A Visit to Stanton Street Yoga

Text and Photos by Stacie Joy

The people at Stanton Street Yoga, 196A Stanton St. between Ridge and Attorney, welcome me with hugs to what is billed as a kirtan love feast on a chilly January Friday night.

It’s my first experience with kirtan, which I’m told is a “dynamic form of chanting meditation with sacred mantras in a call-and-response rhythm to unite mind body and soul.” This is to be followed by a house-made Ayurvedic vegan dinner, which features cauliflower pakora, and is open to all levels of yogis and meditators.





I arrive early because I’m not sure what to expect. The yoga studio is kitted out with bolsters and blankets, people are drinking spiced chai made by sanctuary director of operations Mario Cornejo, and there is a candlelit space set up for the facilitators to play instruments (the harmonium, karatalas cymbals and mridanga drums) and chant.








[Mario Cornejo]

Cofounder Dhyana Masla and studio manager and senior teacher Ira Ruiz answer my questions about the studio and its community before Ruiz sits down to lead the event.

What is Stanton Street Yoga’s history, and why choose the Lower East Side for its home?

Masla: In 2011, my sister Syama and I moved to NYC to start Stanton Street Yoga. Invited by the owners of Sanctuary Guest Suites, the accommodations above Stanton Street Yoga, the vision was to create a retreat center for traveling guests — a sanctuary to come home to after a day of touring NYC where you can rest, attend yoga and meditation classes ... a real spiritual oasis.

The foundation of the studio was built upon the desire to offer the culture, lifestyle, and deep teachings of yoga that, if applied, bring about life transformation and actual happiness. We live in a society where most people approach yoga as exercise, though it’s so much more than that.

Syama and I taught every class on the schedule for the first year, before launching yoga teacher training (which happens twice per year in the studio) and gradually built the team of teachers we have now.


[Ira Ruiz]


[Yoga instructors Alexis Zaccone and Naushin Rahman]

How do you describe the community of people at Stanton Street Yoga?

Ruiz (who answered this and the rest of my questions): All-inclusive and deeply rooted in building lasting relationships, something that in NYC is hard to find as everything is always changing and people are always coming and going.

Throughout the years we were gifted with steady seekers that are invested in their own personal journey to health and healing. From their desire and commitment to find connection, we have been able to step forward into our dharma (purpose/duty) of sharing not only the physical practice of yoga, which gives us so many benefits that improve our emotional, mental and physical health, but also the deeper teachings, which offer spiritual growth and transformation.







Do you see an influx of people in search of health and wellness at the start of the new year? Do people usually stick with it, what help can you offer to encourage folks to stay, and what do you tell someone who believes they’re just too busy to try yoga?

Every new year brings a desire to complete what one wasn’t able to the year before. New Year’s resolutions bring a lot of new faces through our doors as people are perhaps reconsidering their patterns and habits that may no longer serve them.

I encourage realistic goals! Setting yourself up for success means that you meet yourself where you are, and our tribe is devoted to meeting you where you are in order to build a sustainable practice that allows you to stay committed. We believe in progress not perfection, therefore I encourage individuals to always set long-term goals, but focus more on the little things we can do each day to move forward toward the best version of ourselves.

Do you find yourself competing for people’s time and attention who could be swayed to try the increasingly popular HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and CrossFit classes as well as the plethora of fitness apps?

While there is a large group of fitness classes and offerings all over NYC, we believe each individual belongs somewhere, and your vibe attracts your tribe. At Stanton we offer more than just physical and alignment-based classes, we offer an opportunity to connect to something deeper and beyond the external.

What’s next for Stanton Street Yoga? Any expansion plans?

We are soon to inaugurate our brand-new healing and treatment space, which will be used for Ayurveda consultations, private healing sessions such as reiki, sound baths, breathwork and bodywork. We also have further teacher trainings including breathwork facilitator trainings in Florida, and 300-hour teacher trainings in India.

Early morning look at the fire-damaged SE corner of 2nd Avenue and 7th Street

Here's a 6 a.m.-look at the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street following the three-alarm fire that started here yesterday afternoon shortly before 4...



