Home for all True Yogis. Dharma Yoga Center New York

If you ever heard of Dharma Yoga, you most possibly heard about Dharma Yoga Center in NYC. This is the home of Dharma Yoga. This is the place where Sri Dharma Mittra (the father of Dharma Yoga) is practicing and teaching. This is one place you definitely want to visit at least once in a lifetime if you are serious about yoga or would like to experience what the true yoga is.

Getting to the Dharma Yoga Center

Dharma Yoga Center is currently located on 61 W 23rd Street, NYC. It is ideally situated in the Chelsea District. Sri Dharma Mittra has chosen the busiest place on the planet to practice yoga – Manhattan! And let me tell you, it might sound strange, but THAT WORKS.

“If you can practice yoga in New York, you can practice it anywhere” – Sri Dharma Mittra

The studio is on the 6th floor. So you need to take an elevator (for the most active yogis, you will not be able to take stairs going up, only walking downstairs is possible). That elevator is pretty famous for selfie pictures in the reflection of the ceiling mirror. So when you come here, make sure you snap one picture for yourself 😉

Walking through the doors

Once you walk through the doors, the very first impression you get is that you come into someone’s home and you feel like their family. Shoes must be put on the shelf near the entrance and you walk barefoot all around. But as much as I don’t like walking barefoot in the public places, I did not mind doing that in Dharma Yoga Center. The entire place is so clean, it is truly spotless, including the restrooms.

The studio itself looks and feels like a traditional yoga center, I would say even more of an Ashram. Colors of the studio design are very warm. The place is inviting, caring and fun. It is a true reflection of Sri Dharma Mittra’s character and style.

Front desk staff is nice and welcoming. Most of the time you meet with Joann. She is definitely a pleasure to deal with. And any time you have a question about Dharma yoga or their center, she has an answer.

One thing, though. Please be sure to love and respect animals when you walk in their studio. If you want to have a great experience there, I advise not eat meat or any other living creatures before you walk in through their doors. AND you surely don’t want to bring ANYTHING that is not plant-based. Dharma Yoga is based on Ahimsa (non-harming) and therefore their people probably won’t be too nice to you if you don’t care much for animals. So if you already visited Dharma Yoga Center in NYC and didn’t have a good experience there, chances are you had been consuming animal products.

Insides of the Dharma Yoga Center

Dharma Yoga Center has a waiting area with the couch, chairs, table and changing rooms. You can hang out there before or after the class. One thing to keep in mind, though. The changing areas are behind the curtains and there is no sign indicating male or female. Therefore, if you are the first time there make sure to ask someone which one to enter. But when last time I was there, the female was on the left and the male on the right.

I must say that for a yoga studio that is located in Manhattan, it has a lot of space. There are 2 rooms for practicing: one large room in the back that can fit probably over 100 people, and the other one is smaller, situated next to the front desk, that fits about 20.

In the smaller studio room, they have mats laid down already, so students know exactly where to place the mat. I found it very convenien for such a small room. Because sometimes you can see students putting their mat completely out of line and it can be challenging to fit enough people when it gets busy.

The larger room in the back has lots of sunshine coming in from huge windows. There is a carpet, hardwood, and a padded floor to practice on. So you can choose whichever you prefer. Remember though, it is harder to balance on the padded floor than on carpet or hardwood, but it provides more cushioning.

What you will find in Dharma Yoga Center

You will surely find tons of props in this yoga center. There are blocks, blankets, straps, cushions for meditation, Dharma Yoga wheels, foam rollers, and air mattresses for Yoga Nidra. And if you forgot your yoga mat, they have great options, like Jade Yoga Mats for rent for only $2.

In general, my first impression was that the whole space is filled with positive spiritual energy. It’s a great place full of peace. And sure enough, as most yoga studios you want to talk the least possible before or after the class, not mentioned during the class unless you have an important question to ask.

What is different about Dharma Yoga Center

One thing I should mention. If you are taking Sri Dharma Mittra’s class, be sure to keep your phone on you to snap a picture of him doing some crazy pose :). It is not like other yoga studios. Phones ARE ALLOWED to be brought to the class. And the main reason is that Sri Dharma Mittra LOVES all the modern technology, especially iPhones.

Read more about Sri Dharma Mittra […]

But PLEASE turn off the volume in your phones, because the sound of texts, emails and calls gets very annoying during any class, not talking about relaxing Yoga Nidra. And of course, don’t waste your time checking your emails or texts during the class. You want to be fully present there. Otherwise, what was the point to come in the first place? And obvious thing is that talking on the phone during the class is absolutely NO-NO.

So the phones are only for pictures and videos! The center also welcomes sharing them on social media. 

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Dharma Yoga Center Instructors

You must take one of the classes with Sri Dharma Mittra to have the full experience of this yoga center. But besides Sri Dharma Mittra himself, there are other great instructors in the studio, who are worth checking out. To name just a few, there are Pam, Kim, Irena, Yoshio, Andrew who are absolutely amazing.

Pam is the Queen of the hand balances and handstands.

Kim is doing magic on getting people into their deepest postures they possibly can, and she is the best in the alignments.

Irena is the Master of Dharma Yoga Wheel.

Yoshio will give you a killer workout combined with spiritual development.

Andrew will make you love yoga even more. He has patience and dedication for beginners. So he is the person to go if you just recently started practicing yoga.

I can say, that every instructor has some very special gift, but they all are very supportive and challenging. So no matter who you choose, you will have a great experience in Dharma Yoga Center and will surely learn something new coming out of there.

Classes Offered in Dharma Yoga Center

Classes here tend to be more advanced than in any other studios. And even taking a beginner’s level can be very challenging, not mentioning the Master Class. You need to have at least some yoga practice in your background to attend any of their classes. It is definitely not must, but this way your experience will be a lot more enjoyable.

Dharma Yoga Master Classes, Yoga Nidra, Psychic Development, Maha Shakti and Dharma Yoga Wheel are just a few that true yogis must try at least ones in their lifetime. I personally love the master classes. These classes are very challenging, but they give you inside of yourself and on what is possible.

Keep in mind, you will not get any fast-paced vinyasa classes here. Only classic, traditional yoga for different levels of students. You can also read more about what is Dharma Yoga […]

Conclusion

Dharma Yoga Center in New York is the training center for all true yoga teachers. If you take a class over there, you might end up practicing right next to your yoga instructor. 

So if you are ever in Manhattan and serious about your yoga practice, you have to check this place out.  You won’t regret it! And just in case if you’ve already been there and have not had an amazing experience yet, give it a try ones again. This place is a unique experience that one cannot fully grasp with just one visit. Dharma Yoga Center needs some time for the processing and realization of the full meaning of it.

I highly recommend taking the time to visit the center and going to one of Sri Dharma Mittra’s classes. If you have more time, try other instructors and classes according to the level of your yoga practice. 

And on the way home don’t forget to check out their retail section. They have a selection of the most influential yoga books and really cool Dharma Yoga shirts and tanks. 

One more thing before I finish. There is a small dog named Ida running around the studio like she is the boss. She is so adorable! She makes the place feel so much like home to me.

Happy yoga time to all!

Namaste ॐ

For more information on the studio, visit their website dharmayogacenter.com

For more reviews from other people visit yelp.com

This post is not sponsored and written in service of Sri Dharma Mittra and his team.