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}\NAN DA ASHRAM Type of yoga: Hatha This laid-back little ashram just outside of Monroe, NY, was founded by Sri Brahmananda in 1964 and vibrates with a very unusual energy that compels most people to return. Other for a visit and never leave! Back in the 1960s, when Guruji (Sri Brahmananda) was still in his cal body, over a hundred people lived on the ashram grounds, camping in the 200 acres of -land that surround the three main houses. Today, the ashram is much mellower, but offers a program including yoga classes and meditation twice a day, Sanskrit language classes, "u'u,"un,," Indian dance and Vedanta philosophy. The nightly rate for a single room is $55 during the week $65 on weekends. Dorm rooms are slightly cheaper. This includes all meals (delicious vpo'pto,,;nn i food), meditation and yoga classes. To get there, take the Shortline to Monroe. Get off at the station, then hail a cab to take you up the hill to the ashram. Contact: 914-782-5575, www.anandaashram.org OMEGA INSTITUTE FOR HOLISTIC STU DIES Type of Yoga: Hatha, Kripalu Omega is a spiritual training center with a New Age, star-studded faculty including likes of Deepak Chopra, Thich Nhat Hahn, Jack Kornfield, Ram Dass and Grace Iw.,nrV-TWO years ago, three dynamic young people searching for effective ncrease human health and happiness started the Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. Today, m to have achieved their goal. Omega offers more than 250 workshops, retreats nm,T.'"",nnl trainings-including specific yoga retreats and daily asana classes. A two hundred attends to your needs, including creating an amazing buffet of ian and vegan food three times daily. (Incidently, the staff life at Omega is attractive in itself. If you want to spend an entire summer at Omega, call 914-26 and ask for a Seasonal Staff application.) To get there, take an Amtrak Rhinecliff. Omega offers a shuttle from the train station to the Institute on Friday afternoons and a return shuttle on Sunday afternoons. Otherwise, take a taxi, which cost you about SIS. The Institute operates from April to late October and is closed ove the winter. Contact: 800-944-1001, www.omega-inst.org HOUR RADIUS SIVANANDA ASHRAM YOGA RETREAT Paradise Island, Nassau, Bahamas Type of Yoga: Hatha If you want to venture further afield and escape the concrete jungle for more than an hour and a half, consider this one of Sivananda's four ashrams located abroad. Sitting on four acres of private beach on Paradise Island, accessible only by boat, this ashram offers solitude, the sounds of the sea, vegetarian food, daily yoga and meditation prac tice and not a whole lot else. The ashram's program is based on Swami Vishnu Devananda's five points: proper exercise (asanas), proper breathing (pranayama), proper relaxation (savasan), proper diet (vegetarian) and positive thinking (Vedanta) and meditation. There are two daily yoga and meditation sessions, which you will be required to attend. Closer to home, Sivananda also has a yoga ranch in the Catskills (www.sivananda.org/ranch.html) and a center in New York City (212-255-4560). Contact: 800-441-2096 or 800-783-YOGA, www.sivananda.org AshtClnga: A rigorous series of asanas that originated in Mysore, India. Ashtanga can either be done individually, at your own pace (Mysore-style) or in a group led by a teacher (led-style). HClthCl: A general term referring to physical exertion through asanas toward self real ization. KClrmCl: Yoga in the form of selfless service to others and to the environment. It does not include asanas. KriyCl: This system comes from the lineage of two of India's greatest yogis: Babaji Maharaja and his sister Mataji. Kriya involves some asanas, but it is mostly breath and internal energy techniques. Yoga Vedanta Center, Sivananda, 212-255-4560, www.sivananda.org Movement Studios, Kripalu, 212-645-3686 Studio, Ashtanga, Led, Mysore, 212-666-5816, www.thepranastudio.com ;./ I:Kulldalini Yogo East, Kundalini, 212-982-5959 york Center for Kripalu Yoga L Health, Kripalu, 212-645-4519 International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, Hatha, 212-243-5995, ISHTA (Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra and Ayurveda), 212-647-9642, KundCllini: Asanas designed to awaken the kundalini, or energy sourced at the base of the spine. Once awakened, kundalini then rises up the spine, illuminating each chakra, or energy center. lyengClr: Emphasis is placed on physical alignment to reach deeper levels of aware ness. Power: This is a blend of India's ancient asanas and modern gymnastics, designed to enlighten you. Power yoga draws from the fast pace of urban life and spins it into something positive. This is a path that uses the senses to go beyond the senses. It often includes excessive forays into things usually considered profane (such as sex). VinyosCl: A way of practicing yoga that involves the flow of one asana into another. Park Asana Center (Dharma Mittra), Hatha, 212-889-8160 Village Yoga Institute, Hatha, 212-929-0586, www.integralyogaofnewyork.org Village Yoga, Hatha, 212-254-1384 Yoga Center of NY, Kundalini, 212-475-0212 Wellness Center, Jivamukti and Hatha, 212-473- 1068, www.sohowellness.com Park Slope Yoga Center, Jivamukti, Vinyasa, Hatha, 718-789-2288 i !Wililiarnsb,urg: Go Yoga, various Hatha styles, 718-486-5602, www.billburg.com Heights: Yoga People, Vinyasa, 718-522-9642