Seaside Yoga Sanctuary

I’ve been loving doing yoga here. Our instructor is great, but somehow I can’t think of her name at the moment. The parking is rough, but as of this writing you can park next door at Church’s chicken. The sanctuary does get a lot of street noise and other noises from the apartments upstairs, so if you’re into total silence this probably isn’t the place. The classes and teachers are great, though!

I’m so grateful for this studio. Many incredible instructors. I always leave feeling lighter. There is no judgement or any pretentious behavior. It’s truly a community of heart-​centered people who don’t take yoga so seriously, but are devoted to the practice. I highly recommend for any level –beginner to advanced student. I also graduated through their 200hr teacher training and it was the best decision I’ve made.

SYS is welcoming to people of all shapes, sizes and abilities. There is a diverse teacher base, too, making it easy to find a class that meets your ability level. They also offer free community classes every Friday and Sunday. I think that reflects on the community-​oriented culture at the studio.

The positives:
The instructor was very inviting and kind and the studio was clean and easy to find. I would absolutely recommend this studio to anyone who is beginning yoga or who likes an easier, no traditional (In the sense of principled asana structure, slower class.
The cons:
My experience with the level 2 class I took was sub par at best. The asana structure was very unorganized, with quite a few «make-up-your-own“asanas intertwined. This was advertised as a level 2 class (the most intense offered), but this was on the level of a basics or beginner class. (Very slow, choppy and disjointed allowing time for detailed instructions.) The class was advertised as a 75 minute class but ran over 30 minutes turning into a 105 minute class. During this 105 minutes, maybe 15 different poses or less were done. The price was $ 15 for a class.
My overall observation is that I will more than likely not be going back. To pricey for classes that are not as advertised.

I took my first class at the Pacific Grove location last Tuesday evening at 5:30 and really enjoyed it. The studio is very nice and clean. The electric fire place was sooting to zone out on during class.
The teacher was very nice to listen to and made some discreet personal adjustments to students during the class. I liked how she emphasized listening to your body and allowing for modified poses. I will be back for sure!

Seems over priced for the quality of the studio & surroundings. They do have some very good instructors.

Went here this morning for the first time– Saturday 8:15 am class. I was the first person to walk in at 8:00 and I loved the studio! It smelled fantastic, the decorations are perfect. I immediately felt at peace and comfortable. Danielle is a fantastic person and instructor. I had never met her before, but felt she was super grounded. She ran a fantastic class. The thing I liked about it most was that we ‘Om’ed three times at the beginning of the practice and once at the end. I am a regular at Stacey’s Power Yoga at the Monterey Sports Center, and that is the one thing I liked about this yoga class that Stacey doesn’t do. All in all, I will definitely be going back here.
Thank you!

There are many yoga studios to choose from in the area but this place has set themselves apart with reasonable prices (slightly lower than the competition), free yoga mats & props to use during class, and a variety of yoga styles to choose from. Discounts for students and military, making yoga accessible to people of varying income levels and gratitude for those who’ve served.
I also like that the three instructors I’ve had keep the mood light. Some yoga places get way to serious for me.
Parking is off street on either Hamilton or Freemont Blvd. The studio has 2 bathrooms, shoe cubbies, cute clothing rack, seating area, and they take credit cards.

Nice, warm and welcoming atmosphere. It’s a very clean and beautiful studio with just the right spiritual overtones without being in your face, or over the top. No pretense, no sense of forced pleasantries. Very nice people all around (both patrons and staff). Will visit again at some point.

I absolutely love the SYS. It’s got such a wide variety of classes, reasonable prices and a nice, clean, wide-​open space that really does feel like a sanctuary from the whirling world. The classes keep me grounded in my stressful work week.
The instructors are patient and knowledgable, and keep the mellow vibe needed to truly meditate with your practice. (I’ve had bad experiences elsewhere with yoga teachers who gab and giggle, really disrupting concentration. Not here.)
Also, SYS has an eye to social responsibility – with free community yoga on Sunday nights, military discounts and bilingual classes. Seaside needs more businesses in this spirit.

Love Love Loooove this place!
I went here for a month and I wish I could still continue to go (I moved out of Seaside).
I would recommend this place to anyone. The classes do test you but you feel so much better afterwards. The studio is always nice and clean and the instructors are very inviting. The owner (Laura) is so sweet and her class will have you absolutely sweating. Every instructor is very hands on and helps with movements and poses and always gives you alternatives.
I am in the middle of beginner and intermediate and I would definatly recommend this place to any level. You wont be sorry :)!

