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Organic Spa Magazine | January–February 2011
yoga
around
the country
What makes a great yoga studio? Solid teachers, maybe
an inspiring room to practice in, a convenient schedule,
and a very real sense of community. Each unique venue
we profile here offers something truly exceptional to its
students. Power up your own posture practice by visiting
one of these innovative outlets any chance you get.
Upward Dog, anyone?
By The Editors
yoga works
An empowering commitment to community is very much a part of everything at Yoga Works
studios from coast-to-coast. These large, Buddha-filled stadiums seem to attract a passionate
group of teachers who, in turn, nurture a compassionate and steadfast group of students.
Commitment is also the driving force behind the company’s do-good work in public schools;
weekly educational events open to the public, and teaching the disadvantaged.
Signature: Sheer diversity. Yoga Works literally offers hundreds of unique classes per week,
per studio, from Ashtanga and Iyengar to prenatal yoga and mixed flow classes in all styles, and
available to every fitness level.
WHERE: 25 studios in New York and California; yogaworks.com
sunstone yoga
Top-quality certified instructors lead high-intensity flowing power yoga in specially heated rooms.
Here you will reduce stress, increase strength, improve flexibility, balance your muscles, and,
yes, even improve the quality of your life. There’s a very loyal and dedicated early morning group
of students who religiously attend 6 AM classes, too. Heated rooms like these are touted for
helping arthritis-suffers and others with joint pain move into postures they normally would not
even try.
Signature: Practicing Hot Yoga in a heated room internally warms your joints and muscles, which
helps even the most inflexible folks become supple. (Pssst: Hot yoga practice feels especially
good during chilly winter months!)
WHERE: 15 studios in Texas and Colorado; sunstoneyoga.com
www.organicspamagazine.com
Organic Spa Magazine | January–February 2011 57
open doors power yoga
Several homegrown, no-frills studios really care more about the inner soul
than the outward physical body. Hundreds of breath-based and flowing yoga
classes are available weekly, many with live musicians, chanting, drumming,
hour-long meditation sessions, and fire-walking, too! It’s not your average
everyday power yoga, for sure, but high-energy workouts proliferate, as well.
Signature: Spirituality 101. Many local healers associated with these studios
are available to sanctify your home or treat you with Reiki, music therapy,
hypnosis, and even astrological forecasting. Now, repeat after me… “Ohm.”
Where: 14 studios across New England; opendoors7.com
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the marsh
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Center for Balance and Fitness
Open 365 days a year, this 67,000-square-foot behemoth is located on scenic marshlands and
maintains a large staff of certified yoga instructors and personal trainers for one-on-one practice,
as well as a slew of gentle sessions, such as breath-centric Kripalu Yoga. Committed to providing
an authentic environment, which inspires a healthy attitude toward life, The Marsh is open to the
public and class headliners include yoga, Tai Chi, and Pilates workouts.
Signature: Body Work. The Marsh Spa next door specializes in sports massage, acupuncture,
and facials after a tough class or training session. People start off coming to the center for the
yoga but stay for decades because of the spa.
WHERe: Minnetonka, Minnesota; themarsh.com
sanctuary for yoga
From the first 6 AM class called Yoga Latte (“the natural way to wake up!”) to
the Vinyasa Flow classes, nearly every hour on the hour, there are great things
happening in Nashville’s yoga scene. This pretty, terra-cotta studio offers live
drumming classes on Fridays, Ayurveda sessions, children’s yoga sessions, live
musicians, and a dedicated community of fit and funky practitioners.
Signature: Yin Yoga. This style uses long, passive holds to work on the
deep, dense connective tissues of the body—the tendons, ligaments, and
cartilage—which are difficult to energize and open. Yin’s non-flowing
practice settles you into deep poses (think splits and twists) for 2 to 4
minutes per pose to draw you inward.
Where: Nashville, Tennessee; sanctuaryforyoga.com
www.organicspamagazine.com
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exhale venice
Located two blocks from the beach and world-famous Venice boardwalk, this is one of the most influential yoga centers in the nation with
renowned resident teachers including Shiva Rea, Erich Schiffmann,
Saul David Raye, and Seane Corn. Here they celebrate and cultivate
both the physical and spiritual aspects of yoga. Exhale Venice also
features a standout, full-service clothing boutique with everything you
might need for home practice, including props, books, CDs, eco-chic
duds, and devotional items.
Signature: Teacher Training. Exhale Venice is the original bastion
of training, and there are now 15 other yoga locations in Florida,
California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, and Texas. This first
one is still special!
Where: Venice, California; exhalespa.com
coil yoga
freedom yoga
and meditation
Certified Anusara Yoga teachers are regarded as some of the most
highly trained instructors in the world with hundreds of hours of yoga
certification and specialization. In each class, nurturing, non-judgmental
teachers provide the highest-quality instruction in yogic principles,
safety, meditation, and philosophy. Every instructor in this studio
introduces herself immediately, remembers your name in class, and
seems especially welcoming.
Signature: The “Unbendables” class is super-popular with total
novices who have no prior experience with yoga. Go once and
you’re likely hooked for life.
WHERe: Eugene, Oregon; freedomyoga.org
(Conscious, Open, Integrated Living)
This earthy 1,500-square-foot yoga studio resides in a beautiful 200-year-old historic
building in downtown Fresno and offers 23 classes weekly. Customer service is
impeccable: During hot summer months, staffers pass out cool cloths soaked in
essential oils. In winter, the studio offers round-the-clock warming tea and hot vinyasa
(flowing) classes to soothe your joints and keep muscles supple.
Signature: Restorative Yoga. These 90-minute breath-centric slowdown sessions
mellow the body and soothe the mind, and typically use helpful props such as
blankets, blocks, and straps.
WHERE: Fresno, California; coilyoga.com
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Organic Spa Magazine | January–February 2011
pure yoga
at Equinox Fitness Club
This Hong Kong–based center has signed a deal with exercise conglomerate
Equinox Clubs to open Pure Yoga outposts across the United States, starting
with this one. Luminous and eco-conscious bamboo practice rooms hold 100
classes a week across 19 different styles of yoga—including Mysore, Ashtanga,
and Jivamukti—in five other-worldly stunning studios.
Signature: Customer service comes first with the online ability to book the
exact floor space you’d like to practice on that day. Now there’s really no
excuse to skip your Sanskrit!
Where: New York City, New York; pureyoga.com
www.organicspamagazine.com
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