20 APRI L 2 0 1 8
Photo by Grant Henry Photo by Marco Giannavola
Astoria yoga instructor Randi Cerini
is helping locals break out of their
comfort zones and get a new perspective
on life with Om Tribe, a
yoga retreat company she co-founded
along with Brooklyn resident
Erica Chen.
Cerini and Chen launched Om Tribe in July
2017. Since then, they’ve completed their
first retreat — an impressive undertaking in
which they took 10 participants to Guatemala
for eight days. They have also held their first
workshop to raise money for a charitable
cause, and they teach Om Tribe classes locally
to keep their community together between
retreats.
Now, Om Tribe is planning a second retreat,
and this one’s a little closer to home: it’ll
take place from May 18 to 20 in the Catskills
at Mountain House 668, an eight-bedroom
home that sits on 5 acres and includes an indoor
hot tub, a large kitchen, a deck, a fire pit
and a pond for swimming.
“You won’t be roughing it that weekend,”
said Cerini, who teaches at Yoga Agora (33-
02 Broadway, Astoria) as well as at studios in
Manhattan and for private clients. “It’s just a
beautiful space with lots of rooms to come
together and play music between yoga sessions
and just reflect, hang out and bond in
our down time.”
During the three-day retreat this May, there
will be at least four, 75-minute yoga sessions
as well as meditations and a guided hike.
Om Tribe hired a chef for the weekend, so all
meals will be taken care of. Cerini said that the
town, Windham, is “super cute as well if people
want to explore at night,” with a wine bar,
gift shops and more.
The trip costs $650, including everything
but transportation, and Om Tribe is hoping to
plan carpools.
MIND + BODY
OM OUT,
ASTORIA
Photo by Jennie Lyutskan
By KATRINA MEDOFF
KATRINA@BOROMAG.COM
@KATRINAMEDOFF
@KATYA_M22
“We’re trying to make it as affordable as possible,
but it’s also going to be quite luxurious,”
Cerini said.
There’s a reason Om Tribe is planning a wide
variety of trips, from the eight-day retreat to
Guatemala ($1,350-$1,650, not including airfare)
to a weekend upstate: Cerini and Chen
strive to make their community as inclusive as
possible.
“I thought it would be nice to have a balance
as we grow our company to have international
travel options for people who really want to
step out of their comfort zone and have some
adventure, and then have something that’s a
little more local, a little more familiar, that would
target different potential students and customers
with different economic abilities to join our
tribe,” Cerini said.
In the future, “We would like to continue doing
these retreats three to four times a year,
connecting with retreat participants locally
and raising money for causes. We’re hoping
link
