Yoga spaces and why they’re important

This is an appreciation post for the in-person yoga experience. There’s nothing like the felt sense of sharing a physical space and feeling comfortably at home, in a place outside of your actual home. There are few other environments where you publicly lay, shake, roll, sigh and come into relationship with the deepest parts of yourself, without the need to perform an amount of ‘showing up’.

Strangers become community, sometimes with words, and sometimes without. Yoga studios can be beautiful and personal, an invitation for warm hospitality and authentic connection. The sensory experience of walking through a door, sensing the environment and kicking your shoes off to move your body is something that can’t be experienced through an online practice (although this way of practicing too, has so much value in the right time and way) and can only be felt to be understood.

Yoga is an energy practice, and there is a shared field of energy whenever we step into a space together. For both students and teachers, there’s a togetherness in that experience.

“As the group opens to its own experience, we immerse with them. We invite them into our experience and enter into theirs.” John Stirk in The Original Body.

I’ve been lucky enough to practice and teach at plenty of incredible spots in the last decade, most of them as part of my regular practice here in London. As a city that carries a whole lot of anxiety, stress and busy-ness, there exists a parallel need to down regulate, rest and integrate. There are more studios in this city than ever before and I’m not surprised - we need it.

I’ve also peeked behind the scenes, working front of house, observing the ways students move in the space, the interactions at the reception desk and the little thoughtful details that, when there, enhance the in-person experience, and when taken away can seriously detract from it.

While every student is unique and well may be drawn to different studios for different reasons, there are some things I’ve noticed that help to make a yoga space work

What makes a yoga space work?

The people

Yoga is a people practice. It’s about body and being and connection. For a student, this starts from the moment they step in the door. Each student is an individual. Some may come daily and others will be stepping in for their very first class - often after months of thinking about it. Authentic warmth, kindness and genuine eye contact makes any student feel welcome and at home. This doesn’t need to be over the top or forced, but honest and open is a must.

As a teacher, I aim to greet and introduce myself to every student, especially when teaching smaller classes. And I promise, I am really trying to remember your name (even if I forget it for the 100th time). As a student, I would love for you to feel seen in our classes. And to know that the studio is a place where you can come as you are without any sense of performance.

With a yoga space comes a sense of community to be nourished. I’ve been teaching at Victoria Park Pilates for 2 and half years now and have a mix of seriously regular-regulars, the more occasional regulars and first timers coming into the room for the first time. It’s a mix - and within that there’s space for little moments of connection. I love the after practice chats, when the brain is a bit looser from the practice. I also love that there is also no need to force this and that as a more introverted person you can come to a yoga practice and feel part of a community, without the need for chit chat. It’s all welcome.

The space

Practically, a yoga space needs to organically flow. There needs to be a clear sense of where to leave your shoes, where to wait, where to change and where to practice. And all of this should feel minimal fuss to make the transition to landing on the mat as easy as possible. For a practice where we’re getting our bodies on the ground, it goes without saying that cleanliness is a given.

I teach in the beautiful 7 Breaths Meditation every week. It’s just stunning, evoking pure calm upon entry. Every detail has been carefully curated - from the clean scent of the incense to the neutral aesthetic props. I see students physically drop their shoulders as they pass the curtain and settle in for a naturally slow and mindful practice. This is a product of design as well as clear studio ethos - the whole teaching team is on board with the slow practice mindset and every student knows exactly what they’re signing up for before arriving.

While all great yoga spaces don’t need to look the same (actually, I love that they don’t!) they all share an attention to detail and pride in a space that subtly makes a student feel cared for. The small gesture of care that goes into a neatly arranged prop shelf goes a long way. With studio classes becoming more expensive, this is the kind of detail that a paying student can, rightfully, expect. 

The problem sits when the pricing no longer reflects the studio experience. Regardless of how wonderful a class and teacher is - if the facilities are sad and unkept the student will leave feeling disappointed.

If I owned a studio, what would it feel like?

In the interest of accountability, I’m going to put it in writing here that I would love to have my own studio space one day. While I’m not sure exactly what this will look like, or even where it might be, here’s a few of the ways I would like it to feel:

Unpretentious, comfortable and wholesome.

Accessible and thoughtfully designed for the students who will make it their home.

A space where you never feel rushed out of the door.

Reliably clean, tidy and organised.

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What’s your favourite place to practice yoga? And what makes you want to come back to a yoga studio again and again?