Re-Opening Protocol - Updated 8/25/20

It's been a long haul!  I hope you and your loved ones have remained steadfast and healthy through this time.  At long last, we are able to re-open!!! I truly believe in the tremendous power of this yoga to keep us all strong and healthy; but we have to make sure we can practice in a way that will keep us all safe -- students and staff — and that we are in compliance with all the New York State and CDC guidelines.  Please read the following protocols carefully!  These are in place to ensure that the studio can open with every precaution possible to eliminate the transmission of COVID-19.  Thank you for your support!
 

NEW PROTOCOLS FOR SAFETY

We will be re-opening on Thursday, August 27 with the 6:00 p.m. class. We are taking extra precautions to help our community stay safe and healthy. This includes extensive cleaning protocols and social distancing practices in our shared space.
 
If you are not ready to come back to class, we will experiment with offering simultaneous Zoom classes during our regular in-person classes.  We did this a couple times before the shutdown, and it seemed to work ok (and I have become MUCH more proficient in the past 5 months!) Please email the studio if that is the case.
The safety of our students and teachers is our #1 priority. We also must comply with all directives from the state and the CDC, and we ask your cooperation in order that we can open correctly, and remain open!

Upon entering the studio, please proceed directly to the front desk, where you will be checked in, and your temperature taken with a touchless thermometer. Please sanitize your hands (sanitizer is provided at the front desk) and proceed directly to the yoga room. If it is your first time back to the studio, you will be asked to sign our special COVID waiver, with up-to-date contact information. The cubbies have been moved into the main area and placed at an appropriate distance from each other, so if you need to place personal items in the cubbies, you can. The yoga room has been marked off to ensure 6 feet of space between all students, the teacher, and the door. Please place your mat in one of the assigned spaces. Masks must be worn the entire time you are inside the building, including during class. PLEASE NOTE: the CDC states that bandanas and gaiters are not acceptable face coverings. There are several options for athletic, wicking face masks — check out the companies Onzie, Athleta, and Rothy’s; and you are of course able to temporarily remove your mask to drink, as long as you maintain the 6 foot distance. We also ask that you observe “sweatiquette” — please keep all bodily fluids on your own mat and towel. If you sweat profusely, bring an extra towel (or two! or three!); and definitely avoid making a dripping river on the floor on your way out the door.

Class sizes are no longer limited, as of May 2021, and pre-registration is no longer required. Please be on time — the door will be locked and class will start promptly on time. Classes can be purchased at the studio, or online  HERE.

We will not offer any rental equipment — please bring your own mat and towel, and any other accoutrements that you need for class. Please avoid using the changing rooms and showers if at all possible, as it will be difficult to maintain social distancing in the changing rooms. Shared items such as hair dryers will be unavailable.

The studio will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between classes, using top-of-the-line cleaning products. Every teacher and karma yogi is trained in appropriate cleaning methods for the studio.
Please, if you are feeling at all unwell do not show up to class!   Call your doctor and get tested if you suspect you may have been exposed to COVID or have any COVID symptoms such as headache, fever, cough or fatigue.  If you test positive for COVID and you have attended class anytime prior, PLEASE let the studio know ASAP so that we may let the students and teachers know.  It is up to each of us to be reasonable and responsible. 

We have installed MERV-13 filters in the furnace, per the state and CDC guidelines. We also have a state-of-the-art ventilation system, which pulls fresh air in directly from outside and vents studio air directly out. We will keep the fresh air system running during the entire class. We will also be forgoing pranayama and kapalbhati, using only normal breathing (through the nose only) during class.
 
BEING HERE:
This is the most heartbreaking rule of all for me.  I LOVE seeing all of you, and I love the socializing and community we have here at the studio.  But in order to keep it safe we ask that you not linger.  Again, please do not change or shower at the studio if you can help it.   We ask that the space is kept for hot yoga practice ONLY for the present time.  And of course we will update you as things change.

Thank you again for your support -- I can't wait to see you all back at the studio!

Much love,
Stephanie