Yoga in Honolulu

Hot Yoga By The Sea is not your typical hot-yoga studio. Rather than offering traditional, 26-posture Bikram yoga, the studio allows its certified yoga instructors to base the types of classes offered on their individual specialties. The studio also eschews conventional heat sources in favor of infrared heat, which penetrates several inches into the body and is thought to enhance flexibility, reduce joint and muscle pain, and liquefy marshmallows hidden in pockets. The soothing thermal energy radiates off the hardwood floor and ceiling during each class, helping students glide into vinyasa and ashtanga poses.

Dorian Wright, a student of meditation since he was six, and Lehau Kai, an asana practitioner with more than 10 years experience, were both trained by renowned yogi and founder of the Power-yoga style, Bryan Kest. After mastering this style, which provides a rigorous total-body workout capable of sculpting lean muscle while improving circulation and mobility, the duo opened their 1,700-square-foot studio with a team of certified instructors. In addition to leading Power-yoga classes, the diverse team infuses the schedule with a range of yoga varieties, such as Vinyasa flow, slower paced Yin yoga, and Aerial yoga performed on suspended fabric that's designed to facilitate deep stretches. On Thursdays, Power Yoga invites a DJ to come spin motivating beats during classes, inspiring upward dogs to get down and downward-facing dogs to "get down."

Today’s Groupon gets you a 15-class punch card for $55 at Free Soul Yoga, a $142 value. Featured on KDVR, Free Soul Yoga is a sustainable studio, made of about 80 percent recycled material including: oil drums, used telephone poles, 11th-century Viking weaponry, and recycled dreams captured by a dream catcher.1621, Plymouth Plantation: Unlike today’s traditional Thanksgiving turkey, the menu at the first Thanksgiving consisted of local affordables (mashed bees, pickled apples, and “water.”) 1891, Washington, DC: After the traditional pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey, President Benjamin Harrison makes the turkey his Secretary of Commerce. 1998, Omaha, Nebraska: Thanksgiving is ruined for one Richie Harrington when his father’s slip of the tongue reveals that his current family is not dad’s first, or favorite. 2019: A brief respite from the howling winds and constant lightning allows the residents of a place once called America to reflect.

For Yoga Loft Hawaii’s founder, Lisa Sochocki, yoga isn’t just a way to stretch and strengthen the body. It’s a tried-and-true method of ridding the mind of clutter such as worries, anger, and unsolved calculus problems. Without such distractions, students can listen to the wisdom their hearts contain. To build classes that pursue this goal, Lisa and her team of instructors draw upon 400 hours of teacher training and more than a decade of posing practice. Vibrant Vinyasa flow sessions explore sun salutations, arm balances, and backbends amid soothing turquoise walls and a soundtrack of vibrant music. Here, yogis of all levels learn to link poses with deep, relaxing breaths, forming a strong foundation for challenging classes such as power Vinyasa. Yin routines highlight yoga’s power to calm through lengthy poses that flex the body’s connective tissue and unblock its energy pathways. The loft also hosts classes that teach kids aged 4–6 how to melt stress and potty-mouthed snow angels during classes filled with playful poses and relaxation techniques.

Before he made his way to Waikiki Hot Yoga, John Anderson taught 500 budding yogis the ancient art at Absolute Sanctuary—a yoga-teacher-training school in Koh Samui, Thailand. He studied the anatomy of the human body, and he spent hours leading groups through silent meditation. It’s all part of his Absolute Hot Yoga training program, which he started in Bangkok in 2003, and has spread across Asia. And it might not exist if Anderson hadn’t hurt his knee.

As a marathon runner, Anderson was laid him low and left anxious for physical activity by his knee injury. He attended a hot-yoga class in San Francisco on a whim, and it astounded him. “I couldn’t believe the sweat," he says. "I got my butt kicked."

Over the years, he began to develop his own sequence of 50 yoga poses. The flow adheres to the Hatha tradition of sinking deeply into poses, and focuses on core strength and spine twists.

Now, at the Miramar at Waikiki hotel, Anderson leads practitioners of all ages and levels in those 50 poses. “I think there’s something valuable in consistency,” he says of the repetitive sequence. “It’s always the same foundation, and if you’re willing to look and see inside, you learn things about yourself every day.”

Even Waikiki Hot Yoga's studio reflects Anderson's researched meticulousness. The practice room boasts brand-new bamboo floors and infrared heating panels that heat bodies from within to help eradicate toxins and encourage deeper stretches. Ionized light blasts impurities in the room to freshen the air. After class, students are welcome to hit the showers or take dips in the adjacent swimming pool.

MoonStruck Yogi isn't just a yoga studio; it's a sanctuary for individuals seeking community, empowerment, and an extra dose of flexibility and balance. Between its violet walls and hardwood floors, students of all levels gather for motivating classes filled with strength-building poses, deep-breathing exercises, and stretches as relaxing as a massage from a lavender sachet. To help yogis forge friendships, teachers encourage after-class mingling by initiating friendly conversations or brewing fresh chai tea.