Brokelyn

Canoes in Prospect Park. Flickr photo by Megnyc.

Visit every bowling alley in Brooklyn, compete in the Punderdome, hit every spot on our Brooklyn brunch list– these are the Brooklyn things I resolve to do this year. Also: find a viable alternative to the Park Slope Food Coop, go to one workshop at Etsy labs and one weird meetup. I will bike that path along the Belt Parkway, wherever it starts. I will kayak on the Gowanus Canal. Maybe. I will canoe at Prospect Park. I will do as much free yoga as I can get to. This is the year I finally set foot inside the River Café, if only for a drink, get my butt to Roberta’s, eat a Peter Pan red velvet donut and go to Bed-Stuy to try doubles, a Trinidadian spicy chickpea sandwich of sorts. This summer I will trek out to Rockaway Taco and that truck in Sunset Park. I’m going to judge for myself whether Montreal bagel from Mile End deserve the hype. even if the Brokavore wasn’t impressed. I am going to volunteer in Brooklyn.

What are your Brooklyn resolutions for 2012?

Downward-facing adorable brat [Plum District]
When you’re hungry for coffee and deadlines [Brooklyn Based]
Jewpon, Jdeal, OyWhataDeal, ChristianDeals, Muslim-Deals now things [RNS]
Employed person lives like unemployed person [LearnVest]
We have nothing to fear but fear of bedbugs itself [Daily Intel]
Absolute terror [Gothamist]
Subways to become insufferable Tuesday [amNY]
Miracle whipsters bringing artisinal mayo to BK [Village Voice]

Gyms, they try so hard to get you in the door, what with their discounts and freebies and entreaties to karma. But what about for the rest of us who just plain don’t like the gym, those who think that running and working out means making your way through the elements, not plodding on an infinity wheel in air conditioning while watching your membership dollars used to broadcast Nate Berkus‘s bland face? The city is a bastion of free fitness opportunities, and Well+Good’s new inaugural free Summer Wellness Guide lays it all out for you: 20-pages of yoga, outdoor fitness classes, bootcamps, canoeing, many of which don’t cost a thing! Plus: skin care tips and healthy restaurants with outdoor dining and there’s even a mashup-heavy running playlist to get you started! Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes it seems like there’s yoga for every stripe of Brooklynite: free city sponsored yoga in Williamsburg, a handful of pay-what-you-wish yoga around the borough and even some online workouts for the stay-at-home-yogi. But how about a deal for a particularly stressed out folk who could benefit from a good downward facing dog? Plaza Wellness in Prospect Heights is offering unlimited $5 yoga classes all month to NYC school teachers. Just show your United Federation of Teachers card or other proof of employment to take advantage.  Read the rest of this entry »

You know your budget is beat.

Yoga is a beloved pastime for many Brooklynites, but making it a habit could quickly break the bank. How are you supposed to clear your mind when you’re thinking of the week of groceries you could’ve bought with that membership you just paid for, or that $20 you dropped on a single class? Luckily, you have plenty of chances to participate in donations-based classes around the borough; you can thank the concepts of karma and dharma for that! The highly trained yogis who run these classes are all motivated by sharing what they love with as many people as possible. Take a look at the studios that have the most opportunities to pay what you wish to be a part of a growing community. Read the rest of this entry »

via Jai Yoga Arts website

Reader Jessica Garro passed on this tip: new yoga studio in Jai Yoga Arts at 47 Thames Street in Bushwick (near the Morgan L) is offering unlimited free yoga through the end of the month. “We just opened and want to get to know everyone in the neighborhood!” the studio says on its website. Ten-year yoga teacher Ella Luckett opened the space last month. Check the full week’s schedule of events before you unroll that yoga mat.

The inner & outer benefits of backbends, on Yoga Today

Summer has long departed and with it went all the free outdoor workout opportunities, from Zumba in the park to Pilates under the bridge. Winter has far fewer options, which is why it’s tempting to stay inside hoarding cookies like a hibernating bear. If you can’t afford a gym (or fancy insulated running clothes), what do you do for a structured workout? We found a whole world of free online workout videos, perfect for the broke but healthy among us. Don’t worry: Buffed, Beautiful, and Bitchin’ on YouTube isn’t the only game in town. Read the rest of this entry »

This... is Nia

Human@Ease, the Greenpoint fitness and wellness center that puts your mind and body… at ease, is offering a last chance to bend and stretch outside before the cold completely takes over. This Saturday, Oct. 23, at McCarren Park, Human@Ease is holding its free Community Class Day. Head over to the NW field for free classes in Kundalini Yoga, Pilates, the always fun Zumba, Nia (“a sensory based movement lifestyle,” not the National Institute on Aging), kid’s Nia and prenatal belly-dancing. There’ll also be some massage tables set up, a few other special promotions and a raffle for deals on massage, strength training, reiki, sauna and other classes at the center.

Human@Ease Community Class Day, Saturday, Oct. 23, 1 to 4 p.m., McCarren Park on the NW field along Bedford and Lorimer Sts., Williamsburg

Photo by sporkist.

Maybe you’re a first-time yogi, maybe you’ve posed in the past and just need a little push back into your old transcendent ways. Whichever, there’s no time like the present to touch your toes and feel that surge of spiritual energy that leads straight to stress-free well-being. And forget the fancy studio with blasting A/C. Do it in nature, under the trees, with Yoga Sole‘s free Sunday-morning yoga classes in Prospect Park. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s yoga with your mat touching your sweaty neighbor’s, your arms touching uncomfortably in Warrior 2 and the instructor concentrating only on the pregnant lady. Then there’s Brokelyn-RAFFLE-OF-THE-CENTURY yoga: a private lesson on a rooftop, plus a free week of group yoga, courtesy of the good people at goodyoga. Win this one, and you’ll enjoy a one-on-one session with co-founder and vinyasa instructor, Flannery Foster, hailed as one of the city’s best. Read the rest of this entry »