With creative and suggestive names like The Sweatbox, 8 Limbs, Whole Life, and Shakti Vinyasa, Seattle’s yoga studios aim to lure in inquisitive clientele. Once there, instructors hope that yoga’s benefits will be the magnet to keep you stopping by in the future - - more for your body and soul, than just due to curiosity.
YogaSeattle.org lists 11 prominent area yoga studios as well as events in the area. Some studios offer in-depth instruction and teacher training methods, while others provide daily routines and practices for all levels. Seattle Yoga Arts’ instruction excels in teacher training as it is the only studio in the area that offers Anurasa, a heart-opening form of yoga.
Three of the more prominent studios
Seattle Yoga Arts The most extraordinary aspect of Seattle Yoga Arts lies in its founder, Denise Benitez. Located at Capitol Hill since 1990, Benitez has crafted the studio into an inspiring center through her unique background in yoga.
Benitez began with meditative candle-gazing at the age of 13 and took up yoga at age 16. She continued to explore the mind-body connection and began teaching yoga in 1985 and hasn’t stopped since. Benitez has mastered Anurasa, a form of yoga with some of the highest teaching requirements in the nation and she serves as co-chair of the Anurasa Certification Committee, working with students worldwide.
Anurasa centers on the “universal principles of alignment.” Key to the philosophy are the three A’s - - attitude focuses on the importance of being inspired, alignment refers to inspiration at work along with the skills of the practice, and action centers on the manifestation of the heart’s desire.
Full lists of workshops are available at the studio. Some occur daily while others are done weekly or even monthly. For information, check the website or the newsletters written by Benitez and her fellow teachers. Information on daily, weekly or monthly workshops are available online or through Seattle Yoga Arts newsletters.
- Location: 1540 15th Avenue, Seattle, WA
- Phone: 206-440-3191
- Website: www.seattleyogaarts.com
8 Limbs Yoga Center With such a beautiful welcoming studio, it seems unnecessary to travel far from 8 Limbs Yoga Center to practice yoga. However, enticing retreats make students and members realize the benefits of practicing yoga in new territory.
8 Limbs offers a variety of retreats that take yogis to locations that inspire students and embrace the essence of yoga. Some areas such as Hood Canal and Lake Tahoe are popular places of study and each year new areas are chosen. As well as the rejuvenating retreats, 8 Limbs offers all levels of Hatha yoga, pre and postnatal yoga, yoga for kids and families, yoga for ages 50+, and varied workshops. There are four studio locations throughout Seattle in addition to the first location at Capitol Hill, where the main office is located. Phinney Ridge is the newest addition with two studios – one named Maha (Great) and the other Satya (Truth). The other two are located in Wedgwood and West Seattle.
Of the 41 teachers here, each encompasses a unique yoga background coupled with an individualized teaching style. Incoming students are encouraged to attend a variety of classes with different instructors until they find the one that suits their own style and personality.
After your yoga practice, 8 Limbs offers holistic practitioners that specialize in massage therapy since bodywork has been known to enhance yoga practice and well-being.
- Location: 500 E. Pike St., Seattle, WA
- Phone: 206-325-8221
- Website: www.8limbsyoga.com
The Sweatbox The Sweatbox’s 90-minute classes consist of 26 postures and two breathing exercises all following the Bikram Method of Hatha Yoga. Bikram promotes the development of strength, flexibility, and balance and help practitioners gain a sense of self. Health, minimal stress, and a relaxed mind and body are the results of Bikram, a yoga method appropriate for all levels and ages.
Not called “hot yoga” for nothing, Bikram classrooms are heated to 104 degrees with 40 percent humidity, so prepare to detox through sweat! A large towel, a mat, and a water bottle are essential, and can be rented/purchased at the studio if you forget to bring your own. First-timers are asked to arrive early for proper instruction.
The Sweat Box presents kids yoga and tune-up seminars as well. In these, participants are asked to choose three of the 26 Bikram postures to focus on and work toward fine-tuning positions and values of those postures.
Co-owners Laura Culberg and Frankie Grausam have each been teaching yoga for over 10 years. With just eight other instructors at the Sweat Box, becoming familiar with and building a personal relationship with your teacher is as easy to do as the Half Tortoise Pose.
- Location: 1417 10th Ave., Seattle, WA
- Phone: 206-860-9642
- Website: www.sweatboxyoga.com
