Meet the NYC yogi who legally has to live in his St. Marks studio

This yogi has taken “nama-stay at home” seriously.

While most people don’t dream of sleeping at the office or welcoming strangers and celebrities into their houses daily, Alex Schatzberg does — because he legally has to.

The longtime East Villager signed a rare live-work lease in 2017, which requires that he run a business out of the space to allow him to call it home.

So, New Vibe Yoga studio, on the top floor of the 1833 townhouse at 9 St. Marks Place, is where he does headstands during the day and lays his head at night.

“Honestly, it’s a dream to live here,” the 37-year-old told The Post of the space, which also serves as a boutique and art gallery along with daily yoga class offerings — often frequented by the likes of Alan Cumming.

It might seem strange that Schatzberg enjoys living where he works, but you’ll probably change your mind once you ascend the wooden spiral staircase to unit 3 — which is exactly what he wants you to do.

“When you walk in the building and you first circumnavigate the stairwell, you’ve already done this 360-degree shift energetically,” the yogi said.

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The front door opens to a bright, 1,600-square-foot space that looks more like a cabin in the Catskills than an apartment in Manhattan.

The open-concept area is covered in recycled wood with oak floors, pine board walls, a ceiling supported by rare wooden beams and mahogany and white pine countertops — used as kitchen counters, a check-in desk and Schatzberg’s teaching perch.

Drenched in natural light coming through the skylights, large windows partially obscured by trees growing inside and outside help block out the noise and chaotic energy of St. Marks Place to allow for a tranquil space.

The majority of the space acts as the yoga studio, allowing up to 25 people to set down their mats and be led by Schatzberg or other members of his small team. When class isn’t in session, the space remains physically empty, but the creative energy flows.

Take a few more steps inside and classic red brick walls give way to a fireplace where Schatzberg has set a wood-burning stove right across from a barely noticeable door that leads into his private sanctum — his bedroom.

Matching the rustic aesthetic of the rest of the place, the bedroom’s wooden walls are adorned by colorful pieces of art created by his friend Eugene Gregan, some of which can be seen in the front boutique section where Schatzberg sells yoga gear with printed illustrations.

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Gregan’s work is prominent throughout the studio, including gigantic boutiques of fresh flowers from his upstate garden that stand several feet high.

But the tall bouquets are just a hint of what awaits yoga students and other visitors out back.

Schatzberg has created a beautiful garden oasis on his private outdoor roof patio, filled with lush greenery and fruit trees where people can sit, take a breath and pick a peach in the 15 minutes before or after class.

Classes aren’t held outside but those who book a private lesson with Schatzberg can take advantage of the hidden outdoor shower.

“Everything in life is like a yin yang. There’s a plus side and there’s a downside to everything,” he said. “But for me, [living in his studio] is mostly a plus.”

“I’m never lonely, and I always can count that someone’s going to come here and be excited to see me. Every day someone’s coming over to see me and they’re coming to see me because I made them feel good the last time they saw me,” Schatzberg noted.

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“I don’t think a lot of people can say that. So it is really powerful.”

But there are times when solitude would be appreciated.

Schatzberg has a few hours to himself between classes every day but only closes the studio about one or two days a year.

“On the downside, they’re coming to your house every day and I’m a human too,” Schatzberg said.

But his arrangement is nothing new. At the end of the month, the small business owner will celebrate the 10th anniversary of New Vibe Yoga.

He’s been able to maintain his unique lease thanks to his landlord, Charles FitzGerald, who bought the building in 1967 and has worked to preserve the artistic energy of the East Village.

The tranquil space might seem out of place sitting above Sing Sing Karaoke and the other kooky and vibrant energy on St. Marks Place — one of the funkiest streets in the world — but Schatzberg thinks his Ashtanga yoga studio fits right in.

“It is the center of the counterculture movement in New York and yoga is a counterculture movement,” he said.

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