A lone police car is on the scene...



FDNY officials said that the fire started on "a lower floor" of the five-story building and spread up to the top floor before it was extinguished by about 140 firefighters, according to published reports. The cause is under investigation. Five firefighters were treated for minor injuries.

Here's more via the Post:

The owner of Cafe Mocha, the ground-floor restaurant, said he smelled the fire before the building went up in flames.

"I was in the restaurant and we smelled the fire coming from the bathroom. We smelled it, I think, coming through the shaft," owner Ghasan Ballan said.

"I feel bad for the residents, they have no home," he added.

No other word at the moment on the status of the two retail tenants here — Cafe Mocha and Via Della Pace ... or the displaced tenants of the building with 15 units.

One report said that the building suffered extensive interior damage.

Updated 8:30 a.m.

One tenant of the building left this comment on our Facebook post:

I am a tenant of the building. Live on the top floor. Thank you all for your concern. All tenants and animals (including my 2 cats) are safe and sound. Thankfully my family is blessed with much love and support from family, friends and neighbors. According to my super, building has much smoke and water damage. Will take about a year to restore the building.

Dun-Well Doughnuts is done with St. Mark's Place

After three-plus years of serving vegan doughnuts from 102 St. Mark's Place, Dun-Well is closing its East Village outpost this coming Sunday (Feb. 16).

The storefront recently arrived on the rental market, and we knew something was up — a move or a closure.

Dun-Well made the announcement on Instagram yesterday:

In order to focus upon new endeavors at our flagship Brooklyn location and to expand our wholesale operations, we have decided to close our St. Mark's location this month. This is a bittersweet decision as we have loved being part of the St. Mark's community over the past few years. We hope you’ll continue to support us as we move into our next chapter!

Dun-Well can now be found in almost 20 NYC locations including several Whole Foods Markets and cafes throughout Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens and we plan to expand our reach to bring our doughnuts to an even larger community.

Christopher Hollowell and Dan Dunbar opened the first Dun-Well in East Williamsburg in 2011. They debuted on St. Mark's between Avenue A and First Avenue in July 2016, shuttling in fresh doughnuts daily from their Montrose Avenue HQ.

Given the outpouring over the closing announcement on Instagram, Dun-Well will be missed on St. Mark's Place.

H/T Steven!

It is alive: Bait & Hook is returning — under new management

A for rent sign arrived at the recently shuttered Bait & Hook on the northwest corner of 14th Street and Second Avenue several weeks ago.

Now, as EVG regular Pinch notes, there's a new sign on the space: "Opening soon under new management."

Bait & Hook debuted with promises of a New England-style seafood restaurant in September 2012. In the opening announcement, Executive Chef Joe Bachman said: "We wanted to open a place that offered New Yorkers an affordable, casual dining experience, with the feel of a seafood shack but the taste of an ocean-side eatery."

The space eventually became another sports bar and SantaCon stop.

View this post on Instagram

Come join us tomorrow for Santacon 🎅🏼at Bait & Hook 14th St and 2nd Ave. Live Dj, No Cover Charge and Enjoy our all day Specials.

A post shared by Bait & Hook (@baitandhook) on Dec 7, 2018 at 5:27pm PST

We'll see what version of Bait & Hook the new management decides to go with...

Updating: FDNY battling 3-alarm fire on the southeast corner of 2nd Avenue and 7th Street

The FDNY is responding to a report of a multiple-dwelling fire on the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Seventh Street...





The first report came in at 4 p.m. ... the FDNY has since upgraded this to a three-alarm fire. The addresses are 48 Seventh St. and 116 Second Ave. The ground-floor retail tenants are Via Della Pace on Seventh Street and Café Mocha on the corner.

MAN 3-ALARM 48 E 7 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE IN THE WALLS AND COCKLOFT,

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) February 10, 2020

No word of any injuries at the moment.

Updating

Here's a look via Steven just after 5 p.m. ...











And a video clip from a Citizen user...

