I love it! Yoga never leaves me without something to satirize about it.

I have lived in the Hong-Kong area for the last 22 years. Before Pure-Yoga came along, Yoga studios were either hard to find or non existant. The fact is Pure-Yoga has introduced thousands of people to yoga in Singapore,HK and Taipei that had little idea of what Yoga could do for them. Pure Yoga stepped up to the plate and simply invested in a spacious and clean studio(s) that was enjoyable to be at and practice. Beyond that, the experience you have is with the individual teachers that are hired to teach. There is no strict guidlines for them to follow and they teach according to what their experience is. The result is you can find several different styles under one roof that has something for everyone.
This is not a 'walmart' style approach here. This would imply they are selling something 'cheap'. I can bet the New York studio will be filled with qualified instructors that are payed well enough to make this a full time profession. Jivamukti has done teacher trainings for them in asia. I am sure they will be happy of their NY arrival!

i think the answer is, yes. there is room for everybody. with the increase in the yoga trend, not everybody who gives it a shot is destined to be a yogi. in fact, a large proportion find the quiet and more traditional yoga studios to be "hokey" (to quote a friend). these people will find their home at the walmart of yoga studios, whereas those of us with a deeper connection will continue to frequent the studios that give us what we want. while it may cause you to bristle once and awhile when you encounter those who do not embrace all that yoga can truly be, isn't it a good thing that these people are absorbing even a tiny amount of these values? shame on the studio, however, for the phrase "aggressive approach to yoga". that's sending the wrong message altogether.

There's obviously room and financing for this type of mega studio in NYC, and for others like it in cities all over, but I will continue to spend my money at studios with more organic origins because yoga can't really be turned into a commodity. Activities posing as yoga can take that form, but not true yoga. And I'm really okay with what I'll call "poser yoga". I think it fills a need. True yoga has to be associated with some form of community in order to work its transformational magic. Mega studios with a profit motive are not conducive to community building. Signing up online for a piece of classroom real estate for a yoga mat is especially absurd and creates a competitive atmosphere even before class begins. How stressful! What ever happened to aparigraha (non-coveting)? I guess we're throwing the yamas out with the bathwater . . .

Wow, there is something unsettling about the words "aggressive yoga strategy." These huge mega-studios seem like the polar opposite of naked saddhus doing yoga in the jungles of India. Adapting yoga to our needs makes sense, but we shouldn't forget the whole purpose of yoga-letting go of attachments to material things and tuning in to the spiritual realm. All of the fancy, unnnecessary products for sale in "ergonomic retail spaces" could be very distracting for a budding yogi. Reading about these gigantic, expensive yoga studios makes me appreciate my humble hometown studio even more.

It's NYC...the hub of do-it-better-quiker, so no surprise that Pure will be coming to NYC. Add that to the excellence in facility leadership of Equinox and they will be hugely successful.

There is no doubt there is a market segment of avid yoga enthusiasts in NYC who work-hard and play-hard (and have lot os money). A first-rate facility like Pure will clearly speak to them.

Look at the success of Equinox over all other facilities who offer similiar services. New Yorkers have high demands and a facility like Pure will have the crowds waiting at the door! Lucky for NY - there are tons of options so more for everyone.

i don't like it! thusly, i will continue to practice at my lovely, warm & familiar studio in Astoria, and others that are similar in manhattan. It's enterprises like this that give the general public the wrong idea about yoga and make it even less accessible for the average joe. also in response to the following comment: "I have lived in the Hong-Kong area for the last 22 years. Before Pure-Yoga came along, Yoga studios were either hard to find or non existant." there are already tons of wonderful studios all over Manhattan and the boroughs that offer a wide variety of styles & environments for NYC yogis and yoginis.

This shouldn't be surprising to anyone given the not-so-recent explosion of corporate chain-everything and "bigger is better" retail establishments in NYC. Luxurious yoga megaplexes like Pure are just one of the many cultural consequences that follow The Nouveau Nouveau Riche rise to power. Once leases expire smaller quality studios like Laughing Lotus, Kula, The Shala, and others will either raise prices or be forced to find cheaper digs outside "The City."

The comments which I often heard from the "lifestyle investors" in China sounded always very rude to our western ears. At first I was quite skeptical becoming a member at Y+ through my time in Shanghai, but then I felt it was the best decision I could make. I became friends with the teachers and was practicing 3 hours daily. For the first time, I did feel really mind body balance.

What was it about? I thought that coming down to California would be also great for my yoga but it was not. Finding teachers and studios is harder, simply because I am very often missing the community aspect, the group and the strong energy that was flowing through the rooms.

I wish I could open a studio that has the ability to employ teachers and really engage them. The goal would be to combine that with the devotion of the yoga students, giving them a school, a place to drop out, to hang out, to socialize.

Having workshops every weekend for free and taking as much classes as you want to. I was never worried about the money in Shanghai or that I would not find anyone to talk to. It was a peaceful place full of respect and a unique change to deepen my practice without force, comparison, but with compassion.

Lost in the clouds with Jupiter transcendent

Lost in the clouds with Mars ascendant.

Love Luck and the music of the Spheres.

Azure in the arms of Cerulean

Cast adrift in the Indigo isles

May Angel love and Moon glow light your path.

---klqtzzzz

I actually just signed up for a membership this morning...but through out the day i have been feeling so guilty about it. I can't imagine booking a mat space. And i can't imagine not laughing at those who have booked. give me a break. feeling guilty for selling out i suppose. As i read reviews i feel like pure yoga should really pick up the sutras.

Has anyone taken classes at Pure NYC yet? I did and the room felt so tomb like (duh being so many floors below ground) and the new construction smells and "soot" were so distracting. Am I being overly sensitive? Exhale, Jivamukti, Reebok are all above street level and are so open and bright and airy ...

Hi Yoga Mom,
I'm actually planning to check Pure out soon and blog on it here next week. But interesting that it felt like a tomb. Are all the studios without windows? Very curious to try it.

Thanks!

I checked out Pure and was pretty turned off by the overwhelming "big gym" vibe; however, it is the only place around that I could find that offers early (before 7 am) classes. Other, smaller, "core" studios are great, but it is hard to make it to 9:30 am or 5 pm classes given my work schedule.