OCTOBER 2020 I BOROMAG.COM 17
UFC Gym
34-11 STEINWAY ST.,
ASTORIA
WWW.UFCGYM.COM/LOCATIONS/
ASTORIA
Members of UFC can’t go back to
MMA fighting just yet, but they can
return to the gym to practice or get
a workout in. Since classes aren’t
allowed yet, staff turned the equipment
into a 45-minute circuit training
with six three-minute rounds,
and they’re on site to help out.
The gym is only open in the evening
and allows for 25 people at a
time including staff. Normally, it’s
a “family fitness center,” offering
classes to kids ages 4 through 13,
but it’s closed to kids for now, said
Juan Vasquez, general manager.
It has sanitizing stations, temperature
checks and updated
HVAC filters. Lockers are closed
and have been replaced with cubbies
outside of the gym. Once the
facility gets closer to reaching the
maximum capacity, it will implement
time limits on workouts.
While the gym was closed,
members had access to online
classes through UFC corporate,
which are still available. Vasquez
said only “diehard” members have
returned so far.
“It’s extremely difficult and we’re
asking our members to support us
during these times until the rules
change,” he said.
Photos by Neri Raquel Bravo
Photo via Instagram-@ufcgym
Photos courtesy of UFC Gym Astoria
Photo via Instagram-@ufcgymastoria Photos courtesy of Yoga Agora
Yoga Agora
33-02 BROADWAY
WWW.YOGAAGORA.COM
Even though the studio’s still
closed, the Yoga Agora community
hasn’t stopped practicing.
Owner Nick Velkov said the studio
retained its team of teachers.
They remained resilient, he said,
leading online classes and outdoor
classes in Astoria Park and
on an Open Streets block on 31st
Avenue between 31st and 32nd
streets.
“The silver lining is that outdoor
classes are actually quite fun,” Velkov
said. “It gives us an expansion to our
yoga practice.”
Even though the studio has always
been “meticulously clean,”
it won’t reopen until they have
guidelines on how to do it safely.
“It’s just been kind of a waiting
game,” he said. He’s preparing for
smaller classes with limited signups
and setting up the website to facilitate
that.
Daily instruction outside and online
will continue unless it becomes
unsustainable, and he hopes by
then they can be back indoors. For
now, look for daily classes at the
park weekdays at noon and 6 p.m.
and weekends at noon and 2 p.m.;
Open Street classes on weekdays
at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. and weekends
at 9 a.m.; and virtual classes
each day. Most classes are $10 and
there are several donation-based
options.
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