Class Descriptions
The Breathing Project is the only studio in the New York City area fully dedicated to the teaching of breath-centered, individualized yoga and yoga therapy. Our non-dogmatic and anatomically grounded approach is inspired by teachings of T. Krishnamacharya and his son T.K.V. Desikachar. All our teachers have had significant training and experience in that tradition, as well as a wide variety of health fields including yoga therapy, movement therapy, martial arts, bodywork, anatomy and philosophy.
developmental Fundamentals
A thoughtfully constructed practice adapted to the needs of the student. All levels are welcome to participate in this class which will explore different elements of coordinating movement and breath in many of the classic asanas and vinyasa sequences. This class would be perfect for the beginner or anyone who wanted to deepen their understanding of practice in a fun and creative environment.
NEW! Embodied Yoga
Looking for a deeper experience in your yoga practice? Embodied yoga classes are an opportunity to listen to your body and learn from your experience, focusing on the questions and discoveries that arise along the way.
Classes balance a nourishing flow with a dynamic, fluid sense of alignment. You'll discover new and unexpected sources of support, strength and ease. These sources include the contents of our bodies -- not just muscles and bones -- but organs, glands, fluids, and all the systems inside of us, as well as our personal development from baby to adulthood.
Embodied Yoga creates an environment which offers students the space to find true and meaningful experience in their yoga practice. All the teachers are graduates of the Embodied Anatomy and Yoga and/or the Embodied Developmental Movement and Yoga programs through the School For Body Mind Centering ™
Open Level Yoga
Learn and experience a personalized approach to Yoga through an exploration of breath, movement, focus, strength, flexibility and relaxation. Receive clear instruction from teachers who will adapt and pace the class to your needs. These classes are appropriate for all levels of experience. Beginning students can develop a foundation through an introduction to basic principles of yoga. Experienced students can explore more challenging variations of poses and complex breathing techniques, and the use of visualization and sound.
Lunchtime Yoga Flow
Lunchtime Yoga Flow is a gentle, yet invigorating, one-hour yoga class focusing on balancing stretching with strengthening. Yoga postures and movements are coordinated with the breath, so that transitions between the poses are smooth and easeful, and the asanas may be held without tension. Abdominal and back strengthening postures are emphasized early in the class so that the core is properly engaged during standing postures. Traditional hatha yoga poses are interspersed with flowing dance-like movements, so that the body learns to move in both linear and non-linear ways for a more complete stretching experience. Elements of Tai Chi EasyTM and Qigong are added to standing and seated postures to help calm the mind and balance the body. Depending on class size, savasana (relaxation pose) may be enhanced with organic essential oils for deeper relaxation.
Yoga for Mental Wellness
Taught by Elizabeth Plapinger and Lori Ruth Federman
Yoga for Mental Wellness at the Breathing Project, now in our fourth year,
is expanding! We now offer TWO classes, one on Tuesday morning from 9:30 to
10:45 am, and the second on Thursday afternoons from 2:30-3:45. Please join
us in the beautiful, sunlit studio of the Breathing Project as we continue
to explore yoga’s contribution to well-being!
Yoga for Mental Wellness is a yoga class devoted to people of any age or
fitness level who suffer from emotional distress or mental illness. Anyone
experiencing such distress is welcome. A typical class involves movement
(asana), attention to breathing, attunement to the present moment, deep
relaxation, and mindful, nonjudgmental assessment of the effect of practice
on the mind, body and breath. Special classes with visiting teachers
explore the role of chanting, other mind-body approaches, massage and body
work in emotional, mental and physical wellbeing.
Experience and research suggest that yoga can be a powerful tool for addressing emotional and mental illness. For many of us, the regular practice of yoga can lift the mood, reduce stress, enhance problem-solving, improve strength and flexibility, lessen fatigue and increases energy. Join us in this experiential practice and see how yoga works for you!
The class is by donation, with a suggested fee of $5.00. No one is turned
away for inability to pay. Yoga for Mental Wellness was founded in 2004 by
yoga teacher and therapist Bess Abrahams, with support from a private donor,
the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), and the non-profit
therapeutic yoga center, the Breathing Project.
For more information about this class, please feel free to contact Elizabeth Plapinger at elizplap@optonline.net.
M.E.L.T. classes with Edya Kalev
MELT is Myo-Fascial Energetic Length Technique, a revolutionary approach to pain-free living developed by manual therapist Sue Hitzmann. MELT uses specialized foam rollers, and MELT hand and foot balls to rehydrate your connective tissue system, the tissue that supports, protects and stabilizes your entire body.
Join Edya Kalev, certified MELT instructor, to learn these easy self-treatment techniques. MELT away pain, see and feel immediate changes in posture and flexibility and best of all - your body will feel great!
MELT is for everyone, at any level of fitness.
Questions? Email Edya.
Mondays from 6:30-7:30pm
starting May 5
Tuesdays from 12:30-1:30pm
starting June 3
Drop-in: $20
10 Class card: $16/class
Embodied Asana Anatomy Class with Amy Matthews
Fridays 1-3:30pm
Cost: $40 per class
$190 for 5 classes
$350 for 10 classes
Special Discount for members of Breathing Project, LIMS and BMCA: $35
to drop in
$170 for 5 classes
$320 for 10 classes
To register: call 917-843-9537 or email
In these classes we will explore different topics in anatomy from an experiential perspective, using textbooks, models, and movement experiences. We will begin with the spine and torso, then move to the legs (feet to pelvis) and arms (hands to shoulder girdle). There will be time for practice, sensing, and embodying various tissues and structures, both in ourselves and in others.
Using principles from Body-Mind Centering, Laban Movement Analysis and the Bartenieff Fundamentals, PNF and therapeutic yoga practices, we will discuss principles of alignment and therapeutic applications.
Class involves both discussion and movement. Any level of movement ability is welcome, and yoga experience is not necessary.
The classes are planned as an ongoing series, but students can also attend on a drop-in basis. For those of you accumulating hours towards Yoga Alliance or ISMETA certification, if you take all the classes between September and May, it will be a total of 75 hours of study.)
OPEN vajra yoga with Jill Satterfield
Vajra Yoga combines the physical practice of Hatha Yoga with Buddhist meditation, tantra and philosophy. The body is seen as a mirror of the mind and we seek to develop insight into how the mind and body interact through a variety of ways. To see how the mind is directly expressed in the body, and to look at the mind itself, we utilize the tools of yoga asana, meditation and clear seeing. For those who experience it, it's a welcome relief to know that there are thousands of years of tradition charting the way to understanding something unseen. Vajra Yoga primarily uses information coming out of the Tibetan Tantric tradition.
Vajra Yoga is offered twice a week, on Wednesdays from 6:30-7:45pm ($16), and on Friday mornings from 10am-12noon ($25). For those in recovery programs, your first class is free.
For more information, you may go to Jill's website at www.vajrayoga.com
