If you live in New York City, you already know that finding a yoga studio in Manhattan is as difficult as spotting the nearest Starbucks. Arguably, they’re on every downtown corner. So when I heard that Lyon’s Den Power Yoga was opening, I'll be honest—I wasn't expecting it to be any different than the others I've tried. But I left the steam-filled studio in the heart of Tribeca on the Sunday morning of thier opening weekend, carrying all of my sweat-soaked workout clothes, wondering if I would ever feel my arms again. It was clear that this is not just any yoga class.

For starters, this is the first yoga studio in all of Manhattan dedicated to Baptiste-style practice. Baptiste is flow-movement yoga in a heated room. But more than that, Baptiste yoga is not just about a workout—it’s about bringing all of your real, everday stress into the room, physically working through it, and then leaving class feeling as though you can accomplish anything if you work hard enough. It's about physically and mentally pushing yourself. And “What more do New Yorkers crave than a challenge?,” Bethany Lyons asks. “I don’t go easy on my students. They come here to be pushed.”

Lyons, a founding instructor at Soul Cycle and a lifelong yogi, was always in search of a Baptiste-style class to take in the city. “There wasn’t a studio dedicated to the practice,” she says, "and I figured, If I don’t start one, who will?” With the

encouragement and support from her friends at Soul Cycle, Lyons opened her tailor-made yoga studio at 279 Church Street, where she teamed up with N.Y.C. raw juicery Luli Tonix—which provides hydrating Kick! Blended Greens juice, Chia Life Power Potion, and Life Tonic hibiscus Rejuvelixir to the Lyon’s Den students for recovery, just after class. And trust me, they're life-savers. After sweating out all of your toxins in class, you don't want to put anything into your body that isn't raw and organic.

The aesthetic of the studio is clean and chic (spotted: Voluspa candles and hand soap in the bathrooms), with wood floors, minimal décor, and lots of natural light pouring in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows. The place is cozy. “I want our studio to feel like a family, to be a safe community where people can be held accountable to work hard,” she explains. And from what I can tell, she has achieved just that. You may need a few minutes (O.K., maybe more than a few minutes) to cool down and catch your breath after the challenging, 90-minute body-and-mind workout, but it’s inarguably worth the effort. I had more energy and was more focused the entire day post–Lyon’s Den. And even though my arms were sore, I can safely say I’ll be back next week for more. Because as Bethany Lyons, Baron Baptiste, and all other hot yoga aficionados can attest: sweat does a body good.