Yoga to the People

In a place where people take pride in their Type A personalities and smartphones are a fifth limb, it is no wonder that yoga has become wildly popular to de-stress. Finding good and affordable yoga classes can be a challenge when it sometimes feels like the only two options are being a member of a swanky gym  that can run you up to $150 a month or buying individual classes at studios or spas that can be as much as $35 a class. Luckily for us New Yorkers, Yoga to the People offers donation based yoga classes seven days a week. With a suggested donation of $10, the studio runs on the donations of class members who can place money in a Kleenex box at the end of class.

A true departure from the aforementioned locations for yoga which display pristine studios, Yoga to the People emphasizes the introspection of the practice, ignoring outside factors such as the decor, other students or even the teacher. Started in 2006 by Greg Gumucio who previously worked with the founder of Bikram Choudhury Yoga, Yoga to the People has became wildly popular with an estimated 900 visitors per day to the NYC studio. As I entered the studio, I was skeptical of the close quarters where it seemed an impossible number of people had fit with eight people to a row. Yet the Vinyasa flow of the movements emphasized both flexibility and strength and there was some communal feeling with the other 60 people in the room focused on both the physical and calming effects of the yoga practice. I would definitely recommend this yoga to yogis and fitness aficionados as the warm temperature and pace of the class make for a challenging cardio workout.

I am definitely planning on reviewing more affordable or free yoga locales around the city, so let me know if you have any suggestions!

Yoga to the People

http://yogatothepeople.com/new-york/

Locations:

12 Saint Marks Pl. 2R New York, NY 10003

250 West 26^th Street 304 New York, NY 10001

115 W. 27^th Street New York, NY 10001

1017 6^th Ave. 38^th Street New York, NY 10018

Techy Snacks

Classic molten chocolate cake ice cream sandwiched
between a vegan chcocolate truffle banana cookie and
a gluten-free coconut almond cookie.

Although the combination of food and technology may not sound so appetizing, Coolhaus, offering gourmet ice cream sandwiches, may make you think otherwise. While the food truck craze is nothing new, the abundance of instantaneous deals offered by the trucks' own websites, twitter accounts and other food sites, such as Eater.com, are motivating to try the newest treats. I made my foray into this technological food craze in my search for a cool snack in midtown the other day. The Coolhaus food truck often tweets secret passwords that allow customers 50 cents off their purchase. Discovering the secret password of the day, I headed over the food truck. The menu offers creative ice cream flavors from butterscotch and rosemary candied bacon to the classic molten chocolate cake sandwiched in between the edible wrapper of a choice of cookies ranging from vegan chocolate truffle banana cookies to snickerdoodles. The flavors alone are enough to draw people from their offices for a midday snack, but a secret password for a deal makes it an irresistible indulgence.

http://eatcoolhaus.com/