New Studio Opening! Twisted Trunk Yoga
Twisted Trunk Yoga, was born of bad news. When Elena Brower’s Virayoga in the heart of Soho closed its doors this past June, Dana Covello, Lynn Hazan, and Laura Tulumbas were devastated. The two had been senior teachers at Vira, Hazan had been Brower's business partner, and all three were students at the first Teacher Training.
vision, and experience. “We didn’t really have a choice but to open a studio — we felt called to do it” explains Tulumbas, when talking about how it felt to move from senior teachers to entrepreneurs.. “We wanted to give our community a place to go, and the support was overwhelming.” They heard from students that the existing space was sacred to them, and they wanted to still be able to practice there. Indeed, some offered money, professional services, and the unwavering commitment to preserving the space they had called home for so long.
“During our soft opening we received so much enthusiasm and support, including decorations for our altar. We got so many flowers it looked like a funeral parlor.”
Though the new studio layout remains the same as its predecessor, the interior has been given a freshening up. Bright blue walls - “a grounding blue that is at once joyous” - covers the front wall behind the altar. The three power women put down new floors, changed the lighting, and added brand new curtains, mats, and props. There is a renewed energy permeating the space, and it hard not to feel reverent as you enter the practice room.
The name, logo, and ownership may be brand new, but one thing that has carried over is the level of expertise that the teachers on the schedule bring to each class. Marjorie Nass, for example, threads Ayurvedic wisdom throughout her Yoga for Wellness classes and aligns her sequences with the principles of the ancient science. Susanna Harwood Rubin brings mantra and mythology to the mat in order to facilitate a deeper understanding of the practice's heritage.
The teachers and their mixes of passion and experience are what truly set Twisted Trunk apart from many others in the city. “Our teachers have been teaching long enough to know what they are most passionate about, what they really want to share.” Thus, each class on the schedule is unique to the teacher. There is no set flow or sequence, but rather each experience crafted with care and complexity by the instructor.
There is an unparalleled caliber of teachers on the schedule, and according to Covello, Tulumbas and Hazan, this allows for continual education and growth for students and other teachers alike. “We really want to give our teachers the platform to share what they are most passionate about in the practice....our teachers aren’t just practicing in the studio, they are doing yoga on and off the mat and continually educating themselves. We’re all life long students of the practice.”
Besides the Open classes, which are suitable for all levels, students will also see Deep Dive, where a specific pose is broken down step by step through an asana flow. Other classes include Yoga for Women, Yoga for Athletes, Yoga for Wellness, Acro Yoga and Family Yoga. There is also an annex space in the studio which will be used for private classes, and holistic health coaching by Tulumbas and other certified practitioners.
Only the second week and the classes are already filling up. The studio will offer drop in classes for $22, class cards, and monthly memberships.
The new owners have chosen one of the most beloved of the Hindu deities as their guide, Ganapati or Ganesh as he is also called. “Ganapati is always pointing his trunk to something sweet,” says Tulumbas, “Our vision is to offer students a refined practice that ends, or maybe begins, with sweetness.”
To find out more about Twisted Trunk Yoga at 580 Broadway, click here.
--Erin Ward
