YogaCity NYC helps an expanding community of yoga enthusiasts pursue tranquility, vibrancy, and conscious behavior - in the middle of this charged and crowded 24/7 urban environment we all call home.
Our news, features and events capture the passionate energy and amazing diversity of Brooklyn, The Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. And our marketing opportunities are set up to help local teachers and studios grow.
We're here to respond to a busy, playful, work-a-holic, breathless, windy, seems-like-it-never-stops-for-a-minute lifestyle. Our wildly ambitious goal is to help you put together the disparate pieces of a holistic lifestyle, and find a little peace of mind.
YogaCity NYC, where we're as enthusiastic about your practice as you are!
Contributors
Brette Popper
Brette is Publisher and Co-Founder of YogaCity NYC. After 25 years as a top manager in the frenetic and agressive world of magazine publishing, Brette wandered into her first New York City yoga class in 2001 and was immediately transformed by its benefits. She soon found herself deeply immersed in yoga asana and philosophy, and wanted to put her extensive business knowledge to use in the world of yoga She decided to start YogaCity NYC after realizing that there was a real lack of cohesively distributed information in the busy New York yoga community for practitioners and studios alike. You can contact Brette at publisher@yogacitynyc.com. She is a E-RYT 500 registered yoga teacher and you can find out more about her and her teaching schedule at www.fullfiguredyoga.com.
Katie Jehenson
Katie handles YogaCity NYC's marketing, advertising and operations side. She dabbled with yoga while working in the fast-paced online advertising world, but in between jobs, she dove into a regular practice. While employed as a Business Manager , she came to rely on her breath to approach challenges. In 2004, she decided a Yoga Teacher Training program was in her future. Her search led her to Alison West’s Yoga Union and Katie completed her 200-hour certification in 2005. She joined YogaCity NYC because she believes in our vision to bring better information to New Yorkers. You can reach Katie at admin@yogacitynyc.com.
Allison Richard
Allison first began practicing yoga at the age of 15 and was
thrilled it was a form of movement that didn’t require shoes. Ten years later, in 2007, she became a certified instructor through YogaWorks while living in Los Angeles and further broadened her training by becoming an Integrative Health Coach through Duke in 2012. She works with clients on self-love and creating their own unique self-care fingerprint through yoga, meditation, embodied movement, energy medicine and life coaching. She has worked with clients around the country from LA to NYC as well as the jungles of Belize. In addition to contributing to YogaCity NYC, Allison’s expertise has been featured on Good Housekeeping.com, the New York Post and the New York Times. Learn more or contact her at www.allisonrichard.com.
Michael Laskaris
Michael edits the weekly events and newsletters and proofreads the site. A Boston native, he studied dance at NYU/Tisch School of the Arts; after graduation, he stopped dancing to pursue other interests. He practices with Eddie Stern and Alison West.
Cynthia Kling
Cynthia is the Editor of YogaCity NYC. She began doing yoga about 15 years ago at Allen Finger's studio on 17th street. After about a year, she found herself at one class or another almost every day - loving some things, hating others, and wondering how closely these classes adhered to the ancient Indian traditions. A young teacher who started off his class with a 5 minute dharma talk about an imaginary duck, finally sent her off to Mysore to check out the real deal. She studied in the Ashtanga tradition with Mr. B.N.S Iyengar, one of Sri Krishnamachria's students. India taught her that the whole idea of yoga was huge, ancient, and multi-faceted – but there were no imaginary ducks. Since then, she's dipped into many traditions, taking wisdom from each. Cynthia has been a magazine and book editor, writer and writing coach for nearly three decades. You can reach Cynthia at ckling@panix.com.
Minna Proctor
Minna is Co-Founder of YogaCity NYC. She and Brette met during teacher training and together they crafted the YogaCity NYC strategy, its unique website offerings and email newsletter.
Ann Votaw
Originally from Indiana, Ann Votaw earned her 200-hour vinyasa training from Laughing Lotus Yoga Center in 2003. Since then, she has collected several certificates in multiple
disciplines, including iRest Meditation and all Pilates apparati. With backgrounds in dance and Journalism, YogaCity NYC is a fantastic fit that puts her near great brains of mindfulness. Her freelance writing has also appeared in The New York Observer and DAME Magazine, where she has covered the topic of body donation. As a full-time job, Ann is a recreational therapist for older adults teaching them asana and meditation. She has a Master’s degree in Health Education and Promotion. You may catch Ann running around Central Park or learning new skills like ice skating at Bryant Park.
Olga Ryrakhovsky
Olga edits the event calendar and helps out when needed. A Boston native, Olga became a yoga lover after trying to stay calm in the urban jungle of New York. She practices all over the city and is always up for a new yogi adventure.