Mindful Yoga in Montauk

    Mindful Turtle, a Stony Brook yoga studio, will open a Montauk outpost at 34 South Erie Street, with classes starting tomorrow.

    “I always liked the vibe out here and it seemed the right place to be,” said Danielle Goldstein, the owner and founder of Mindful Turtle. (The name comes from her father’s nickname for her and her two sisters — turtles.) She anticipates a very busy summer in Montauk.

    “We’re responding to supply and demand,” Diane Ferraro, director of the Montauk yoga studio, said on Sunday, sitting cross-legged on the studio’s shiny wood floor.

    Ms. Goldstein, who opened her Stony Brook studio four years ago, was looking to expand. Ms. Ferraro, a yoga instructor and part-time Montauk resident, had done some work for Ms. Goldstein through her Urban Siren public relations and marketing firm. The two decided to work together to open a studio in Montauk. While they were considering a new location, Ms. Ferraro saw a for rent sign for the lower level of a building that houses Mickey’s Carting Services offices, tucked away behind the Montauk Movie. “It’s time to go knock on that door,” she told Ms. Goldstein. 

    “It’s like a hidden treasure back here,” Ms. Goldstein said Sunday.

    Ms. Ferraro lives in Montauk part time in the winter and full time in the summer. Her family used to own the Merry Mermaid Motel in the harbor area. She has spent two extended stays in India practicing her technique with notable yogis and plans to return each year to deepen her understanding of the ancient practice.

    While other instructors will be hired, the partners hope to lead many of the classes themselves, some of which will start at 6:30 a.m. to accommodate people’s work schedules.

    “We like to take the reins. It helps us connect with our students,” said Ms. Ferraro. She will be leading Mysore classes, in which the instructor moves through the class during a sequence of poses, adjusting and correcting practitioners. And just like in India and other places that offer ashtanga yoga, those classes will not be held on moon days, which include the new and full moon.

    A full schedule and price list is available at mindfulturtle.com