The Happie House Opens in Astoria

A new yoga and wellness space is opening next week in Astoria called The Happie House. More than just a place to get your Downward Facing Dog on, they aim to “create a healthy, educated, socially connected, and empowered society.” They believe real change comes from healing ourselves, which involves pushing oneself to better oneself, sometimes in an uncomfortable direction.

We asked The Happie House’s founder, Lisa Samuels, RD, about the business, their mission, and what to expect from this new community of wellness practitioners. The website clearly emphasizes yoga and nutritional counseling, but do know that there are other opportunities they offer, including educational lectures and classes; workshops; and fun community-building social activities, such as a monthly free community dinner, tea and chats (after class every Saturday), open mic nights, and dance classes.

Lisa Samuels, founder of The Happie House.

The Happie House Backstory

We also asked Lisa when the idea for The Happie House came to her. “I have been dreaming of opening a community wellness center for at least the past five years,” she explains. “Though the idea has evolved over time. I eventually got to a place where I was unhappy with the direction my life was moving and decided it was time to finally act on this dream.”

That dream is all about wellness, and also comes from a very personal space. “I was drawn to both yoga and nutrition because I have struggled with compulsive eating and depression for my entire life,” she said. “Most of my experiences on this earth have revolved around trying to find ways to understand, stop, or at least alleviate these conditions. I just find that the combined benefits of yoga and eating a natural, unprocessed diet (whether you are vegan or not) work together to remove a fog from the mind and the body.”

She continues, “On the physical plane, both aspects help you think more clearly, be more productive, release your stress, reduce inflammation, and elevate your mood; on the mental & astral plane, both yoga and proper nutrition really help people along on the path of discovering themselves. For me, maintaining a proper diet and practicing yoga has helped to significantly reduce the negative things I was always telling myself, as well as the immense amount of pressure I felt to try to be someone I am not. As a result, I feel much more calm, and much more ready to take care of myself and others in ways that I could never do before. This is our goal in marrying both yoga and nutrition.”

Yoga props are ready and waiting for you.

All Are Welcome

We also wondered if The Happie House caters to mostly women or do they have men in mind, too. Despite the female-dominated imagery on the website, Lisa assures us that the space is welcoming to all adults, regardless of how they identify, gender-wise. She remarked, “Come in and enjoy the classes that appeal to you! We have a very qualified mixed staff who make everyone feel comfortable and welcome.”

We also asked if they will have classes for the little ones. “Upon opening, we will mostly be offering services to adults,” she remarked. “However, the intention is to grow so that we can eventually offer other classes and services such as prenatal yoga, mommy and baby yoga, and an after-school program for local children.” That’s great news!

The Happie House home is in a great location—the corner of 30th Avenue and 35th Street. “This location is just amazing!” Lisa exclaimed. “It’s a bustling street with many other businesses, and all different kinds of people walking back and forth every day. In order to give The Happie House that communal feel, we choose to immerse ourselves into that community, and I think 30th Ave is a wonderful representation of that.”

Standing Out In The Crowd

Now, Astoria is not devoid of yoga studios and wellness-oriented business, so we asked Lisa about what makes The Happie House special—what makes them stand out in the crowd. “I think that our wide range of services, and our social events, especially are what set us apart and make us a special environment,” she explains. “We don’t just want to teach yoga and nutrition, we also want to educate the public on why it is important.”

Deal Alert: They also have an introductory offer for new students that’s a pretty excellent value: $30 for 30 days of yoga and one free 30-minute nutrition counseling session. You don’t see that every day.

They’ll be opening their doors on Friday, March 23, and will be open 7 days a week. Here are their upcoming hours:

• 9am–7:30pm on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays
• 9am–9pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays
• 7:30am–3pm on Saturdays
• 9:30am–4pm Sundays

It should be noted that they also have a Sunrise Yoga class at 6:30am on Wednesday mornings. Nutrition sessions and private yoga sessions are also available by appointment.

They are having an open house event from Friday, March 23 to Sunday March 25 with free classes all weekend, raffles, and a Saturday brunch from 1–3pm on March 24 (register here).

Overall, the goal of The Happie House is to be a place of individual, and communal growth. They expect their regular schedule to grow and evolve with the needs of the community, so stay tuned!

The Happie House, 30-05 35th Street, 2F, Astoria. 917-745-0607.
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2 Comments

Sallie Taylor March 23rd, 2018

I am so excited about coming to the open house tomorrow, and interesting in taking a class. I have Rheumatology Arthritis in both knees and use a cane to get around, is there an elevator at your location.

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Hannah March 16th, 2018

Excited about the location and introductory offer, but the regular class prices are going to be too steep for me to visit regularly. I hope that once they get settled, they consider offering multiple class packs that cost less than the individual ones.

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