way of talented instructors. I appreciate Peter, Douglass, Rebecca Soule. Most of all, I have been truly transformed by Marco Rojas’ class. He is intelligent, challenging, passionate, curious, committed and funny. My life has truly improved because of my regular practice with him and I will follow him wherever he goes. Sorry Ishta but I know I’m not alone when I say it.
Some things Ishta can do better (that Yoga Vida does very well):
— need to reorganize the space to create more changing rooms and better flow (it takes ½ hour to sign in, wait on line for the rest room, change, get a mat, squeeze past people on their way out of class and pick up props)
— clean those blankets!
— buy more Jade mats
Some things the front desk staff can do better (that Yoga Vida does very very well):
— clean the mats better, spraying two times with cleaner and rolling it up is gross.
— can keep people orderly and quiet as they wait to enter studio (it would help if the front desk people themselves weren’t being noisy)
Classes are expensive and I don’t really think worth what the facility is. I pay because Marco is worth it.

I’ve been to two restorative classes at the downtown location and enjoyed both classes. I think the instructors names were Donna and Gina? Very welcoming and accommodating!
The room is very spacious and you’re not frowned upon if you show up a couple minutes late like some studios! I’m not sure how much classes cost because I use class pass but there is a mat rental.
The only downfall to this studio is that the props don’t seem very clean (even the mats)! I felt a little gross covering myself with a blanket and wish they had fresh towels to lay on the bolsters! Maybe I’ve just come at times where they haven’t cleaned in a while? But other than that, it’s a nice c

Yogi beware. If you are thinking about trying their new studio at Halevy Gym uptown, they’ve changed the rules. You now must sign a «sign your life away» release form and give a copy of your drivers license! Really? The release form says you or your Heirs cannot hold the facility responsible for anything; my heirs? Am I going to die? I just wanted to stretch. They already have my full name, credit card info, address, email and phone. In the day and age of identity theft… yogi beware. So much for the Zen experience.

Unquestionably the worst yoga class I’ve ever taken, and I make it a point to try new studios (some with better luck than others) all over the city.
First, this intermediate/​advanced class started off 10 – 15 minutes late. The teacher, Victor, rambled endlessly («my voice is your music tonight») while leaving everyone in downward dog for what seemed like an eternity – we didn’t move into a pose beyond downward dog, plank, or cobra for the first 20 minutes of class, and even then, we’d only moved into the basic sun salutation sequence, with a lot of, you guessed it, downward dog. Absolutely no fluidity or reason between poses, and poor, inappropriate, and unclear descriptions of what you were supposed to be doing throughout. When I modified a pose or two slightly to suit my own flow, Victor openly chastised me and my fellow classmates for going off book. But what finally drove me to get up and leave was how aggressive his adjustments were: for example, during the third round of bow pose, he stepped over a woman, grabbed her arms and lifted her a foot into the air without warning to «help her get deeper» into the pose.
When I checked in and after I left class early, the women staffing the front desk were visibly bored and complaining about how much longer they were stuck at work. I did express my concerns to one of the employees, who was vaguely apologetic, but generally unphased by what I had to say. All around it’s quite a shame this beautiful, conveniently located studio left such a bad taste, but needless to say, I don’t think I’ll be back anytime soon.

Pretty challenging beginner classes. Suuuper comfortable Lululemon mats for rent if you’re a goldfish and always forget your mat at home like me. The tea bar + separate shower and changing rooms are definitely a plus.

Practicing with Marco Rojas is transformative. There is a mix of demands on your mind, body and spirit. You will feel physically taxed, and emotionally enriched. Om bolo sat guru baghavi ki, jai.

First time at ishta today. This style of yoga I’ve been wanting to try for ages. I’m a yoga teacher and very interested in ayurveda and tantra. Excellent teacher who taught today, and super experience all around. Thank you! Namaste. :-)

The Ishta restorative class was one of a kind. I’ve never before felt so peaceful in my life.
Thank you!

A wonderful studio! It’s community is soulful and caring. Truly a wonderful place to practice.

Summary:
It’s a yoga studio with two yoga rooms, one upstairs and one in the basement. There’s no lounge, etc. We thought it would be a lot nicer.
It’s basically two yoga rooms with an area to check in and buy a yoga mat or t-​shirt.
Cost:
There are lots of classes that came to $ 24 for a one-​hour drop-​in class + another $ 2 for mat rental. This is really expensive. Yoga Vida is less. Integral Yoga is $ 10. Bhakti has some for donation. Ishta does have a few «community classes» for $ 10.
Note:
If you have been to even one or two classes at full price (within the last 6 months) they will NOT let you use the groupon, Unilocal,or other deal.
We actually found the blankets, pillows, etc. to be kind of dirty and gross.
We are going to try other places.

This place does not feel like a real yoga school. The space is very small and the room downstairs is like a basement. There is nothing spacious or relaxing about doing yoga in this place, no thanks

I used to come to this studio many years ago and it quickly became my favorite studio in the city. I stopped going sometime ago as I felt my practice had plateaued and started seeking other studios/​teachers to learn from.
Today was my homecoming of sorts and I was quickly reminded why I fell in love with this studio in the first place. The quality of teachers at Ishta have always been top-​notch. Today’s class was on different. I took an open-​level class curated by Laura Butler.
The main studio is an awesome open space adorned with a beautiful door that gives one the feeling that they’re in India or Tibet. Laura’s class was a perfect segue into the holiday weekend!
They now (I say now because I’m not sure how long it’s been open but they didn’t have it when I was coming before) have a studio in the Upper East Side as well that I’ll also be checking out. In the meantime, visit this incredible studio and give yourselves, and your practice, some love!

