YOGA NEWS ITEM

Brooklynites Indulge at Yoga & Spa Center

TUESDAY, 29 APRIL 2008

Yoga People & Urban Zen Spa will be hosting an open house on May 17 and 18 to celebrate their new integrated center on historic Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights. Participants are invited to a wine & food opening reception on Saturday, May 17 from 3-6pm and a free yoga class on Sunday, May 18th from 1-2pm.

Yoga People has been honoring the transformative power of yoga for almost a decade. With its expansion to historic Montague Street, Yoga People enters a new phase of growth just as spring emerges in Brooklyn. At the new center, Wendy and Regine have created a beautiful yoga space with a luxurious spa in an environment that pampers the body, mind, and soul. The center has been renovated to reflect Yoga People & Urban Zen Spa’s core values: eco-friendly design touches like sustainable bamboo flooring, zero-VOC paints, and eco-friendly massage tables ensure a rejuvenating experience that doesn’t deplete the world’s natural resources.

“I wanted our new space to have high ceilings and be illuminated with natural light and most of all, a cherry blossom tree outside our windows. The universe provided the perfect space,” says Yoga People owner Wendy Chanelis. “The bigger space will allow us to host larger workshops and to invite world-renowned guest teachers such as Senior Iyengar Yoga teacher Francois Raoult, who will host our first workshop in September.”

Wendy Chanelis of Yoga People has been living Yoga since 1989. For two years, she explored the various yoga offerings in New York City: Dharma Mittra, Integral, Iyengar, and Sivananda. In 1991, she settled into studying with then new-kids-on-the-block, David Life and Sharon Gannon, of Jivamukti where her practice deepened. She’s fond of mentioning how in 1994, David and Sharon, not so gently cajoled her into practicing with Ashtanga yoga guru, Pattabhi Jois, visiting from Mysore, India. Very soon thereafter, she traveled to Encinitas, California for one month to intensify her Ashtanga studies, again with Pattabhi Jois. A solid foundation of Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga has - even until today - paved the way of practice for Wendy. A great deal of sweat and some very sweet pain turned slowly into a labor of love. In 1998, she gave birth to her pride and joy… Yoga People.

Regine Rousseau, of Urban Zen Life, is NYS-licensed massage therapist and acupuncturist who resides in the neighboring community of Clinton Hill. She graduated from The Swedish Institute in April 2001 for massage and later studied with former Elizabeth Seton Birthing Center midwife and massage therapist Susanrachel Condon of Niara Healing Arts upon which she obtained certification for prenatal and postpartum massage. She is a graduate of Tri-State College of Acupuncture and pursued the study of this complimentary medicine because of its profound effects in treating chronic and acute muscular and neurological pain.

Rousseau has worked in some of NYC's top rated day spas including Soho Sanctuary for women and Great Jones day spa. She has serviced a variety of clientèle including high profile celebs, moms-to-be, cancer sufferers as well as cancer survivors, dancers and athletes. As a mother of two young children, she has witnessed the profound effects massage can have on children as well and has massaged babies, children, and teens of all ages.

Rousseau’s Urban Zen Spa offers a relaxing atmosphere where clients can benefit from organic facials, massages, body scrubs, slimming wraps, hand and foot treatments, acupuncture (for muscle pain and anxiety), and acupuncture face lifts. Urban Zen will also introduce a signature line of body scrubs, body butters, hand and foot care products, and therapeutic soaking salts appropriately named the Urban Zen Organics line in the near future.

“I wanted to create a hidden retreat that combined urban chic with down home warmth and friendliness, says Rousseau of Urban Zen Spa. “My guests can slip into a cozy robe and slippers, enjoy a warm neck pillow, sip on a refreshing beverage and snack on some goodies while waiting for their treatment.”

The new Yoga People is committed to providing a nurturing atmosphere with seasoned instructors for both the beginner and the dedicated yogi.

For more information on the new center, call 718-522-9642. You can also visit www.yoga-people.com or www.urbanzenlife.com.

About Yoga People
Located in the heart of Brooklyn Heights, Yoga People offers a serene studio for students to explore a full roster of yoga classes and workshops for bodies of every type and ability. With seasoned instructors that combine a variety of yoga styles, Yoga People remains dedicated to providing an intimate and compassionate community that honors the transformative power of yoga. Urban Zen Spa is the perfect oasis for New Yorkers to relax, rejuvenate, and renew.

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