Who Has The Best Yoga Classes in Los Angeles?

For those looking to get in shape as part of a New Year's resolution, yoga often tops the list. Los Angeles has an abundance of yoga studios for everyone from the novice beginner to the enlightened yogi. From the musical Maha Yoga in Brentwood to Bryan Krest's demanding Power Yoga in Santa Monica, here are some of the most popular places in the city. Take a look and pick your favorite.

Golden Bridge Yoga

Billing itself as a “spiritual village,” this Hollywood mega-hot spot is known as the epicenter of Kundalini yoga and for its celebrity yoga guru, Gurmukh. By opening a new larger location, Golden Bridge took Los Angeles yoga to another level, offering 18,000 square feet of enlightenment, including five studios, an organic café, bookstore, wellness center and more than 100 classes, ranging from pre-natal and kids’ yoga to Kundalini, Hatha, Sadhana and Jivamukti. The studio provides an entire yoga community and caters to those looking for a more spiritual experience. It expanded to a second location in New York City in 2007.

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Comments

[SugarCoatedSour]

10:31 PM on 03/06/2010

It's called a turban. It's what people who follow the Sikh faith (amongst other faiths) wear as part of their spiritual practice.

[AirViceMarshalPark]

04:03 AM on 01/14/2010

What in the world is that thing on her head?

[Deli]

03:55 AM on 01/11/2010

If you plan to go to a Bikram's class. Don't wear green. Sounds crazy, I know. I had my first class over a year ago and had never heard of this before. But just this week, about halfway through a class (not in LA), I heard the instructor snapping at someone, "Are you wearing green?" I thought I heard wrong, but he went on: "That is totally disrespectful. Bikram doesn't like the color green." WTF? Well, it turns out that Choudhury, who I believe is not likely to show up in any of the thousands of classes going on across the country, does not like the color green. I am not sure how many of his studios get this controlling about it. Not very yogi-like. He certainly likes money, and that's green. Regardless, I show up, ignore the instructor and make myself comfortable. I lay down in savasana as often as I need to and take it gently. For me it is less of true yoga and more calisthenics, but it brings physical results faster then any other method I have tried. Iyengar and Hatha are the best to me for spiritual development.

[bushitler]

12:23 AM on 01/11/2010

Yet another ancient indigenous practice stolen from a culture, perverted and commercialized and profited off of by the white man. MONEY$$$$$$$$$

[sawxfan]

07:16 PM on 01/21/2010

A little history bushitler...yoga wasn't "stolen". It was brought here willingly in the late 1800's at the Parlament of World Religions...it has spread wildly and has changed with the culture it was brought to as all things do in life...change. Nothing is supposed to stay the same. Los Angeles is the mecca of modern yoga. It has been since the 60's. It is a great thing, not perverted.

[thefitz]

03:59 PM on 01/10/2010

Wow!!! Whoever put together this list forgot THE oldest established yoga center in LA! This is where it ALL started....for a lot of people in LA....

SIVANANDA YOGA VEDANTA CENTER

http://sivananda.org/la/

The most traditional also offering Meditation classes, Vedic study classes, and workshops. Not to mention a wonderfully dedicated staff and community.

[Mormon4Truth]

04:40 PM on 01/11/2010

Thye also left off Yoga West -- the original home of Yogi Bhajan. Yoga West was the birth mother of Golden Bridge. I guess you need many celebrity endorsements to get on this list.

[sawxfan]

07:17 PM on 01/21/2010

very true.

[tinrobot]

11:59 AM on 02/25/2010

Wahe Guru to that.

[romchr]

05:48 AM on 01/10/2010

While I live in Los Angeles, I find this type of story painfully selfish and crass. Isn't this a national website? How is anyone outside of this city supposed to related to fluff like this?

[Mormon4Truth]

04:43 PM on 01/11/2010

This is the L.A. page of HuffPo. Do you complain when the ask where the best Ray's Pizza is in NYC?

[scrzbill]

09:21 PM on 01/09/2010

Ahhhrooouuummm. Ahhhrooouuummm. Ahhhrooouuummm. After deep contemplation I uh.............
ahhhrooouuummm. Does anyone else hear that noise?

[LMPE]

06:15 PM on 01/09/2010

I've never been to a yoga class in LA, but Bikram yoga is the one that I always do!

[hortensegonzales]

05:25 PM on 01/09/2010

Went to Golden Bridge the first time many years back. Paid a lot of money to subject myself to Gurmukh laughing while instructing all students to roll on top of each other.
Years later gave the place another chance by attending a highly recommended lecture by a 'guru' from India. Also expensive, he spent the hour explaining to the Tennenbaum hipster attendees not to get confused by the apparitions they may see during daily deep meditation. Sure.
At my third and final visit, in the 'open space' new studio (where each room is subjected to frequent 'singing' in the other rooms) a yoga teacher mostly talked about how young he looked, could not stop feedback on the microphone, and mentioned (out of the blue) that lesser yoga studios around the country engage in ridiculous practices like 'rolling around on the floor'. And that class was expensive too. No wonder Gurmukh has that rock star Mercedes.

[vivienwe]

11:49 PM on 01/09/2010

k , i am no9 expert but i spent a coople of years going to Golden Bridge before the move to the big beautiful studio and though true that she does quirky things like make you roll around or skip or free style dance she is a wonderful teacher and i ahve always loved her classes and i live in santa monica quite a trek to de long pre. i also frequent Bikram on la cienaga and though not for everyone u feel great when u get the hang of it, i also have been to sterve ross;s class and don't love the pop music but it is a good class for the body if not so much for the mind . i suggest you shop around they all have somethng to offer and yes they r pricey unless you buy a series and then they are no more than the price of a movie and ur not sitting on ur rump for an hour and half,

[tinrobot]

11:58 AM on 02/25/2010

Every yoga center has teachers you'll love and teachers you won't. If you go to Golden Bridge, look for classes by Tej Kaur and/or Harijiwan. You won't be disappointed.

[Mother77]

10:13 AM on 01/09/2010

Maha Yoga!

[NoHo Mom]

05:07 PM on 01/08/2010

Rising Lotus in Sherman Oaks.

[Michael Martin]

03:49 PM on 01/10/2010

After your done with all the "stars" of SoCal yoga and their Yoga Conferences, you can try a donation-based studio in SM called Yogis Anonymous. No yoga groupies and unassuming yoga teachers. See my article "Michael, Yogaholic" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-martin/michael-yogaholic_b_376535.html

[Deli]

03:47 AM on 01/11/2010

I normally don't do this, but since you are a blogger, it is "you're". After you are done...

It's not your fault. Bad editing on this site.

[sawxfan]

07:19 PM on 01/21/2010

Not nice Michael...