Morningside School of Yoga and Physical Culture

Firmly anchored in traditional practice, we are dedicated to advancing and adapting Yoga to serve the population of the twenty-first century.

Please view our NEW PHOTOS

Counter clockwise from upper right, Director/Chief Instructor, Michael Smith; his wife and Associate Director, Gina Odell; Apprentice Teachers, Jessica Bichler, Sam Gordon with baby Nev Grace, and Rachael Nickel.

  • Founding Member: New York Yoga Teachers' Association
  • Yoga Alliance Registered School
  • Member: California Yoga Teachers' Association
  • Member: International Association of Yoga Therapists

Morningside Yoga is a sole proprietorship located at the southern end of what is known as the Westcott Nation, home of the famous Seven Rays Book Store in Syracuse New York.

The Morningside name was taken from a lovely park that is walking distance from our facility; we took out our DBA under that name in 1994.

Don't be deceived by our small size. Our teacher is an accomplished American master possessing great amounts of technical & philosophical knowledge combined with a genuine mystical connection to the path of yoga. He treats all students (from frail elderly to NCAA athletes) with tenderness and compassion, and regularly endulges the class in some pretty outrageous humor. But compassion without wisdom lacks substance. With that in mind, Michael (a karate black-belt and lifelong Buddhist meditator) sees a large part of his mission as restoring an atmosphere of discipline and respect into American yoga - something that has been lost within much of the current scene. Under his guidance we see how yoga training can be tough and joyful at the same time.

Morningside Yoga supports the following organizations through yearly donations:

  • Syracuse Rescue Mission
  • New York Public Information & Research Group NYPIRG
  • American Civil Liberties Union ACLU
  • Carter Center
  • Planned Parenthood
  • WCNY
  • SUNY Binghamton

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Our oasis in the city... We offer accommodations for a limited number of out-of-town students

    Site credits:

    On the cover: "Morning Tea" with two verses from Patanjali's Yogasutras, Yoga Sutra 1.2 and Yoga Sutra 2.1.

    "Yoga is the ability to direct the mind exclusively towards an object and sustain that direction without any distractions."
    "The practice of Yoga must reduce both physical and mental impurities. It must develop our capacity for self examination and help us to understand that, in the final analysis, we are not the masters of everything we do."


    Photographers Jessica Bichler, Margaret Jaimeson, Sarah Abbott, Dawn Kotlowitz.
    Processing: Prolab, Syracuse, NY.
    Morningside Logo: Patty Downs
    ISP: Joe Lally.