ABOUT US
Step Inside Our Sanctuary
From Humble Seeds
Living Yoga first opened its doors in 2009. Our sanctuary was located in a cozy 2nd floor space overlooking the corner of 78th Avenue and Queens Boulevard.
Our founder, Rei Farid, was an attorney who left her legal practice to teach yoga full time. She wanted the share the benefits of traditional yoga practices with the residents of Queens.
From those humble seeds, a vibrant and diverse spiritual community sprouted and grew.
New Beginnings
Living Yoga’s current owner, Joneil Adriano, is a former journalist who first joined the studio as a student in 2015 and later became one of its teachers. Like Rei, Joneil also took a leap of faith out of the corporate world.
He took the reins at Living Yoga in 2019, shepherding the studio through the coronavirus pandemic. While many yoga studios in New York City did not survive the year-long government mandated shutdown, Living Yoga reopened our doors in March 2021 — with a physically transformed sanctuary and a renewed sense of purpose.
Two years later, our studio community had grown by leaps and bounds. We had outgrown our original space. In January 2023, Living Yoga moved to its current location in the heart of Forest Hills, Queens.
The New Studio
Our new home is welcoming and supportive space where yogis are able to focus on their Self and their practice. We occupy a 2,300 square foot space on the corner of 71st Avenue and Queens Boulevard.
Heated classes are held in our 550 square foot Hot Room, which is kept toasty by overhead radiant panels. Non-heated practices are held in our Vinyasa Room, which is about 650 square feet.
Classes are generally capped at 18 students, although some classes are even smaller due to the availability of certain props.
We have a large seating area where you can hang out and socialize with your fellow yogis before or after class. We also have 4 changing stalls, plus plenty of storage for shoes, coats and bags.
Bathrooms are shared with other businesses in the building. There are no locker rooms or showers on the premises.
teaching philosophy
Our yoga classes don’t rely on fads or gimmicks. Instead, our offerings remain true to yoga’s roots. We believe the power and potency of traditional yogic practices that have been honed and developed through the ages.
At Living Yoga, we move, we chant, we meditate, and we Om. We live and breathe yoga.
However, we also understand that we all get on our yoga mats with different levels of experience and ability. We also know that our bodies and moods are constantly changing.
That’s why we offer classes several styles and lineages. Some of our classes are on the gentler side — with slow, mindful movements designed to soothe nerves and spark introspection. Other classes cater to bodies that crave challenging and dynamic poses to clear blockages and eliminate impurities.
Part of the beauty of yoga is that it is vast and diverse. This means the practice can be tailored to people where they are that day, at that moment.
dharma yoga affiliate
We are honored to be Queens’ first and only Dharma Yoga Affiliate. Created by Sri Dharma Mittra in 1975, Dharma Yoga is a modern interpretation of classical eight-limbed yoga.
Dharma Mittra is a renowned yoga master who has dedicated his life to the karma yoga or selfless service. With over 50 years of constant practice and teaching, he shares that accumulated wisdom at his yoga school in New York City and around the world.
For many years, Sri Dharma was the only yoga teacher in New York City teaching advanced yoga postures. Teachers from other schools and ashrams have always come to him to learn, practice, and then teach elsewhere.
core values
Yoga is a practice of unity and love.
It is about seeing yourself in every living being you encounter.
When we practice, we come together out of compassion, empathy, devotion, a desire to serve others, and a thirst for knowledge.
Our studio welcomes people of all races, cultures, languages, religious and spiritual beliefs, gender identities, sexual orientations, abilities, sizes, ages and backgrounds.
We reject violence, abuse, harassment, intimidation, degradation and discrimination against any member of our spiritual community.
We also commit — through our thoughts, words and actions — to help all beings everywhere be happy and free from suffering.
Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu.
