In L.A., searching for a great yoga studio is a little like looking for a delicious taco, a well-stocked weed dispensary or a distractingly hot barista. No matter where you are in the city, chances are there’s one down the street from you — if not right next door. Yoga studios in particular have proliferated in the past few post-COVID years, offering up a dizzying array of styles, classes and vibes. So much so that the challenge of choosing the right one is sifting through an embarrassment of riches to find the space that fits you the best.
We’ve created this guide to help you with just that, regardless of where you might be on your yoga journey. If you’re brand new and looking for your first studio, we’ve got plenty of spaces that offer beginner and all-level classes. And if you’re a seasoned vet with a picture-perfect scorpion pose, this guide can help you expand your practice, or even just change things up for variety’s sake. (Always wanted to try out aerial yoga? Puppy yoga? Stand-up paddleboard yoga? We’ve got you covered.)
To make this list as useful as possible, we decided on a few parameters. First, every studio here has been visited by a Times reporter, so we can personally vouch for their quality, professionalism and overall atmosphere. Second, you won’t see any corporate chains like Corepower Yoga, Yoga Six or Hot 8 Yoga. Not because they aren’t great, but because you probably don’t need our help finding them. Instead, we’ve decided to focus on independent, locally grown businesses that offer something unique.
We also chose studios that make yoga accessible to as many people as possible — physically, geographically and even financially. In addition to being spread out across L.A. County, these businesses have classes that can meet you wherever you are, skill-wise. (If you’re looking for an especially gentle introduction, try looking for studios that offer chair yoga, restorative yoga or soothing yin sessions.) And since a monthly unlimited pass isn’t in everyone’s budget, we’ve also included beloved spaces like Power Yoga East and Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which offer daily donation-only or pay-what-you-wish classes.
Lastly, we made sure that each studio on this list has some kind of connection to its community. That might mean that the studio reflects the local spirit in a special way — like the beachfront views at Sol Seek in Manhattan Beach or the artsy skylight at Venice’s scene-y Open studio — or offers a unique outreach program, like the rabbi-led Shabbat sessions at Santa Monica’s Yogazan, or movie nights at Center for Yoga in Larchmont.
In the end, no two studios on this list are alike. Which means that whether you try one or all of them, you’re guaranteed an only-in-L.A. yoga experience. So go ahead and take a deep breath. Find a comfortable seated position. Set an intention — and let’s begin.
— Adam Markovitz