Area Yoga

Area Yoga has been an awesome addition to my life and fitness routine. I tend to go to the Carroll Gardens location b/​c it is closer to my home and it is where I have stored my Jade mat, but I also attend classes at the other two locations and find all three easy to practice in. Each location has its own feel. I think the Brooklyn Heights studio has an awesome combination of light and limited traffic noise. It may be my favorite. But I digress.
This is probably my third or fourth time trying to get into a yoga routine and it is the first time I have really stuck with the routine and practice, which I attribute to the great teachers at Area Yoga and the peaceful vibe at the Area Yoga studios.
For someone who has historically been inflexible and had a hard time calming my mind, I found Yoga very intimidating. But, after completing four months of physical therapy for my knee, my physical therapist told me I need to do Yoga two to three times a week to keep my knee strong — not necessarily what I wanted to hear since I have never been able to connect with a studio where I feel comfortable with what I will call my limitations (busy mind and little flexibility). However, I felt welcome and secure from my first class at Area Yoga (a Sunday Basics class with Paula) and that feeling has remained for several months now. All the instructors at Area Yoga are very welcoming. I think they do a great job making Yoga accessible to everyone and appreciate that most of us in New York lead crazy lives and really strive to give us the tools and time to calm our minds and connect with our bodies.
I have had great experiences with the vast majority of the instructors at Area Yoga and this post would be even longer than it is if I went through how good each instructor is and why. However, with that said, I will give a shout out to two instructors. I find Paula’s classes truly transformative. I have come into her classes being an anxious mess and left feeling totally calm and relaxed. Her classes are very grounding; she makes awesome adjustments and really pushes you to your max and the music selections are always great. Also, I love Keri’s classes. I find Keri extremely nurturing, which I can definitely use after a long week and she has the ability to make you feel totaling at ease with each other and your own feelings that day by being vulnerable herself, which is such a gift.
Basically, I am grateful I found the studio and hope this review helps others discover this awesome place. Also, I do their monthly unlimited, which is a great deal if you go even just two times a week. It is direct deposit and has a very flexible option to cancel it, which is great.

I’m torn between 3 and 4, because as far as spaces go, Area Yoga could use some improvements. It’s by far the smallest studio I’ve been to, and it can only comfortably fit 12 people. The hallway is extremely narrow, so it gets cramped in between classes. It’s also extremely stuffy and is poorly ventilated, so the unpleasant smells and sweat from the previous class hits you as you walk in.
With that said, it’s facing Montague Street and there’s currently a massive cherry blossom tree outside the window — such a calming view!
I took two classes here this weekend and enjoyed both, for different reasons. The power flow on Saturday morning was fun, fast, and challenging. It built up to a peak pose, an arm balance, that I’ve never tried before. Always a plus. However, the instructor spent a bit too much time talking in the beginning and dropped a few more f bombs than I’m used to in a yoga class.
Sunday’s open and restorative class was a huge treat after running. The teacher, a substitute, gave confident and amazing adjustments as she walked around the room. It was ²⁄₃ flow and ¹⁄₃ restorative, which was heaven for my super tight hips. After some fast-​paced flowing and deep twisting, we settled into restorative poses using the bolster and blocks.
Gah, I’m a yoga nerd.
Anyway, I would recommend Area if you’re, well, in the area (but not necessarily if you’re out of the way). They have 3 separate locations in Brooklyn and are also on ClassPass.

Area Yoga is a great yoga studio with extremely friendly ambience and a lot of good classes in both Montague and Carroll Gardens locations. For the past 8 months I have been attending Julia’s prenatal yoga and nothing has been more helpful during my pregnancy than this class. Thanks to this prenatal class at Area Yoga, I stayed fit and relaxed during my pregnancy. I also have to recommend a spectacular prenatal massage by Jody. It’s a long and relaxing massage and she works on all body parts, first on left side, then on the right and then while you sit. This massage beats all other massages I took before I even got pregnant! Additionally, Jody also runs Brooklyn Heights Prenatal and Mama Bear group and once in a while organizes workshops or gatherings for expectant couples and for new mamas.
I am so happy I discovered Area Yoga!

I love this space! It’s in a great little second-​floor studio, with beautiful old interior detailing and a whole wall of plants in the studio itself. Of course as a smaller studio it can get a little cramped, but otherwise it’s pretty much perfect.
Highly recommended: Keri! Her classes are fun, upbeat, challenging, and with a great soundtrack to boot (turns out Drake at 7AM is just what I need to wake up and get ready for the day!).

