Yoga in Weehawken

"It's hot in here." When that's all you can think about, you tend to forget about the intense physical exertion involved with a series Bikram moves. But the work does pay off, as practitioners are kicking up their core strengthen while sweating away heaps of calories. Garnering the attention of New Jersey Monthly Magazine and New Jersey Health and Beauty, Surya Yoga Academy's three welcoming studios are a great place for men and women of all skill levels to practice hot yoga and other yoga genres, including Vinyasa or Jivamukti poses. Alongside traditional sessions, the studio's specialized workshops train athletes and runners to maximize their exercise potential, and focused mom-and-baby yoga classes build mother-child bonds and telepathy skills.

During Shiva Shanti Yoga School's Vinyasa-style yoga classes, founder Felise Berman guides students toward inner peace with outward expressions of love, joy, and gratitude. Known as Shivadasi to her pupils, Berman draws upon studies at India's Bihar Yoga Bharati Institute for Advanced Studies to fill multilevel routines with ancient poses and meditation exercises. Most sessions begin with Shivadasi's signature sun salutation, which unites 24 asanas that warm the muscles and focus the brain. As the class progresses, deep breaths weave movements into a flow that’s more graceful than a swan's royal curtsy. In addition to hosting Vinyasa classes, Shivadasi and her teaching team lead yoga nidra sessions, which relax the body as the mind explores lucid dreams. The studio also helps pupils deepen their yogic practice with one-on-one tutorials and a collection of instructional DVDs available in its online boutique.

Yoga Desha's founder, Rebecca Bergstrom, is no stranger to struggle, and has long turned to yoga whenever she finds herself in need of physical and spiritual uplifting. Her interest in the mind-body connection began when she was just a teen and fueled her studies in human biology and psychology at Stanford University, as well as her time spent dancing at the Martha Graham School. Her search for spiritual healing took an entirely new direction, however, when she suddenly lost her young husband while expecting their first child. Finding her prenatal yoga practice to play an integral part in healing her emotional ails, she soon decided to become a yoga teacher herself and dedicate her life to helping people from all walks of life heal from their own mental, physical, or spiritual traumas.

She has since earned the 500-hour teaching certification from the Yoga Alliance––the highest possible certification from the program––and compiled a team of instructors that leads classes seven days a week. Classes range from pre- or postnatal yoga and beginner's Vinyasa to more strenuous sessions such as tri-level Vinyasa––a class that invites students to attempt challenging postures such as arm balances and inversions while learning ancient Sanskrit chants.

A mural of Buddha greets guests at Baker Street Yoga, its warm smile perhaps a hint at the elevated temperatures that await students inside. The studio teaches Vinyasa-style yoga, which shuttles practitioners through a flowing series of poses that pair with deep, timed breathing. This combination helps the body build strength and balance, while the heated classroom induces sweat. Instructors at Baker Street Yoga can modify any pose based on a student’s abilities or number of metal-hook hands, a practice which opens each class on the schedule to all ages, body types, and levels of experience. They hope not only to improve students’ physical health, but their spiritual strength as well.

The walls of Bhakti Barn Yoga bloom with poppy-red and robin's-egg blue, reflecting nature's outer beauty in a space teeming with natural light. Ganesha, the Hindu god of wisdom, dances above yogis in a vibrant mural, waving his arms in encouragement as students stretch theirs skyward to slap him a high-five. Experienced instructors guide students of all levels through meditative Kundalini routines and flowing Vinyasa sequences. Cores grow during Bhakti Basics sessions, which teem with fundamental poses, deep-breathing exercises, and alignment pointers. To promote community and keep stress at bay, teachers pepper classes with calming tea breaks.

Energy surges through Powerflow Yoga, in the sunbeams that pour through its windows and the bodies that bend beneath its recessed lights. Here, experienced instructors guide yogis of all levels toward tranquility in balmy temperatures that help loosen tight muscles, oust pent-up toxins, and melt cheese wheels for after-class fondue parties. Overhead fans circulate fresh air, which students inhale during deep-breathing exercises that focus the mind and invigorate the body. During hot Powerflow Vinyasa classes, the group practices arm balances and inversions, which can be modified to accommodate injuries or challenge advanced students. Shaped by several teaching traditions, including Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Jivamukti, this class showcases yoga’s power to hone bodily alignment and cultivate inner peace. Warm Yin sessions provide a calming counterpoint with lengthy poses that gently stretch the connective tissues. After class, students can retire to the changing rooms, where showers await to whisk away sweat beads.