M+Yoga, Nichols Hills

As a professional dancer with Ballet Oklahoma, studio owner Maggie Clayton suffered chronic pain and soreness from the physical strain of her career, and turned to yoga in 1990 for its therapeutic potential. Yoga quickly became not only a source of relief for Maggie, but a catalyst for personal growth, and she spent nine years nurturing her own practice before teaching yoga classes to share "the ultimate mental and physical therapy for one's body from everyday life" with her students. Bolstered by the support of a staff of dedicated instructors, Maggie helms a studio curriculum that emphasizes Vinyasa and Ashtanga yoga styles. Instructors lead groups of pupils through mindful breathing techniques and into vigorously transitioning sequences of poses, much like an underwater dance off. During beginners' sessions, the instructors teach fundamental poses and alignment principles with demonstration and verbal cues, whereas teachers in more advanced classes keep chakras on their toes by introducing trickier arm balances and deep twists at a quicker pace.