Christina Givelechian with her background in finance is not your prototypical yoga enthusiast.
But Givelechian said she was increasingly intrigued by the practice after reading a book in her home country of Romania about its transformative effects on a sick man.
In the 1990s, Givelechian moved to the United States for better economic opportunities, where she would take her first yoga class.
After that, she said she was hooked on “using your mind to conquer various challenging poses.”
“I always felt that what you learned on your mat, you can take out in life—consistency, persistence, not giving up,” she said.
And in November 2025, Givelechian opened her second YogaSix franchise on Long Island in Manhasset.
She passed her enthusiasm for yoga down to her children as well, and it was her daughter who first introduced Givelechian to YogaSix when she was visiting her in Knoxville, TN.
Givelechian said she took a class and began to wonder why there were no locations on Long Island, so she set out to seize the opportunity and change that.
With the help of her son, Andrew Givelechian, the company’s sales manager and his mother’s “right hand,” Christina Givelechian opened her first YogaSix in Lake Grove in 2023 and bought the rights to open locations in Port Jefferson and Rye as well.
“That was our first learning experience,” Andrew Givelechian said. “As cheesy as it sounds, we really built a community,” and he said the plan is to bring that atmosphere to their new location on Northern Boulevard in Manhasset.
Christina Givelechian said that when they saw another suitable location open up, they jumped at the opportunity.
“Manhasset is a crossroads,” she said. “And in order to be successful, you need to pull your members from several towns.”
Andrew Givelechian said “before you open, you want a member base,” so he worked on getting people signed up so classes would be full on the day they opened.
The studio teaches Vinyasa yoga, a style that emphasizes breath and smooth transitions between various poses.
New members can take advantage of an offer of three classes for $36.
In signing up, Christina Givelechian said, first the company’s wellness advisers will ask the customer what level of yoga experience they have.
From there the wellness adviser will suggest one of its six classes, hence the name YogaSix, that they think is a good match for the customer.
YogaSix has classes for beginners and for more experienced yoga practitioners.
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Classes are all held in one large room that is heated to either 80 or 100 degrees Fahrenheit and taught by one of 12 instructors. The floor is cushioned, the mood lighting is set, and calm music is played.
Afterwards, customers can grab a cold eucalyptus-infused towel to freshen up.
“We offer something for everyone based on their needs,” Christina Givelechian said.
Members can sign up for different packages, joining classes four, eight or unlimited times a month for the avid yoga enthusiast.
Andrew Givelechian said some people criticize the company since they have distilled what has for many years been a spiritual practice into a formula and a business.
Still, he said it’s this formula that has made yoga accessible and less daunting for more people.
Christina Givelechian said YogaSix offers a “no judgment” space to do one’s practice. “Our mission is to bring more people to the mat.”