Three-Alarm Fire Spread Through Ductwork @CitizenApp

48 E 7th St 3:49:00 PM EST

Updated 6 p.m.

The FDNY has yet to issue an all clear... you can see the extent of the damage to the corner building... (photos by Steven)...





Updated 6:40 p.m.





Updated 7 p.m.

The FDNY issued the under control at 6:43 ... no early word on the cause of the fire...

MAN 3-ALARM 48 E 7 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING HEAVY FIRE ON MULTIPLE FLRS, UNDER CONTROL

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) February 10, 2020

Updated 7:38 p.m.

Per PIX 11:

There was fire in the walls of all five floors..., officials said. The first floor is a restaurant and the floors above it are apartments.

Firefighters knocked out windows so they could reach the blaze inside. There were 140 firefighters at the scene.

Five firefighters reportedly received non-life-threatening injuries.

REMINDER: North side L-train entrance opens on Avenue A today

[Photo from Saturday]

As we first reported last week, the L train's new Avenue A north entrance — for Eighth Avenue-bound commuters — debuts today (Feb. 10).

Here's a look around the outside of the two entrance on the Stuy Town side of 14th Street...







MTA officials have said that the entrance is opening with "temporary finishes."

With this debut, the MTA will now close the north-side entrance on First Avenue on Feb. 17 for renovations.

Here's the full schedule of what to expect from The L Project e-newsletter:

• Starting this Friday night (around 10), you'll use the Avenue A north entrance to access trains in both directions on weekends and weeknights.

• On Monday, Feb. 17, the First Avenue north entrance will close for reconstruction. Like the other side, this will take about three months, so we're estimating a May 2020 completion. While this work is happening, both entrances to the First Avenue Station will be located at Avenue A.

• Once we complete the First Avenue entrances, the ones at Avenue A will close again for a bit so we can do the final finishes.

When all the construction is wrapped up, the revamped 14th Street First Avenue station will have four entrances — including the two on either side of 14th Street at Avenue A as well as two new platform-to-street ADA elevators that will be ready for use this summer. (Find more details on this MTA advisory.)

The Brooklyn-bound side arrived this past Nov. 4 at Avenue A.

No word just yet from the MTA about when all four entrances — two at First Avenue and two at Avenue A — will all be accessible at the same time. Also, the work on the new substation at 14th Street and Avenue B is expected to wrap up this spring.

Village Crêperie coming soon to 9th and A

We heard rumors of a coffee-crepe shop opening along 441-445 E. Ninth St. (aka 145 Avenue A). And now we have confirmation: Signage for Village Crêperie arrived over the weekend. (Thanks to EVG reader Sean Nahlik for the photo!)

The cafe will join Social Tees as new tenants along these Icon Realty-owned storefronts on Ninth Street at Avenue A, where the previous newish retail tenants mostly vacated last year.

H/T Steven!

Openings: Strings Ramen on 2nd Avenue

Strings Ramen is up and running at 188 Second Ave. at 12th Street.

This is the fifth outpost for Strings Ramen, a regular on the best-of ramen lists in its home turf of Chicago and the United States. (There's also a location in Madison, Wisconsin.)

Among other dining options, Strings features the Monster Hell Ramen Challenge, an extreme dare in which participants have to sign a waiver before attempting. Here's one write-up of it:

[The challenege] involves eating an entire bowl of level five spicy ramen in 20 minutes or less without leaving the table or guzzling more than the measly single allotted glass of water. It’s not hard to understand why: The level five Hell Ramen is fueled by no fewer than five different kinds of peppers, including ghost (which you’ve heard of) and scorpion (which you probably haven’t – it’s from Trinidad, and has been listed among the world’s hottest). The fact that the peppers infuse the broth, which soaks deeply into the bowl’s other ingredients, makes the heat completely impossible to dodge. And after your second or third bite, your tongue is essentially immersed in a spice-spiked lake of fire.

"Winners" receive a $50 gift certificate and a Monster Hell t-shirt... oh and the bowl is free.

Their hours are listed as 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., according to Yelp.

