Â
As the holidays approach, they always seem to bring with them those wearisome conflicts between temptations and realities: sample your favorite freshly baked cookies (just one, right?) or fit into that brand-new dress for New Year’s Eve? Another mug of peppermint schnapps hot chocolate or feel fresh enough to run in the morning?
It doesn’t seem to help that the one reliable solution – working it off – ends up as a choice between hiking your sleepy self to Payne Whitney, parking yourself on exercise machines in a dingy residential college basement gym, or having to endure freezing winds on a run up to east rock.  As the academic year drags on, we often forget there are a number of alternatives to spice up dreary routines.
Take yoga, for example.  Even though there are as many iterations of yoga styles as combinations of drinks at Starbucks these days, yoga in New Haven is a viable alternative for bored gym-rats, work-out haters, and self-proclaimed yoga addicts alike.  Three popular options, all in easy walking distance of the Yale bubble, are the yoga studios Fresh Yoga, Breathing Room, and Bikram New Haven.  Collectively, these studios offer over 65 classes each week, and many of them offer Yale student discounts.  Here’s a quick rundown:
Fresh Yoga 9th Square: Located on the corner of Orange and Crown streets (one block from Rite Aid), Fresh offers the widest variety of classes, from Melissa’s calm and centering mixed-level Vinyasa to Peg’s soreness-inducing Power Vinyasa rock-sessions.  Heated to an easily bearable 80 degrees, the one-room studio is a brightly painted space which accommodates up to 35 people.  Class packs let you practice a variety of classes, perfect for those looking to try out a number of styles before finding a favorite.  Check out their other classes!Â
Breathing Room Studio: Breathing Room Studio recently settled into their new studio space at 817 Chapel (less than a block from the far corner of The Green).  The studio is led by Margo Broom and her iconic dog “Bird.”  The duo creates Breathing Room’s characteristic vibe as the most personal and homey space of the three, sure to create a respite from the worst Yale-induced stress week.  For the workout-inclined, try Margo’s evening Power Vinyasa classes.  The studio’s teachers also have roots in the Iyengar tradition (alignment-focused), “Lotus Flow” (a “crunchy” NYC counterculture yoga) and Vinyasa Flow (breath-based, less time spent in each pose, more attention on transitions).  Find out what else they have to offer!Â
Bikram New Haven: Three words: hot, routine, and flexibility. Â Set in a 105 degree room, this style of yoga follows a set sequence of 26 poses each class, which is a particularly effective method for increasing flexibility fast (and losing a lot of water weight). Â You will love it or hate it (rarely do you find any in-between opinions), but the studio makes it easy for beginners to test it out with a newbie special. Â Located underground at 59 Elm, they offer four classes each weekday (6 am, noon, 5:30 pm, 7:30 pm) and two options on the weekend. Â Find more information here!
And don’t forget to check out Yogis at Yale’s free classes in the basement of Berkeley once they start up again next semester.  These classes, particularly useful for the fiscally-challenged college student, are taught by a group of undergraduate Yalies and open to all levels.  All their information is updated online.
So next time you find yourself struggling to work off those holiday treats, grab your favorite pair of stretchy pants and hit up a class in New Haven, regardless of whether you’re a yogi or not.  Remember that each teacher and each class is different, so don’t judge the entire practice from one class.  This way, you might even be able to have those cookies and keep your figure, too.
Â