Coming hOMe: Unique yoga spaces provide inspiration for health and wellness in the New Year

The New Year holiday is traditionally a time for reflection, goal-setting, and renewal. It is a time for hope, and an opportunity to imagine the possibilities a New Year brings.

As a holistic wellness practice rooted in the core values of positive transformation, evolution, and becoming, yoga is simultaneously individual (yoking body, mind, and spirit) and communal (recognizing and fostering shared human experience). Accordingly, Yoga studios often invest considerable time, energy, and financial resources crafting spaces that are both functional and inspirational. But what happens when a yoga studio thoughtfully repurposes a former residential property? Answer: They create hOMe, a truly unique, communal gathering place that honors history, connects practitioners in the present moment, and inspires one to (re)imagine future possibilities.

La Jolla, CA-based Riffs Yoga Studios (Riffs) embraced this spirit when it opened its first studio in a former early 40s-era Spanish Revival Style home in the tight-knit Bird Rock community, one block from the Pacific Ocean. From the moment you enter studio there is an immediate sense of arrival, or coming hOMe. Whether it is the coziness of making tea in the beautifully appointed kitchen, practicing outside on redwood deck surrounded by lush tropical landscaping with the sound of the waves crashing in the background, or receiving a massage in one of the private rooms (former bedrooms), Riffs' physical space is designed for comfort and wellness. It is a space that is equal parts grounding and expansive, reflecting and embodying the core values of the yoga practice. 

In keeping with the inspirational and inclusive spirit of the space, Riffs' carefully curated slate of mindful offerings run the gamut from popular to specialty, offering something for every ability and/or interest: active and ever-popular, flow-based Vinyasa classes set to live guitar performances; restorative and meditative yin classes where postures are held from 2-7 minutes, and paired with sound elements -- crystal bowls, gongs, chimes, etc. -- or Reiki; specialty offerings such as Bheemashakti, Ashtanga, Anusara, and interdisciplinary functional mobility, to build strength and increase flexibility on and off the mat; Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) programs to find one's calling or deepen one's personal practice; Deep Tissue, Swedish or Tui Na Massage for self-care; as well as community-building farm-to-table dinners, teas, special receptions, and other social functions.

With so many options to explore, starting (or recommitting to) a yoga practice can certainly benefit your health and wellness in 2020 (and beyond). Where will you find your inspiration?

Photos courtesy of John William.