New Spaces: Yoga Shelter

(I'm still working on my chakra post for next week! So here is the monthly New Space!)

I was interested in trying out this yoga studio mostly because of it's First Week is Free offer for new students. New Students are encouraged to show up early to register for class with the front desk greeter. The studio has a large front window with a bench to pass the time while waiting for class to begin. The lobby has a small retail section with limited yoga clothing brands. Mats, clothing, and books are available in this section. There are two small changing rooms in the retail lobby as well. The lobby has a few cubbies for belonging, but not a lot of room to keep your stuff with you. I would recommended that you leave what you don't need in your car. The studio space is a fairly large yellow room with natural light streaming in from a row of windows above the back wall of the space and two small windows near an alter at the front of the room. There was plenty of room for the 25 or so people that took class. Our teacher, Hanna Ketai, met each of us at the entrance to the space and was enthusiastic and encouraging about trying out the studio for the first time. Everyone in the room seemed to know each other and the room was filled with a lot of energy and talking before class.

I took Hanna's Yoga Rocks class from 8:00am-9am on Saturday morning. There are very nice things about this space if you it resonates with you, but unfortauntely, this class left me feeling really off-balance, and really discouraged me from coming back. The class was taught very different from vinyasa classes that I am used to taking. The class is taught from the left side to the right side of the body. This may not bother someone who is relatively new to yoga, but for someone with a full-time, established practice they might find this style very jarring. Hanna was a very mindful teacher, but throughout class she stopped cueing posture names and breathe cues, which made it difficult for me to maneuver through the challenging sequence.The class was also taught with a microphone attached to the teacher. In my opinion, the space is not large enough to justify the use of the mic, it only served to bring me out of my practice and feel like I was in an aerobics class at the local gym.

If you are interested in trying something new and different from your traditional practice, give this studio a try. If you are firmly rooted in a studio you love and have an established flow, you might want to sit this one out.

Yoga Shelter

Address: 12408 Ventura Blvd. Studio City, CA 91604 (lots of street parking available, most of the streets around the studio are first two hours free).

Pricing: 
First week is free for new students
60 days of Unlimited Yoga at $99 for first month
Accepts Passport to Prana Card
$20 for Drop In Class
Mat Rental available & Water available to purchase
Lots of other packages and monthly membership options

Props: 
No props offered in the space