Have we reached total yoga saturation yet? Preschoolers, senior citizens, even dogs are doing yoga these days, and studios seem to be opening on every corner. Even so New Yorkers have just gotten yet another place to practice their downward dogs: Pure Yoga. Owned by Equinox, Pure Yoga takes up three floors on East 86th Street, making it the largest yoga center in the city. It's the sixth location of a small high-end chain that until now has been exclusively in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei. (The Equinox partnership only extends to the US locations; they're considering LA next.) There are 19 different classes on offer, from Vinyasa to Iyengar, along with some interesting hybrids, such as the hard-core sounding "Multi-Intenso." Like a gym, Pure Yoga operates on a membership basis, requiring both an initiation fee ($400) and monthly fee ($140). For those craving more than a 90-minute urban yoga fix, the venerable Rancho la Puerta in Tecate, Mexico will become home to a mini ashram during the month of August. A guest swami (Swami Veda Bharati, who runs an ashram in the Himalayas), will be giving lectures on topics like "searching for fulfillment" and "philosophy of Hatha yoga" while his staff of 13 will act as guest yoga instructors.
Above: Yoga at Rancho la Puerta.
