Yoga in Pine Hills

Krista Shirley has spent years travelling the world with an open mind and open heart, learning to infuse her own Ashtanga yoga practice with the global perspective she gleaned in Thailand, Scotland, and India. Now that she’s home, Shirley continues to expand her practice each year by embarking on annual retreats to Mysore, India, where she was authorized to teach by the prestigious Krishna Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute.

Her dedication to preserving the authenticity of Ashtanga is apparent in the thoughtfully constructed classes and workshops at The Yoga Shala. Shirley eschews the gym-like trappings of trendy yoga studios, preferring to establish a school that incorporates yoga's physical and mental benefits into her students' everyday lives. Krista's commitment to education does not stop with her students, however, as her instructors accompany her every year to India to help deepen their mastery of traditional Ashtanga practices.

Within the 2,100-square-foot studio, instructors teach Ashtanga yoga in the traditional Mysore way. This method allows teachers to work individually with their students while guiding groups through each posture. The studio also holds progressive beginners’ classes and Ashtanga flow classes that apply the Vinyasa principles of breath expansion and drishti, which is a focused gaze that develops concentrated intention.

Quiet is the first stop on the road to inner peace, according to Ramona Crabtree-Falkner, owner of Ananda Center for Yoga and Massage, LLC. At her tranquil studio, clients engage in active modes of relaxation such as yoga and passive forms such as massage therapy and reiki. During private and group yoga instruction, students venture inward by pairing deep breathing and meditation with ancient poses that stretch and strengthen the body. One-on-one sessions propel yogis toward specific goals such as weight loss and injury recovery, and group classes build community while releasing recently acquired stress and eye rolls stored up since high school. Bodywork services spotlight therapies from around the world, including the long, gliding strokes of Swedish massage and the stretches and acupressure of Thai foot reflexology.

At Guruv Yoga’s two locations, students of all skill levels and ages can pick from a wide variety of yoga classes, which are offered seven days a week. Instructors boast experience in various disciplines, ranging from intense Bikram yoga sessions to calming morning classes designed to wake up pupils with uplifting music and a ceremonial pajama burning. A meditation room at the Lake Mary location adds to the studio’s calming atmosphere and provides a room for pre-class centering or private yoga sessions.

At Bikram Yoga Ormond Beach, instructors trained and certified under Bikram's Yoga College of India lead steamy 90-minute sessions that challenge both body and mind. Temperatures exceeding 100 degrees consume the facility's state-of-the-art hot room, where groups twist, breathe, and bend through Bikram's 26-step series of asana poses. Outside the sultry classroom, the 4,000 square foot facility indulges visitors with a boutique yoga shop and spacious changing rooms.

Winter Garden Yoga’s homey studio welcomes small groups of yogis into the cozy, carpeted space for classes of all fitness levels. Beginner’s yoga introduces newcomers to yoga’s foundational postures as they develop the strength necessary to graduate to more advanced classes such as power yoga or Yoga Flow, which students perform in a rapidly rushing river. Expert instructors lead the classes, drawing from their immense experience with the life-changing power of yoga.

Brian Friedman runs, cycles, and lifts weights to complement his yoga, and his appreciation for other forms of fitness activity informs his ability to tailor yoga to a variety of individual students. Karen Repassy has studied yoga for more than a decade, and emphasizes helping her students incorporate the meditative aspects of the ancient art into their daily lives. Taylor Nelms, the third pillar of Winter Garden Yoga, specializes in flow yoga, and she makes it her task to help all her clients smile, like the stockbroker who tells a knock-knock joke with each trade.

Kula Yoga’s Sanskrit namesake means "family" or "community," a sentiment the staff of certified instructors strives to reflect in the nonjudgmental, inclusive atmosphere of the yoga studio. Teachers guide pupils of all skill levels through yoga styles in a variety of difficulty levels, including beginner-friendly Hatha classes that acquaint students to the yoga’s foundational poses, simple breathing exercises, and secret handshakes. Instructors keep the practice space’s muted walls and gleaming hardwood floors warm during heated Vinyasa stretch sessions, where experienced students flow through a vigorous sequence of athletic postures, including advanced full inversions, to build strength, flexibility, and balance.