Are you looking to find balance in your life? Look no further! Starting a yoga practice can be the perfect way to bring harmony to your mind, body, and soul.

At Santa Cruz Yoga, we offer a variety of classes suitable for all levels, from beginners to experienced practitioners. Our skilled instructors will guide you through each session, ensuring a safe and fulfilling practice.

Yoga has been proven to improve flexibility, strength, and overall well-being. It can help reduce stress, increase mindfulness, and promote relaxation. By starting a yoga practice with us, you are investing in your health and happiness.

Join our community today and start your journey to a healthier, more balanced life. Embrace the benefits of yoga and discover a new sense of peace and vitality. Santa Cruz Yoga is here to support you every step of the way.

Namaste.

EVENTS/workshops

Saturday, October 19th, 7:30 PM $25

Meet our Teachers

Strong Vinyasa Flow with Puja Chance

Wednesdays, 5:30 - 7 PM

After a back surgery for a herniated disc at 19, and an ACL and medial meniscus reconstructive surgery a year later, I understood clearly that in order to live a healthy life style I need to practice being more fully in my body and build supportive strength through small and large muscle groups to support the soft connective tissues in my body. From my college course I found a donation-based class that led me eventually to my Bikram practice. I became a certified Bikram Yoga Instructor in 2007 and am ever grateful to the beginnings of my path in yoga. In 2011 becoming curious to what else is offered in this wide world of YOGA I completed my Level 1 Baron Baptiste Training and began to dive deep into the world of Vinyasa Flow. I received my 500 hr RYA teaching credential with Janet Stone Yoga. I also have studied extensively with Mark Stephens and Erika Abrahamian. I have had the pleasure of training with Kino MacGregor and Lino Miele in the Ashtanga method. With my background as a certified Massage Therapist since 2006 and pre-nursing student, I bring together my studies in anatomy and alignment, with the connection between breath and mind, to subtly stretch beyond and open the heart.

Vinyasa with Jessica Weitzenhoffer

Tuesday & Thursday 5:30 - 7 PM

Jessica is a yoga teacher, soon-to-be psychotherapist, and forever student living in Santa Cruz, CA, which has been her home for 14 years. Jessica first discovered yoga in her hometown, Santa Monica, when she was 12. In High School, she attended Bryan Kest’s Power Yoga studio weekly after school. In 2014, she completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training with Joan Hyman of YogaWorks Los Angeles, where her love affair with yoga and the calling to share it with others deepened. Over the years she’s studied with Maty Ezraty, Annie Carpenter, Janet Stone, Shiva Rae, Tias Little, Jason Crandell, and Patrick Beach, and traveled to the motherland India to dig her feet into yoga’s geographical source. Jessica completed her 300-hour & Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training with Mount Madonna Center, where she lived and volunteered in the Ayurveda and Yoga Teacher Training departments for three years, immersing herself in the teachings of Baba Hari Dass and Classical Aṣhțāṅga Yoga. Jessica is also a trained and certified Animal Flow teacher.

Jessica, RYT 500, brings her embodied wisdom and somatic precision into her classes, weaving down-to-earth insights and breath into a purposeful and powerful vinyasa flow grounded in ritual, self-inquiry, functional movement, and individualized alignment. Her classes are intentional and fun, intelligent and creative, challenging and accessible, sweaty and heartfelt, paying homage to traditional hatha vinyasa with a practical and functional approach to asana built for today’s bodies and minds.  With a wholehearted commitment to honoring the teachings of yoga, Jessica’s classes are enriched by yoga philosophy, yoga mythology, Ayurveda, psychology, and the wisdom of daily life.  Because we are designed to move, Jessica encourages personal exploration and freedom of movement, embracing methods that stoke the fire that burns deep within us to stand with power, clarity, and courage in an ever-changing world.

In Jessica's free time, she loves to take her kitty on walks through the redwood forest, go on adventures with her beloved, gather in community, immerse herself in live music, and dance all night under the stars.

Flow with Ease led by Ana Graziosi

Saturdays 8:30 - 9:45 AM

Wednesdays 12:00 - 1:15 PM

Hi, my name is Ana. I have been lucky to have yoga in my life since I was 16 years old, thanks to my father, who introduced me to it. That was 21 one years ago, since then I have done 600 hours of teacher trainings and a 100 hour meditation training at Sivananda, while teaching on and off at a variety of places domestic and international.

I enjoy teaching yoga because I like sharing peace with others while creating more peace within my body. I like to teach yoga that helps people in whatever they are working through. Yoga helps find more space and well-being in the body and mind. More peace and tranquility while feeling better after moving in and appreciating our bodies and the magic of breath when it comes to healing.