Perhaps Strings Ramen will be able to make this space work. As previously noted, the restaurants at 188 Second Ave. haven't fared well in recent years (at least since old-timer Shima got rent-hiked out of here in January 2014). Lumos Kitchen lasted three months in 2018. Others to make quick departures in the past five years were Hot Pot Central, DumplingGuo and Dumpling Go.

Openings: Lovenburg on 6th Street

Lovenberg is now serving a menu featuring Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine at 328 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Aside from a variety of burgers, the menu includes some grilled fish options, pastas and salads ... you can see for yourself here...



Lovenburg opened its first outpost in Turkey in 2018, and ownership decided to bring their concept here.

The restaurant is open daily from noon to 10 p.m. Find their website at this link.

Another look at the incoming tech hub

Quick update on progress at the tech hub (aka Zero Irving) on 14th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

Late last week workers started on the deck for the third level of what will be a 21-floor building...



Workers also completed installation of the sidewalk bridge along 14th Street to move pedestrians inside the building footprint ...



One full lane of 14th Street has now been blocked off outside the site for construction work. In July 2018, during a televised hearing, the reps for the developer promised that all demolition and construction work would be done within the bounds of the property. That obviously isn't happening.

The building, developed jointly by the city’s Economic Development Corp. and RAL Development Services, will feature 14 floors of market-rate office space as well as "a technology training center and incubator, co-working spaces, state-of-the-art event space, and street level food hall on the seven floors beneath," per the Zero Irving announcement issued last October.

The project, championed by Mayor de Blasio and initially announced in early 2017, passed through the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Process earlier in 2018, capped off by a unanimous City Council vote — led by local Councilmember Carlina Rivera — in August 2018. A rezoning was required to build the the structure, which is larger than what current commercial zoning allows.

The approval came despite the pleas of some residents, activists, small-business owners and community groups who had long expressed concern that the rezoning necessary for the project would spur out-of-scale development on surrounding blocks.

The new building, on the former site of a P.C. Richard & Son, has a completion date for the spring of 2021, per the renderings onsite.

Previously on EV Grieve:
First sign of the tech hub — aka Zero Irving — above ground on 14th Street

A look at tonight's CB3-SLA agenda

[Brasserie Saint Marc]

Community Board 3's SLA & DCA Licensing Committee will meet twice this week to hear applicants vying for new or modified liquor licenses.

Brasserie Saint Marc, which opened at 136 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street in October, is back on the agenda for the following proposed changes:

Brasserie Saint Marc (UKI Freedom LLC), 136 2nd Ave (op/method of operation/add DJ, Live Music (Acoustic), promoted events, any event at which a cover fee is charged, scheduled performances, add more than 12 private parties per year, add unlimited drink specials, add boozy brunches with food, extend Happy Hour, add Jukebox and Karaoke, add Video/Arcade Games)

They withdrew their application ahead of last month's committee meeting.

Ownership is also seeking a license for a sidewalk cafe. Also on the sidewalk cafe agenda tonight: Ruby's Café, which debuted this past October at 198 E. 11th St. at Third Avenue.

Here's a look at the rest of the agenda for tonight's meeting:

• El Sombrero (Two Almontes Corp), 108 Stanton St. (op/alt: to use basement to store alcohol/method of operation: change hours to 11 am to 2 am Sunday thru Thursday and 11 am to 4 am Friday and Saturday; change number of employees to 8; to hire 1 security personnel for Friday and Saturday to check ID)

• The Crown (Bridgeview Hotel LLC), 50 Bowery (op/method of operation/add recorded/background music to roof-top space)

• Norman's Cay (Norman's Cay Group LLC), 74 Orchard St. (op/alt/to license adjacent space)

New Liquor License Applications

• Ichibantei (Lucky One Enterprises LLC), 20 St Marks Pl (op)

• Corp to be formed by Erinson Salce, 112 Rivington St. (op)

• Cozy Cafe (Cozy Cafe Corp), 43 E. 1st St. (upgrade to op)

• Nostro East Village (Romi Ripa LLC), 75 2nd Ave (wb)

A noteworthy scratch: Applicants for Ichibantei have been on the CB3-SLA agenda multiple times dating to November 2018 for the former Grassroots space on St. Mark's Place.

