Ritual Yoga Brings Purposeful Practice to Ossining
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
By Tomás Thor
When two yoga teachers who had unknowingly circled each other for over a decade finally sat down for coffee in October of last year, they both left knowing their lives – and the Ossining yoga scene – were about to change.
By the time that first meeting at First Village Coffee between Rebecca Haber and Elle Randall ended, the two had decided to open a yoga studio together. “We took a picture and said, ‘This is the beginning,’” Haber recalled. Within half an hour, they were already looking at spaces.
Randall had been quietly looking at locations when a friend sent her a screenshot of an anonymous post from a local Facebook group. Someone in Ossining was interested in opening a yoga studio, Randall reached out to the poster – Haber – and the connection was instant.
“It felt like the right place, right time,” Randall said. “We both wanted the same thing, a space that was accessible, community-building, fun, and grounded. We each brought different strengths to the table that complemented each other.”
By March, they signed the lease on the space. The buildout was a true Ossining community effort: local small business owners, village staff, and even yoga students contributed to help.
“Our realtor’s wife owns the bookstore, our lawyer owns the coworking space down the street, everyone was connected,” Randall said. “It felt like all hands on deck.”
That sense of community didn’t end when the studio opened; now Haber and Randall see students heading to the farmers market after class, grabbing coffee at First Village where customers mentioning they just came from class get 10 percent off.
“It’s my favorite part,” Randall said. “People make plans to take class together, then head down Main Street. It feels like there’s a whole scene here now.”
The name of the studio, “Ritual Yoga” came from their shared belief that yoga is more than a workout. A ritual, Randall explained, isn’t just routine but intentional: “When you ritualize something, you put care and attention into it. We wanted to create a sanctuary where people can have that experience.”
Classes, in fact, are intentionally scheduled to be consistent throughout the week so students can make yoga part of their life without overthinking.
Their teaching philosophy is rooted in accessibility. Both believe students should be met where they are.
“We didn’t begin with Eastern philosophy and 500-page texts,” Haber said. “We started because it was fun and made us feel good. And that’s how we want people to feel here, like they can show up exactly as they are, and grow from there.”
“The point isn’t touching your toes,” Randall said. “It’s a flourishing contentment in your life. That’s why it’s called yoga practice, not yoga perfect.”
As the proprietors make clear, the studio’s warm welcome, thoughtful classes, and deep ties to Ossining are all meant to make it much more than just a business.
As Haber put it, “We wanted to cultivate a space where people can cultivate joy. You get one life. Let’s make it a joyful one.”
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