Aisha Tukur
This yogi has taken “nama-stay at home” seriously.
While most people don’t dream of sleeping at the office or welcoming strangers and celebrities into their houses daily, Alex Schatzberg does — because he legally has to.
The longtime East Villager signed a rare live-work lease in 2017, which requires that he run a business out of the space to allow him to call it home.
So, New Vibe Yoga studio, on the top floor of the 1833 townhouse at 9 St. Marks Place, is where he does headstands during the day and lays his head at night.
“Honestly, it’s a dream to live here,” the 37-year-old told The Post of the space, which also serves as a boutique and art gallery along with daily yoga class offerings — often frequented by the likes of Alan Cumming.
It might seem strange that Schatzberg enjoys living where he works, but you’ll probably change your mind once you ascend the wooden spiral staircase to unit 3 — which is exactly what he wants you to do.
“When you walk in the building and you first circumnavigate the stairwell, you’ve already done this 360-degree shift energetically,” the yogi said.
The front door opens to a bright, 1,600-square-foot space that looks more like a cabin in the Catskills than an apartment in Manhattan.
The open-concept area is covered in recycled wood with oak floors, pine board walls, a ceiling supported by rare wooden beams and mahogany and white pine countertops — used as kitchen counters, a check-in desk and Schatzberg’s teaching perch.
Drenched in natural light coming through the skylights, large windows partially obscured by trees growing inside and outside help block out the noise and chaotic energy of St. Marks Place to allow for a tranquil space.
The majority of the space acts as the yoga studio, allowing up to 25 people to set down their mats and be led by Schatzberg or other members of his small team. When class isn’t in session, the space remains physically empty, but the creative energy flows.
Take a few more steps inside and classic red brick walls give way to a fireplace where Schatzberg has set a wood-burning stove right across from a barely noticeable door that leads into his private sanctum — his bedroom.
Matching the rustic aesthetic of the rest of the place, the bedroom’s wooden walls are adorned by colorful pieces of art created by his friend Eugene Gregan, some of which can be seen in the front boutique section where Schatzberg sells yoga gear with printed illustrations.