Tonight's meeting starts at 6:30, Perseverance House Community Room, 535 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

We'll have details later about CB3's SLA committee meeting on Wednesday night.

Last nite

Multiple EVG readers mentioned seeing the ad Friday night and last night for the upcoming (surprise?) Strokes record being projected on the above building on Second Avenue at First Street. (H/T @GramPeder!) The projector was atop Avalon Bowery Place across East Houston.

As several music sites noted, the band posted a video clip featuring artwork for the new project apparently taken from a 1981 Jean-Michel Basquiat piece titled "Bird on Money"...

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Strokes (@thestrokes) on Feb 7, 2020 at 2:20pm PST

The band last released a studio album in 2013.

Week in Grieview

[Wednesday on St. Mark's Place via Derek Berg]

At the opening night of 'The Devil Probably: A Century of Satanic Panic' series at the Anthology Film Archives (Wednesday)

A visit to a poetry reading at Odessa (Tuesday)

King Kong lives: How a favorite stuffed animal from childhood became part of a community garden (Friday)

A Broadway-worthy marriage proposal where east meets west (Thursday)

Lawsuit filed to stop East River Park demolition (Friday)

Factory Tamal now open on 4th Street (Tuesday)

Ray returns! (Saturday)

Duane Reade by Walgreens closing on 10th Street and Third Avenue (Thursday)

North side L-train entrance opens at Avenue A on Feb. 10 (Tuesday)

Le Sia is back in action on 7th Street (Thursday)


[Eye watch at the Regal Union Square via Derek Berg]

Report: Target will replace the Food Emporium in Union Square — in 2023 (Thursday)

Cloud99 Vapes has closed on 2nd Avenue (Thursday)

First sign of the tech hub — aka Zero Irving — above ground on 14th Street (Monday)

Thai Direct is under renovation on Avenue A (Wednesday)

Live above the iconic Block Drugs (Monday)

Report: State says landlords must now pay broker fees, not tenants (Thursday)

You HAD your chance to buy the 7-Eleven retail space on the Bowery (Monday)

Doma Food and Drinks debuts on 1st Avenue (Wednesday)

Melt Shop closes on 4th Avenue (Tuesday)

The Whale Tea beaches itself on 14th Street (Wednesday)

Becky's Bites moves on 7th Street (Monday)

... and several readers have asked about this figure that has appeared around the neighborhood in recent weeks... no word on who the artist is...





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The Astor Place Kmart has your holidays covered!

If you're looking to knock off all your upcoming holiday shopping with one trip, then look no further than the Astor Place Kmart.

Aside from the expected Valentine's Day (this coming Friday!) gifts ...



Goggla reports that the St. Patrick's Day goods (no beer display!) ...



... and Easter (April 12) items are all ready...



We'll check back next month for the Thanksgiving display.

Ray returns!

Ray is out of hospital ... and back at Ray's Candy Store today at 113 Avenue A, Peter Brownscombe tells us.

As previously reported, Ray, who turned 87 last month, was hospitalized for emergency hernia surgery on Jan. 23.

Those who saw Ray today note that he is in very good spirits.

Local Knowledge Reading Series comes to the Parkside Lounge tomorrow (Sunday!)

Here's info about the latest reading via Local Knowledge, a biannual literary and art magazine.

Tomorrow (Sunday, Feb. 9!) afternoon at 2, the reading features Sanjay Agnihotri, Mike DeCapite and Greg Masters (a frequent EVG contributor) at the Parkside Lounge, 317 E. Houston St. at Attorney...

Daystarter (sun is back edition)

Sunrise shot from 10th and B today via Vinny & O...

'Prism' break

San Francisco's synth-pop group Cold Beat is back with a new LP (titled Mother) coming out on Feb. 28. The video here is for the record's second single, "Prism."