I love, love, love ISHTA Yoga. The classes, instructors and space are all absolutely lovely.
The instructors always encourage you to listen to your breath and body and the classes are great for all levels.
I love growing my practice at ISHTA.

I absolutely love Ishta yoga. The instructors, the cleanliness, the atmosphere. However, the last few times I attended, I was the first one there for restorative yoga, and the last one to get in the room. When I finally got in there was no room for me to put down my mat. Apparently, several people from the class before, decided to stay and not move out and actually give others the space. Which is fine, but for $ 22, I would expect some space, which I haven’t been given recently. My daughter and I were up against a closet. Not nice. Also the instructor started the class before we even were set up. I will give it one more try, then I’m outta there. Unfortunately, a few more times were good, and then, I received a a notice that I had accumulated 3000 points for all the times I came. I can only use it for a friend. I am not allowed to use it for myself.
Thats the last straw. I’ve spent alot of money here, and I think it would only be right to comp a customer for one visit in 3 years.
Bye Ishta

Mat rental options: regular, thick, and very sticky! Love the options!
Zen practice room with skylight and mysterious blue door (does it lead to paradise?),
and I hear this location is much bigger than the uptown location which I haven’t yet seen.
I came during an open house and had lovely teacher whose name escapes me. If the quality of classes here are like hers, and I’m guessing they are, I recommend this studio!
There’s also tea offered for after class, water, a boutique, and again I love the mat rental options! Would gladly return.

This is my first time doing yoga outside of home dvds.
My friends recommended & i got a great groupon deal. So for 1^st timers, they have front where you take off your shoes/​socks, hallway for coats, & you can bring in your bags into class. They have several changing rooms. However, during prime classes, the place is packed.
I have taken a hour of power class which is a great workout. However, this class fills up very quickly & can be cramped. I have thoroughly enjoyed the beg/​int classes which have more space & the instructors were very helpful. I prefer them as i feel as if i have a better understanding of the yoga poses. I recommend classes w Rebecca, Wendy, Sheila, & Josh.
Would give it 5 stars but sometimes its so busy that its like grand central when classes switch; I’ve seen ppl do the class fr the hall!
I would still highly recommend though. Right balance bw spirituality & physical.

Not a bad spot and a convenient location down in the village. With that being said, this place just didn’t do it for me. It’s got a cool little store in the front, but thought the changing area was a little cramped and the poses in class never seemed to get too advanced. I’m not saying I’m any good, but I generally like it when instructors throw as much at us as possible and then give us the option of scaling down. I also don’t like the foam blocks they use, once you’ve used cork ones, the foam ones just seem way too flimsy.
Of course this is just one instructor during one class, so maybe it’s unfair to judge based on that. But hey, I’m sure there are a lot of positive reviews with that too.

Apparently the name ISHTA is an acronym: Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra, and Ayurveda. Who knew? It’s also a Sanskrit word that means something like «individualized.» Ishta was founded to be a distinct style of yoga, but I’m not sure I could tell you how it differs in practice (ha, ha) from other styles any more than any one yoga instructor’s style will differ from another’s.
I tried two classes here — 7 months apart. It might be apparent that I was lukewarm about that first class (a general intermediate level). Instruction was clunky, with lots of chaturanga over and over. The instructor seemed inexperienced, though he was very friendly otherwise. At 4pm that Wednesday, there were ~20 other students (mostly middle-​aged women and a handful of NYU students), and plenty of room between mats.
The room looked similar at 4:30pm on a recent Tuesday, for an open level «Sweat & Samadhi» class. The instructor, Julia, was great — steady and clear. Unfortunately, I ended up not sweating at all! I doubt anyone else did, either. Cold weather may be partially to blame, but mostly the movement just wasn’t vigorous.
We began in savasana (but lights on), then moved into a more active sequence that was supposed to be the «sweat» part. Then we went through a long series of restorative poses (using large bolster, small bolster, blocks, blankets). Final savasana took place using these props, and it was guided — i.e. the instructor was talking gently the whole time. Despite the fact that you won’t get total quiet, the restorative + savasana was just… delicious. Even though I was expecting something far more challenging in the first half of class, the luxuriously long samadhi session during the second half was worth it all. I wanted to lie there in the dark forever.
For its small size, humble appearance, and slightly higher pricing, Ishta seems to be a popular studio that unapologetically focuses more on spirituality than most places. The front is a shop selling yoga gear and books. You’ll probably walk right by it unless you are chanting «56 East 11^th, 56 East 11^th, 56 East 11^th» under your breath.
First time students get free mat rental (choose a normal foamy mat or a heavy Jade mat); otherwise it’s $ 2. There’s free water and tea. Deposit shoes in cubbies in the waiting area, hang coats in a nook outside the practice room, bring bags into the practice room with you (cubbies by the entrance). Supposedly there are changing rooms and a shower downstairs.
Would adjust my expectations and go again.