Great prenatal yoga, even better prenatal yoga massage
Area Yoga in Montague has an extremely laid-​back warm vibe. I’ve tried a few prenatal yoga classes in the area and Julia’s class is hands down my favorite. Her voice is so soothing, her class is relaxing and by the end of the session I feel like I need a nap. The group is extremely encouraging and she’s always giving birthing tips. Its a fantastic deal at $ 12 a class and even better if you buy a beginners pack
BUT WHAT I LOVE is the PRENATAL MASSAGE with JODY. WOW. I’ve had a few bad to mediocre prenatal massages before trying JODY and I am soooo glad that I did. Being pregnant means being plagued with aches and pains and she worked on all my muscles. Her pressure is strong without going overboard and she gets into all the right spots — hips, shoulders, back, butt. She works on your right side, then your left and then ends with you laying on an incline and her working on your shoulders (AGAIN) and back, arms and legs. Throughout my massage I kept on thinking about how this is like a delicious silky dessert that you never want to end.
Prices are super competitive and the more you go, the bigger the discount. I’m extremely picky when it comes to massages and I HIGHLY recommend Jody for a prenatal massage — I may even go to her after I’m pregnant.

I don’t really think you can evaluate a yoga studio so much as a yoga instructor. But a few comments about the studio first:
Area Yoga in Brooklyn Heights as well as the location in Carroll Gardens has several good instructors. The rooms tend to be a comfortable temperature, bright and well lit, and the pricing ($ 12 for a single class) is competitive. They are not large rooms and they do fill up. Both locations have bathrooms, mats you can rent cheaply if you need them, and provide water in case you need a drink. They are not militant about closing the doors if you come late (in my experience) but classes can fill up and do start on time. The studio uses mindbodyonline like 75% of the other yoga studios, and I believe you can pay online well as sign up in advance — although that isn’t necessary.
I’ve been meaning to write a review for Miya Signor for a while because she is outstanding. I am a weak, journeyman yoga practitioner. That said, I’ve taken classes in studios throughout NYC and Philadelphia, and I’ve probably been in classes with over 20 instructors in the past 12 years. Outside yoga, I’ve had outstanding coaches in a wide variety of sports.
Routines: Miya does the usual, effective variations on Vinyasa yoga. She paces well, and starts off classes slowly before accelerating and then ending peacefully. Her classes hit a flow early on and then seem to switch to being a little more posture centric.
Instructions: Clear, thoughtful and well timed. Miya calls out breaths, which I hugely appreciate, even though I don’t always follow along. She does this without disrupting her instructions or imposing on your concentration.
Adjustments: Hands down the best yoga instructor I’ve had in adjusting posture. She will brace one part of your body to position another without using too much or too little force and almost magically understanding balance. Miya manages to circle around to most people once or twice, and she is systematic about making sure that she adjusts your posture in both directions if you’re doing any rotations.
Meditation: Miya includes meditation and some chanting in the class, but it doesn’t dominate and it wouldn’t make anyone else uncomfortable.
Music: Every once in a while, you run into a yoga instructor with a personal music crusade: it’s rock or invasive new age or something else odd. Not a problem here.
Getting to conveniently practice yoga with someone this terrific is something I count as one of the benefits of living in Brooklyn where I do.

I have been commuting into Manhattan or Williamsburg to go to Yoga to the People since I moved to the neighborhood in October. I have been meaning to pop into Area for months and finally had time yesterday. I wasn’t sure what to expect and am pretty picky about new studios. I took the 8pm restorative class with Jenna and could not have been more impressed. Jenna made me feel so safe and was so attentive to everyone. Her instructions were clear and easy to follow and I truly felt restored after class. Not to mention, the studio is just so cute and beautiful and the staff is really sweet. I will definitely be back!

I usually go to Yoga People but I decided to give Area Yoga a try when they opened a few doors down. They are very affordable compare to most yoga studios I have been to — $ 12 for one class with $ 1 for mat rental! Their class cards and membership prices are also very reasonable.
The space is clean, minimal and small. There is one studio space and because it’s narrow, it’s probably the smallest one I’ve been to (not a bad thing but just an observation). I love that there’s a big bay window so you get plenty of light in during instruction. There’s coat hooks for your jackets and little cubby holes for bags and stuff in the lobby.
The people working here are friendly and the teacher for the Open Class (lasts 1hr 10) was lovely. I like the bigger variety of poses we did in class and she was great at fixing my position when needed. While I love the Core Yoga classes at Yoga People, I’m now a big fan of Area Yoga’s Open Class and will definitely be coming to this class more often!
Namaste!