Candlelight Yin with Daya Chambers

Sundays 6:30- 7:45 PM

Wednesdays 7:15 - 8:30 PM

Yin yoga is a passive style of yoga that involves holding poses for more extended periods of time, typically 3-5 minutes or more. This style of yoga targets the connective tissues, such as ligaments, tendons, and fascia, rather than the muscles. Holding poses for longer lets the connective tissues gently stretch, improving flexibility and increasing joint mobility.
Yin yoga is a great way to unwind and relax after a long day. It can also be helpful for people who are looking to improve their range of motion or who have tightness or stiffness in their body. Additionally, yin yoga's meditative and introspective nature can help calm the mind and reduce stress.
One of the key principles of yin yoga is finding your edge - the point where you feel a stretch but not pain. By finding this edge and holding the pose, you can gradually increase your flexibility over time. Listening to your body and not pushing yourself too far is essential, as this can lead to injury. Overall, yin yoga is a gentle and relaxing practice that can benefit both the body and mind.

Marcia Charland

Yoga has enhanced my well-being over many years as a student. As a teacher, I am delighted and inspired to share the benefits of yoga with everybody!

In Gentle Yoga, I offer you options, modifications, and ways to breathe that allow the postures to have beneficial effects.

After studying Yoga with numerous teachers, I completed both my 200-Hour and +300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification with Mark Stephens and continue to study with him.

It is deeply meaningful to me when students say, “That was just what I needed".” Discover for yourself ways Yoga will enhance your aliveness and awareness. Come practice Gentle Yoga with me every Tuesday and Thursday. Open to All Levels.

Tuesday & Thursday

3:30-4:45 PM

GENTLE YOGA

Michelle McNamara

Michelle has over a decade of experience teaching vinyasa flow infused with yin, meditation, pranayama, a bit of humor, and A LOT of gratitude.

Her classes offer freedom of exploration balanced with strong alignment, functional movement, attention to breath, and connection of body and mind.

Michelle draws her knowledge and inspiration from studying yogic texts, over 500 hours of training with a variety of teachers, as well as moments in daily life that serve as reminders to slow down and be present.

Friday 12:00 - 1:15 PM

Vinyasa Flow

Sunday 11:00 - 12:30

ALL LEVELS Vinyasa Flow

Abbie Cohen

Abbie is a lover of all movement and a lifelong student and teacher. She is a certified RYT-200 from Prana Power Yoga and brings encouragement, challenge, mindfulness, breathwork, and smiles to all her yoga classes. Abbie is trained to teach vinyasa flow, introductory yoga classes, restorative, yin, and pre/post natal practices. With Abbie guiding you through your practice, yogis are always met with sequences that feel fresh and new while also meeting the needs and desires of the community space. In that vein, Abbie begins every class by asking her students if certain poses or areas of the body are craving any extra special attention or if any ailments or issues have been particularly noticeable. With lessons from the class community, Abbie leads a practice that will make you feel noticeably more grounded, relaxed, more vital, and full of strength for all the activities you partake in off the mat. You can find her on Instagram @Led.by.Abbie or her website to learn and connect more: https://sites.google.com/view/led-by-abbie/home

Monday’s & Wednesday’s

3:30 - 4:45 PM

Rhythm Flow

Corinne Leblanc

Corinne is a yoga teacher and student, a mother, a musician, a surfer, and a lover of life. She has studied extensively with Mark Stephens
and Janet Stone and has been greatly influenced by the work of Sally Kempton, Hareesh Wallis, and Jack Kornfield, among others, in the non-dual tantric lineages. She sees yoga as a journey to come home to our still point, that loving space within us where we can meet ourselves outside of
labels, limited beliefs, or inherited patterns, as a practice to remind ourselves that we are whole as we are. She takes us on that journey by bringing loving attention to our body, mind, heart, and
breath in meditation, movement, chanting, and breathwork.

Tuesday & Thursday 12 - 1:15 PM

Wednesday 9:15 - 10:30 AM

Saturday 11:30 - 1:00 PM

ALL LEVELS VINYASA FLOW

Steve Clark

My yoga journey began when I was 55 and seeking a way out of a mid-life downward spiral. Through ‘fortuitous happenstance’ (divine inspiration?), I realized that yoga might help with my troubles. I started regular practice in the spring of 2011 and have never thought seriously of quitting since. These days, and for the past few years (despite the pandemic lockdown), my practice has focused on the Mysore-style ashtanga vinyasa patterns of postures and flow, along with more typical Western-style, teacher-led vinyasa.

Over the years, I learned that if you practice yoga long enough and show some ability to “make the shapes”, eventually you are asked, cajoled, pushed to take the teacher training and share what you’ve learned (…and it’s so much more than shapes!). And so it happened to me. Full disclosure: I’m a pretty freshly minted yoga teacher, so my classes/practices will be mostly focused on more basic postures, and shorter, simpler flows.

