There’s Bikram yoga, power yoga, aerial yoga, beach yoga….you may have think you’ve heard it all, but wait until you get a whiff of this.
To kick off the first day of National Yoga Month, I went to the Breathe Easy Spa in New York City, which has created a room made of salt to help you inhale and exhale through your Down Dog like never before.
The entire floor, like sand on the beach, is made of pink Himalayan rock salt. The walls, too, are covered with the micron-sized particles which emit naturally occurring negative ions through a process called halogenation. Touted benefits include reducing inflammation and detoxifying the lungs and sinuses. The small particles are supposed to embed deep into the lungs and once there, absorb bacteria, fight infection and help with mucus, which would otherwise block the airways. Just thirty minutes in the salt room can improve symptoms of allergies, asthma, snoring and sleep apnea, say the owners.
The teacher, Ellen Patrick, is a yoga therapist with over 1,200 hours of certified training under her belt. She helped me adjust my poses to do what works for my body and help me benefit the most. It’s a luxury not afforded in a normal yoga studio, where each person is worth a certain amount, monetarily, in square feet.
But, for the same price as a class anywhere else in New York City, I got personalized attention. In any given class, there are only four mats, total.
