Jyll Hubbard-Salk says that the first time she stepped on the yoga mat, 30 years ago, “it felt like home.” Since then, Jyll has trained in Hatha, Thai, Iyenger, Kula yoga, among other traditions, receiving multiple certifications along the way. In 2009, she opened Urban Asanas in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. She wanted to build a studio that would represent her diverse training and personal style: “I’m not conventional and neither is how I teach. It’s influenced by many master teachers across a spectrum of yoga traditions.” She also wanted to create a haven for the underrepresented: “Many Black women I spoke to didn’t feel accepted in traditional yoga studios and I wanted to change that. I wanted to create a space that was diverse for everyone.”

In 2018, Jyll moved Urban Asanas from her first location to another, larger space a few blocks away, and in 2019 expanded the studio to include a wellness center. Staying true to her mission to provide an inclusive haven for all, Jyll teaches free monthly community classes for local tradeswomen, in addition to her core class offerings. She has also taught an array of classes outside the studio, among them teaching kid yoga in NYC public and private schools, being a longtime Lululemon Ambassador and providing select private classes, and more.

Beyond yoga, Jyll is a certified doula and has a third-degree reiki certification. She has been featured in a multitude of media outlets, including Essence and Ebony, Man Repeller, the Unsung Yoga Movement Podcast, Atlanta Black Star, and was featured in Black Owned Brooklyn on Instagram and in the book Yoga Bodies, by Laura Lipton.