Erica Velasquez remembers experiencing her first spark of curiosity about yoga as a child, watching outdoor classes in Amagansett Square. “I saw people in headstands,” she said, “and I was like, ‘What in the world?’ ”
Now, she can be seen teaching her own students all over the East End: at a vineyard in Sagaponack, on Main Beach in East Hampton, floating in Sag Harbor, even, conducting classes on a boat owned by Capt. Toby Stull of SailHamptons. She also teaches classes on the reformer, a specialized Pilates machine, at New York Pilates Monday through Thursday. Later this month she will be teaming up with the village to offer free yoga classes in Herrick Park throughout the summer. And, if you stop by the Lululemon store in East Hampton, you might see her photo blown up in crisp black and white up on the wall.
Velasquez grew up in Amagansett and, after graduating from East Hampton High School, went away for college and to travel in Europe, but felt drawn back home. She returned and got a job working for Wolffer Estate Vineyard, planning weddings and other events, and also started studying yoga more seriously under the master teacher Lois Nesbitt. One day she got together with her co-workers and hired a teacher to lead them through a class outside next to the grapevines, and something “clicked” for her.
“I was like, this is where my heart is, this is where my passion is — this is what I want to do.” She wanted to figure out a way to share the experience with more people, and started organizing and selling tickets to the classes as she continued her own teacher training. What started as a side project turned into Yoga in the Vines, a series of outdoor classes held on weekend mornings each summer at the Wolffer Estate Wine Stand in Sagaponack.
She eventually phased out of event planning and, after obtaining her teaching certification, refocused those skills on growing her classes. She established her company Evolveast Yoga as an umbrella name, under which she organized classes in collaboration with different businesses in the area, including Baron’s Cove in Sag Harbor and the Baker House in East Hampton. She would share details about upcoming classes on her Instagram, and post glimpses of past events.
In 2022 she received an Instagram message from Heather Anderson, founder of New York Pilates, who had noticed her profile online. The company was planning to open a new studio in East Hampton, and it was looking for potential instructors in the area. “I knew a little bit about Pilates but not much about the reformer, so I was on the fence about it,” Velasquez recalled, “but she was so nice. The whole company is so supportive, and once I went through the teacher training I felt confident I could do this with the yoga, and they pair perfectly together. A lot of the movement is the same shapes, but different styles.”
She soon acquired a new loyal following of students, which expands each summer, and now maintains a regular schedule of classes four days at the Montauk, East Hampton, and Bridgehampton studios of New York Pilates. Still, she continues to broaden her horizons. Last winter she and Captain Stull organized a five-day “yoga and yacht vacation” in St. John, and she recently launched a new initiative called the Rise Wellness with the collaborators Robin Aren and Karyn Ravin. They put together a daylong wellness retreat at Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton in February, and another at RGNY Vineyard on the North Fork in April.
This past February, Velasquez was invited to become a brand ambassador for the East Hampton location of the activewear company Lululemon. Courtney Hanson, the store’s manager, surprised her with a two-year contract, based on her involvement and continued innovation within the local fitness community. “They’ve been so great to me,” Velasquez said. The brand regularly provides her with merchandise to test out, and has become yet another collaborator for class ideas. She finds that it has helped “elevate” her events, and she is excited to see what they come up with in the future.
“I just think it’s so important to bring people together,” Velasquez said, “for mental health, emotional health, physical health — we need each other. I think that’s one of my missions in life — to help people be together, stay together. To build community.”