Atmananda New York
112 East 23rd St #200
NYC 10010
212-625-1511
My experience taking Hip Opening Class at Atmananda in NYC
My Instructor Laura Gundrum’s story:
“I’m a distance runner and working the same leg and hip muscles over and over so my hips were always busted up. I had tightness and soreness in the hip area and had to take time off from running. I started practicing yoga four times a week to cross train and I fell in love with how yoga made my body feel.” – Laura Gundrum
Laura found Atmananda after doing research on the top 10 yoga studios in New York and once she took class at the studio she was hooked.
Why is a Hip Opening class important?
“We are all walking and sitting, and we are tight all day. If you don’t stretch, you have tension in the core which radiates out to the hips. Even standing, if you are not stacking hips over knees and knees over ankles you are out of alignment.”
What is the one thing you can say is the most important benefit of yoga?
“Yoga is so much more than a physical practice. I started doing yoga as way of cross training for running but I realized that yoga is so much more. It’s mediation. Yoga is a therapeutic practice that connects your body and your mind.”
About the Hip Opening class:
The cues in this class were super helpful. Of all the poses, I liked the frogs and child’s pose best. These poses are traditional in most yoga classes but for some reason I felt like I was going deeper into these two positions unlike in other classes. I think it was because child’s pose and frogs were done later in the class not at the beginning of class and I chose a variation of the poses that really helped to open my hips.
I also loved the Atmananda yoga mats with the visual guides. It was helpful to know that I was in proper alignment. And, as it turns out my body is longer than I thought and the use of the guided mat allowed me to see how far I was able to keep my alignment while stretching, which for me is super important.
Overall Atmananda is a wonderful yoga studio with great energy. The studio is laid back and welcoming. At Atmanada, they teach a specific type of Vinyasa yoga sequence that was created by Atmananda Yoga founder, Jhon Tamayo in 1994. The added benefit of class, which I loved, was Laura’s knowledgeable about the body and was able to explain how each posture helped our everyday concerns. This information made all the difference and allowed me to really go deeper into the stretches.
By Tasha Norman, Founder NYC Dance Week and FitEngine. Co-Owner Lifespan Pilates
