North Fork Yoga Shala runs classes on Seps Farms in a greenhouse (Credit: North Fork Yoga Shala).
The pandemic was a time when businesses had to turn and North Fork Yoga Shala is no different. Having had a studio in Greenport since 2014 (and previously one in Southold), Claire Copersino turned her yoga business into a nomad.
Without permanent bricks and mortar, she offers courses in various locations around the North Fork. There’s the fishing station in Port of Egypt Marina, an open-air greenhouse in Sep’s Farm, and the backyard in First and South. Dates, times, and instructors change weekly, with these three locations being the main locations.
Like many gyms, it closed theirs in March and took them virtual. She built a library of video courses and resources for her clients and also had a small group of open air classes in her yogis’ backyards.
“It pushed me to do something people had asked me to do for a long time,” she said. “Now I have a library with hundreds and hundreds of recorded classes.”
After the cold months, Copersino looked for tourist traffic for their business. At the same time, representatives from First and South, Sep’s Farm and Port of Egypt reached out to her with open spaces that they believed could teach yoga. She loved the idea. After officially closing her Greenport studio in February, she had the opportunity to reach more customers.
“These options that are available to me are the perfect solution right now because people have so many different levels of comfort,” she said.
Copersino also loves the idea of practicing yoga in different rooms around the North Fork and changing their surroundings. The rich history of the fishing station in the port of Egypt, for example, was well received by her.
“I love the connection with the North Fork,” she said. “They call it the soul of property.”
While she doesn’t rule out taking root some day in the future, it has helped her be present when she’s a nomad business in a pandemic.
“This concept of impermanence, being able to let go of things and being in the present moment, I feel like I understand now,” she said. “Because what else are you going to do? People ask me, “Well what’s your plan?” And I say, “Today we have classes. I have a plan for the summer and it feels really amazing. “
Check out the schedule on the North Fork Yoga Shala website.
For information on outdoor yoga classes given by others at the North Fork, see the list below:
Catapano Dairy
Baby goat yoga, Saturdays at 1 p.m.
25 USD per person, email [email protected] reserve a place.
33705 County Rd 48, Peconic
Farm yoga
Zilnicki Farms, different times
$ 20 per person, click here for the schedule and to reserve a seat.
800 Reeves Avenue, Riverhead
The room to give
Outdoor yoga on the beach, in wineries, in gardens, at different times and in different places
Register on their website.
56215 Main Rd, Southold
Solntse yoga
Sunset Beach Yoga, Mondays and Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. in Baiting Hollow
Register on their website.
5768 Route 25A, Unit U, Wading River
