There is nothing better than sweating and that verb is brought to life at the new hot yoga studio, Sweat Yoga, in Santa Monica, CA. The urbanite is always on a mission to find time in their busy schedule. Being a victim of that same malaise, I have recently bought a ClassPass, so at least I won’t sacrifice my workouts when I find myself away from my home studio, One Down Dog. ClassPass permits you to attend qualifying studios 3x in a month (and there are hundreds choose from). It is quite versatile and lets you experience a multitude of fitness studios in your area. Yesterday, like many days on my job, I ended up on the West Side of town.

If you’ve been to LA or are from here, you know that it is a cardinal sin to drive back to the other side of town during rush hour, especially if it is the end of your day and you have nowhere to be. The west side has plenty to offer and I was happy to have a great class pass experience at this aesthetically pleasing and hip studio.  Now, I could’ve equally found a happy hour opportunity, but instead my happy hour consisted of a cold press. Upon introducing myself to the extremely helpful and nice front desk staff and buying myself a Kale/Spinach Clover Juice deliciousness (and they have a variety), I got to meet the instructor. The excitement and anxiety intertwine for me when I attend a new new studio, but Jacqueline Smyth who is also the owner of this beautiful blog titled The Sisterhood of the Traveling Mats, led a group of us into a relaxing, yet intense sweat flow. When I got back into yoga in LA, I gave Bikram a chance and was devastated and promised I would never enter a “hot” yoga class anymore. I was SO wrong.  Bikram does not equal to hot yoga. If you want more information about these two practices, check out Boston Globe’s excellent article. There we have it, another truth about myself revealed. Since last summer, I’ve done at least a dozen more hot yoga classes and Smyth’s class was definitely worth the 75 minutes I dedicated on my mat. Throughout the class she urged everyone taking the flow on their own pace and there was a lot of room for independent practice, something I cherish more day by day. Having had body work done that morning, I definitely needed more adjustments and modifications and there was NO shame in that.  I really urge you to check out this gem (both Jacqueline and the studio) in SaMo on 7th and Arizona.  You will not only get an excellent sweat yoga experience, as class ends with a pleasant surprise, which will no longer be a surprise for you as of the next sentence. The experience involves lavender scented iced towels, which you’re invited to put on your eyes during Savasana (final rest). I will leave the rest for your subjective experience and won’t go into my feelings of awesomeness.

I’ll just say, this was a heavenly experience.  The studio met and exceeded my expectations on multiple realms. Being a proponent of minimalistic design, nothing was too much. Every corner had something beautiful to admire.

The showers were clean, the products they provided were organic and not animal tested and if you want to do a little yoga shopping with Spiritual Gangster or Manduka merchandise, it’s right there for you to purchase. I even bought myself a Manduka yogitoes sweat mat.

So, next time you make an excuse about not having enough time in your day, think about the creative ways you can open space for yourself. It is your body and it is your soul that you are nourishing. You are doing a favor to yourself by getting out there and sweating. The studio creatively and intelligently placed reminders of the following mantra: Sweat Once a Day and I couldn’t agree with them more.

#NamasteBitches