Greenport Pilates, Yoga & Wellness (308 Front St.), recently opened and aims to help improve its clients’ health and wellness through mindfulness and exercise.
Michael and Sofia Antoniadis purchased the Front St. building, formerly a bowling alley, in 2022 and have transformed it to include three spacious studios, a store and even an art space, with paintings from local artists on the walls.
“Fitness is both physical and mental,” says Sofia, who lives full-time on the North Fork and grew up visiting her family’s summer home in East Marion.
Sofia first began taking yoga classes a decade ago and started developing the idea for a studio in 2020 with Michael when her favorite studio closed during the pandemic. Greenport Pilates, Yoga & Wellness offers both yoga and Pilates, and Sofia says that she “believes in both. I don’t do just Pilates, I don’t do just yoga. If you can do yoga twice a week and Pilates twice a week, you’ll maintain your balance and your health.”
The main Pilates studio has 12 reformers for group classes, equipped with color-coded weight springs, personal ballet bars, mats and other Pilates essentials. With various levels offered, anyone is welcome and encouraged to enter the practice. Beginner classes and an introduction to Pilates include a review of positions and combination of exercises to create the muscular exertion present in the practice.
The private, two-reformer studio allows for more individualized coaching., and a gorgeous open studio lies at the back of the building for yoga classes, sound baths and more to come. With beautiful solid mahogany wood floors, tree branch chandeliers, color-changing ceiling lights and closets full of equipment, the space is a yogi’s dream.
Jenny Rutkoski, who leads the Vinyasa Yoga classes, expressed a love for the studio.
“I am so happy to go into work,” Rutkoski says. “It’s such a beautiful space and everyone is so welcoming and friendly. I cannot wait to [get to] know my students well so I can enjoy watching their growth.” Eager to connect with both visitors and locals, Rutkoski says she’s eager to “to continue to meet new people and have them share our love for wellness together.”
Sofia shares these sentiments, noting that “one of the wonderful things about Greenport is that it’s a real community village.” She loves interacting with clients and helping to navigate them into a field of practice that works best for them. She and her staff are actively building relationships with the Greenport community and are incredibly welcoming to both familiar and new faces.
“We’re collecting information and ideas that the community wants, and we’re going to build on them.” Some next steps look like offering Tai Chi, ecstatic dancing, more sound baths and storytelling hour for kids.
“I want the village of Greenport and the town of Southold to know that we’re here for them,” Sofia says, adding: “Be patient with us and accept us, even though we’re new to the environment.”
For a full list and schedule of classes, visit greenportpyw.com.
