ITHACA, N.Y.—Jackie and Mark de Oliveira celebrated the official opening of YogOdyssey, their new hot yoga studio, which has been under construction in earnest since the beginning of the summer, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 26.
After completing their Bikram yoga teacher training and 30 years working as instructors, the de Oliveiras wanted to share the therapeutic benefits of hot yoga with the community. The pair settled in Ithaca and got to work prepping to open YogOdyssey.
YogOdyssey is also a studio partner with the Original Hot Yoga Association, meaning their classes are the traditional 90-minutes in a studio heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
Attending the ribbon cutting ceremony were Tompkins Chamber president and CEO Jennifer Tavares, City of Ithaca Alderperson Robert Cantelmo and Tom Knipe, deputy director of economic development, as well as instructors at the studio and excited community members.
“Thank you for investing in this part of the community, I just want to say to the just the vibe of the businesses, and what’s going on over in this little part of town is really unique and special,” Tavares said. “It’s really easy to tell just for the few minutes here that you’ve created a community already, and you have so much support.”
Cantelmo echoed the sentiment, adding that, especially coming out of the pandemic, the resiliency of the local entrepreneurial community is important. “I’m very heartened to see the emphasis on health, wellness and mindfulness, especially given the circumstances that we’ve all been going through,” he said.
“We’re excited to bring this yoga back to Ithaca, it is really important in so many ways. Everybody can come to the basic classes and get something out of it — you get some cardio, you get strength development because you’re balancing,” Mark said.
Jackie said that classes are tentatively scheduled to begin on Oct. 3, but that the final start date for classes will be announced on social media and via email to members.
The studio offers monthly memberships, class packs and in-person or livestream class drop-ins.
YogOdyssey is located at 1201 North Tioga Street, next to Easy Living Hats and the Botanist Coffeehouse.