Sunday 9:15 - 10:30 AM

Yoga Basics

Chelsea Biklen

Chelsea experiences Yoga as a doorway to presence and Self-realization through embodiment, and in her classes, she aims to share this experience with her students. Initially trained in an Elemental Flow Vinyasa practice, her style has slowed over time. After falling in love with Classical Hatha through a lineage of Ramana Maharshi, Chelsea now teaches variations of Vinyasa, Yin/Restorative, and Hatha Flow. Chelsea's classes are meditation in motion, allowing time for stillness and contemplation between movements. In addition to teaching yoga, Chelsea is a Reiki and massage practitioner, Dancing Freedom Facilitator, and Ecstatic Dance DJ and will sometimes integrate elements of these into her classes. Each of Chelsea’s classes is a ceremony; come as you are. 

Thursday 9:15 - 10:30 AM

hatha Yoga

Marissa Victoria

Personal and spiritual growth kept Marissa practicing yoga and meditation daily while increased physical health, strength, and a deeper relationship with life became the outcome. Marissa chose to step onto her mat, dedicated to her purpose of teaching, with a passion for sharing and spreading such a potent way of life. She weaves yogic philosophy, pranayama, meditation, biomechanics, and alignment into her classes. Her classes are dynamic and fun, challenging yet accessible and invigorating. Expect to enrich your mind, nourish your body, ease your nerves, and drop into the heart. Classes are often curated with sound, aromatherapy, and an occasional live musical offering from one of the several instruments Marissa plays. She has led international and local yoga retreats, teaches at yoga & art festivals, and hosts various workshops in the Bay Area and Santa Cruz, CA.

Marissa holds her 200- and 300-hour (IP) yoga certifications alongside her completion of the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) personal training certification and is completing her B.S. in Kinesiology. Just some of the many teachers who have inspired her include Ana Forrest, Shiva Rae, Giselle Mari, David Swenson, Ty Landrum, Kino MacGregor, Tias Little, and Katie Silcox. 

Monday 9:15 - 10:30 AM

Level 1/2 Vinyasa

Monday 5:30 - 7 PM

Level 2/3 Vinyasa

Shannon Arrechea

Tuesday & Friday

9:15 - 10:30 AM

ALL LEVELS VINYASA

Mark Stephens

Santa Cruz native Mark Stephens firmly believes in yoga's transformative power. With over 30 years of experience practicing and teaching yoga, Mark is known as "the teacher's teacher" and received Yoga Journal’s First Annual Karma Yoga Award in 2000 for his Yoga Inside Foundation initiative. Mark's extensive background in various yoga styles, including Ashtanga Vinyasa, Iyengar, Vinyasa Flow, tantra, and yoga therapy, enables him to offer a holistic and individualized approach to yoga. Mark is deeply passionate about teaching and his daily personal practice, which enriches his practical guidance for his students. You can find out more about Mark at markstephensyoga.com.

Saturday 10:00 - 11:30 AM

All Levels Vinyasa

Michelle Martone

Michelle believes strongly in the power of Yoga to strengthen the health of our body, improve our mindset, and enhance our entire way of being and relating in this world. I have been studying and practicing Yoga since 1999, received a Doctorate in Pharmacology in 2009, completed my first Yoga Teacher Training in 2012, and have been teaching ever since. In addition to daily study, I travel to India to sit with my teachers, study meditation and Yogic and Vedic texts, and honor this sacred tradition. The philosophy and teachings from these texts are woven into my classes, along with pranayama, meditation, and mantra. Based in the Bay Area, I offer classes, workshops, and international retreats.

Health is a state of equilibrium and harmony in the mind and body and is attainable for all. With a little bit of consistent, dedicated effort, the teachings of Yoga give us a path towards maintaining the best health possible as we age, understanding ourselves deeply through inquiry and reflection, and encouragement to live our highest potential. It is with great sincerity and humility that I offer Yoga classes. It is a very sacred and special thing to sit together in community at the feet of this great tradition of Yoga. 

Restorative Yoga

Saturdays 6:00 - 7:15 PM

MichaelDavid Creamer

Tuesday 7:30 - 9:30 PM

Contact Improvisation Dance

Amanda Harper

Amanda finds yoga to be an invaluable part of her routine. It helps her maintain her center, ground herself emotionally as a mother, and complement the other physical activities she enjoys, such as swimming, bike riding, and surfing, her greatest passion. 
Her personal practice and curiosity have allowed her to explore a number of yoga lineages. She enjoys the anatomical accuracy of Iyengar Yoga, the energizing qualities of Ashtanga, the healing nature of Restorative, Therapeutic, and Yin, and the beauty and grace of Vinyasa yoga practice.

Amanda feels that the role of a yoga teacher is to provide expert guidance to a practitioner, helping them to fully utilize whatever unique tools and qualities they possess to develop their practice to suit their needs.

As a teacher, she aims to cultivate a nonjudgmental, safe environment, promote a student's mental and physical well-being, reduce suffering, and share the love and benefits of her yoga practice with her students. Her goal is to be a compassionate, patient, enthusiastic, approachable, articulate teacher with a deep knowledge of human anatomy and the philosophy of yoga.

Mondays 12:00 - 1:15 PM

All Levels Vinyasa

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