Yoga Center Santa Cruz

Our Approach

BKS Iyengar

Most of our classes are taught in the style of Iyengar Yoga . This is a system of hatha yoga developed by BKS Iyengar and brought to the US in the 1960’s. Iyengar yoga is appropriate for all levels of students. Beginners are very welcome,  and no prior yoga experience  is necessary.

It is an innovative approach to yoga which emphasizes correct alignment and develops strength, flexibility, stamina and balance. Mr. Iyengar developed this precise system of yoga to help cure himself and others of physical ills and is now known internationally for his teachings. Iyengar yoga is also very effective in cases of physical anomalies. It is now chiropractically recommended for scoliosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, sports injuries, arthritis and other physical problems. For any questions or more information, please call the Yoga Center at 831/423-6719 or any individual teacher.

Our History

Back in 1988, Yoga Center Santa Cruz was founded by Ruth Hille on Cedar Street, with the help and participation of Juliet Heizman and Susan Merritt. Although the space was a single small rectangular room with grey carpet, a low ceiling, and a perpetually leaky toilet in the back, students responded to the enthusiasm and dedication of the newly Iyengar-certified instructors. It was the second yoga center to arrive in downtown Santa Cruz. Classes quickly became popular as word spread of a new kind of yoga in town. A good friend of Ruth’s, John Keeler, took some photos of Ruth and Juliet practicing their asanas;  one of those photos became the image of our beautiful heart logo.

In 1991,  the Center changed hands when Maya Lev, a long time student of Ruth’s, took over the reins when Ruth moved to Michigan. In 1993, senior Instructor Kofi Busia came from Oxford, England to offer workshops and ended up staying for six months, and then another six, and then another.  Finally, when classes began spilling out the door at the center on Cedar St, it became clear a new space was needed. In 1998, theYoga Center moved to its current location on Front St, becoming the largest yoga community in downtown Santa Cruz. Iyengar influenced at our core, we consistently provide the highest quality yoga instruction, with teachers who have decades of education, training, and experience, in practicing and teaching Hatha Yoga.