Veteran UES Yoga Teacher Opens New Non-Hot, Non-Corporate Studio

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Longtime yoga teacher and Upper East Sider Jean Koerner has officially opened her new independent yoga studio on Lexington Avenue.

Yoga on Lex, located on the second floor of 965 Lexington Ave. between East 70th Street and East 71st Street, offers classic vinyasa yoga, sound baths, meditation and Reiki in a non-corporate, non-hot yoga setting. The studio held its soft opening on June 17.

For Koerner, the opening feels like a homecoming.

"I live in the neighborhood, I was born at Lenox Hill. It's kind of a full-circle moment," Koerner told Patch.

Her yoga journey began in the 1980s, just before the New York City yoga boom. At the time, Koerner was working as a graphic designer and turned to yoga while recovering from back surgery.

"I was using it to recover from back surgery, so it was a form of physical therapy for me," Koerner said.

Over the decades, Koerner has owned, operated and taught at studios throughout Manhattan, including Yoga Zone, YogaWorks, ISHTA, Bowery Yoga and OM City Yoga. Along the way, she estimates she has trained more than 1,000 yoga teachers.

"I am an educator, so I describe myself as a teacher," Koerner said. "I don't have clients, I have students."

That philosophy is reflected in Yoga on Lex, which she describes as a neighborhood studio centered on both movement and stillness.

In addition to vinyasa classes, the studio offers yin and restorative yoga, meditation, sound baths and Reiki sessions. The mindfulness workshops, she said, are an especially important part of her mission. She's also getting a degree in psychoanalysis.

The class lineup ranges from introductory and basic flow classes to more dynamic offerings. Koerner said additional programming is on the way, including chair yoga, bone-density-focused classes, kids yoga and partner yoga.

"I think it would be fun to do a date night partner yoga class," Koerner said. "There’s so many great restaurants on the block — yoga, then eating."

The studio is currently operating on a soft-opening schedule, with plans to expand offerings in the coming weeks. Koerner said she expects to add more classes at 8 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to accommodate a wider range of schedules.

To introduce neighbors to the new space, Yoga on Lex is offering several opening promotions, including an $18 first class, a two-week unlimited package for $54 and 10 percent off with the code "FRIENDS."

For Koerner, however, the studio's mission extends beyond yoga poses and fitness goals. Ultimately, she said, her goal is simple.

"That they feel better in the day-to-day, they're better neighbors, kinder people," Koerner said. "Whatever we're doing, yoga can help us to do it better."

Know of a business opening or closing in Manhattan? Email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.