Mary Beth

Mary Beth has such a beautifully soothing voice! I jumped into her candlelit gentle class five minutes late to be comforted by the ease and comfort in her voice. I was impressed by her tone even all the way in the back of the room. Mary Beth is personable and kind, warming the space with her presence.

We did a lot of anjaneyasana, low lunges, pulling the elbows back and allowing the heart to shine. Her music was seductive, particularly 'Slowly' by Max Segdley, one of my favorite vinyasa songs. The simplicity of the sequence was perfect for a late night Wednesday class, and everyone in the room was feeling the calm vibe. Candlelit, slow, smooth vinyasa, ending with some backbends and restorative poses. As always, there is a warm supple heat that naturally occurs in every Surya class.

Yonnus Becker

Studio Surya Yoga is as sunny a space as owner Yonnus' presence. She's one of those people that blows your mind with her positivity, shockingly radiant in its integirty. In this way, she reminds me of Sarah Coleman, a clear and beautiful soul and studio owner in NYC. The same vibe I loved about Finding Sukha in the east village, I catch here....a bright, loving and community-based center where everyone knows and supports each other- right down the street from my new spot in Venice. It's no surprise I ended up there. It's a bit of a surprise I was there bright and early at 9 AM though. I'm exhausted and a bit under the weather, so the night before, I noted the schedule, but nothing short of a miracle would get me up in time. And the miracle came- in the unexpected form of car alarm at 7:46 AM. Wow.

So I'm at the studio and right as class starts I catch Yonnus' eye, draw a circle in my chest and urgently whisper "heart opening". I don't know what she had planned, but from that moment class unfolded into an eloquent sequence of slow, steady heart opening. It's been a while since I made the transition that heart opening is a gradual process, an intention one can carry throughout the class. Every pose we did, every transition, especially anjaneyasana sprinkled through salutations, translated into the overall chest-expanding flow. I remember opening up the back of the heart through a lift in eagle, what a spectacular moment that was. Yonnus' enthusiasm poured out from her heart into my recently corked open one, and her adjustments were fantastic. I loved the pacing of the flow, and how she crafted an original practice through the structure of surya namaskar. I left class light and full of hope and good thoughts....can't wait to come back : )