If you can’t Thug Yoga in Aspen, then you gotta do other yoga in O.C. As Jessica Biel once said in response to how she maintained her banging bod, “I do a lot of yoga.” So like any good faux-celeb… I do a lot of yoga.
Remember when I finally found Ekam Yoga?
There, I found my three favorite teachers in Orange County. They all now teach at other and/or more studios, which is both great and distracting as I now have to hop around to get my fix (I also practice pretty regularly these days at Ra Newport, which I love, but it should be noted that I don’t recommend their Costa Mesa studio).
It also should be clearly noted that I am indeed a yoga snob. I’ll try any class once, but for me to go back, the teacher has to be awesome. Generally, what these three teachers share is a deep spirituality without getting all hippie, a playful, creative teaching style and flows, and a sense of not taking yoga too seriously.
Without further ado, my three fave yoga teachers in O.C.:
MJ Travers
A ridiculously hilarious, gorgeous aussie with a hippie soul who teaches challenging and sometimes just plain hard classes. And yin. Super creative, her classes always include a new move or twist on a flow that I’ve never experienced. I LOVE her.
Follow her on IG @mjsyoga for her weekly schedule, which includes CorePower (here and here), Costa Mesa, Irvine, and HB, Ra Yoga Newport, and Equinox in Newport and Irvine.
Shannon Kassoff
I practice most consistently in Shannon’s class, and her classes are the most consistent. This is fantastic every day yoga. Shannon is one of the greatest classic teachers I’ve ever had the pleasure of learning from. Tuesday and Thursday mornings 7:30-8:30 at Ekam.
You can also find her on IG @shannonkassof and at Yoga Tribe in HB.
Alysa Osvog
Easily the most meditative of the three, Alysa was my original Restoratives teacher, and really taught me to relax in that class. She is a calm, peaceful godsend. If you’re stressed, her class is an absolute must.
Her IG is @alysaosvog and she’s at Ritual Yoga Newport Beach, Ra Yoga Newport, and Villa Pilates & Yoga on the peninsula.