Fifteen years ago, Sea Cliff resident Jamie Weil had back problems that doctors said could only be solved through operation.
Not wanting to go under the knife, Weil searched for alternative healing solutions and eventually began practicing bikram yoga.
“It was the only thing that worked for me,” said Weil, 47. “I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Weil continued practicing bikram and even earned his teaching certification, and in July opened Bikram Yoga Roslyn, located at 1062 Old Northern Boulevard, with his wife Jennifer.
“I like to think of my life as having a profession and having a passion,” said Weil, who also works as a senior vice president of Royal Bank of Canada. “Banking is my profession, but bikram yoga is my passion.”
Bikram Yoga Roslyn’s classes run seven days a week, with sessions with any of the studio’s 10 certified instructors running 90 minutes. The studio offers an introductory week of yoga at $25, with rates beginning at $20 per class and packages starting at $95 for five classes.
The studio’s 3,400 square-foot bikram yoga room is equipped with high-tech heating system that allows students to sweat through poses and meditation exercises in 106-degree heat, Weil said. The studio also has rooms available for future massage, acupuncture and chiropractic use.
“The whole idea is for heat to not only detoxify you but also allow you to get into the positions in a deeper way, which enhances not only flexibility but also muscle tone,” Jamie said.
The studio is equipped with an ionic air cleaning system to kill bacteria and monitors that track carbon dioxide and oxygen levels, pumping in oxygen if levels get too low, Weil said.
He added that the paint used on the studio’s walls contain no volatile oxygen compounds, and its floors were built to combat bacteria.
“The idea is that we really want to make this a place where the community feels comfortable coming and where they can be physically fit,” Jennifer Weil said. “We teach bikram yoga with compassion.”
The studio also offers a 30-day bikram yoga challenge, which Jamie said is difficult to complete due to the strain training in high heat levels can have on the body.
Each student who completes the challenge gets their name engraved on a plaque hanging in the studio, and Jennifer said the studio will also dedicate a wall inside the yoga room for those students to sign their names.
“We want to create a family atmosphere to make sure everyone feels safe and happy when they’re here,” Jennifer said.
Jennifer said the studio will have a grand opening ceremony on Oct. 19.