Today was my first visit to the Seaside studio. I have been practicing yoga for about 10 years, and was in town for the weekend so I thought I would give it a try. The moment I walked in I received a warm greeting from Laura (studio owner). I took a Saturday morning Hatha class from Candice and enjoyed it immensely. Her instruction was clear and she always gave alternative postures for the yogi’s with injuries. What I enjoyed most, was using all the props that are readily available for use within the studio. We even did some poses with chairs, which I have always wanted to do. The entire studio was very clean, including the bathroom. I will definitely come back to this studio again and recommend it to old and new yoga practitioners. Thanks for a great day!

Seaside Yoga Sanctuary won the Weekly’s Best Yoga studio in 2010 and it deserves it. I have been going for three years and love the instructors and the space. There are a variety of classes at different levels so everyone can find a class that works. There are props available for use for no fee, which is nice. You can pay on a drop in basis or you can get a discount by buying a multiple session card. They also have yoga for parents/​tots and yoga for pregnant moms and gentle yoga for people who are recovering from injury.

While visiting Monterey for some training at the Naval Postgraduate School (see my other reviews for the Embassy Suites Monterey-​Seaside and Harumi), I wanted to find a place where I could continue my Yoga practice without significantly interrupting my demanding training schedule.
Fortunately (though the website wasn’t updated with this information), Seaside Yoga Sanctuary offers a Tuesday morning «Sunrise» Hatha yoga practice from 7:30 — 8:30.
Parking near the studio is easy, and unlike other studios where I’ve practiced as a guest, the folks – both the students and Laura, the instructor – greeted me warmly and kindly. The class was $ 10 – pretty affordable, considering other «drop-​in» class prices in the area – and the instruction top-​notch. A nice touch is that you don’t have to rent a mat or props.
Laura is a excellent yoga instructor: She carefully explained every position, her pacing was rigorous without being taxing, and she circulated throughout the small studio helping students make adjustments. It doesn’t hurt that she’s also beautiful (although in yoga that can be a distraction!).
In summary, if you’re looking for a easy-​to-​access, low-​key, friendly and affordable yoga studio in Seaside or the Monterey area, you can’t go wrong by visiting Seaside Yoga Sanctuary.

New to yoga and signed up for an introductory class. Laura made it understandable and worked with my limatations. I felt great afterwards and immediately signed on for a series. I highly recommend.

This is such a cute little studio and a real Seaside sanctuary. If you’re practicing yoga for the first time or are trying to get back into it after a long while then Seaside Yoga Sanctuary is a great place to start.
However, for someone who has practiced ayangar, kundalini, and bikram for years but years ago I must advise a student of intermediate level seek sanctuary elsewhere. I came for a drop-​in all-​level session one evening to try out the place. The experience was uninspiring and pricy.
There were 5 of us in the evening session, I was the only «new» student. All-​levels should complete this course because of its general ease. But all the talking made it impossible to zone out. Bah. The instructor turned out to be friends with a student who actually was an instructor for the beginner level courses. All this I acquired from their overly loud, entire-​session discussion. At the end I felt rested but not relaxed, I didn’t feel challenged and all the talking was distracting. Cute place but I’m not planning a return until or unless they expand the types of classes and levels.

Having never done yoga before, I was excited and nervous for my first yoga class! The studio itself was very clean and had soothing elements (light green wall, tranquil music, and what appeared to be new wooden floors). Parking was easy and the workers were very friendly.
Although anxious at first, two minutes into the meditation, all my anxiety washed away. Mindful Yoga was extremely calming (almost felt as great as a massage!) and more difficult than I expected (engages a lot of different muscles I’m not used to using as a runner, yet still doable). There were varying levels of difficulties for each position. The instructor helped me with a few moves along the way.
All in all, it was a great experience that was soothing for body and mind. I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed my first yoga class. You should check this place out!

This was my first experience with yoga ever and it exceeded all of my expectations. We had Jenny as our instructor and both my fiancé and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although the type of yoga we did was not the complex stuff you see on TV or in movies, but it was both challenging and ultra relaxing at the same time. I now can see all of the benefits of yoga and will likely do more in the future. Maybe it was the awesome ambiance, maybe it was the great instructor or maybe it was just a combination of everything but I felt so relaxed and comfortable like getting a massage. This studio is so friendly and inviting for all levels of yoga that I’d recommend it for newbies and advanced people. I was amazed they even have yoga for adults and their toddlers or babies to do together.

I am a movement person but I had never found the right yoga class until I took the beginning yoga series with Laura McKinnion, the owner, at Seaside Yoga. She is so incredibly knowledgeable and my body felt so aligned and stretched after each class. The studio is a gem amidst the busy Fremont street — you must step inside to see it’s sweet charm. I will definitely be back for more classes!
The studio also offers a wide array of classes, from prenatal to yoga in Spanish. What other studio can offer such a variety?

I’m definitely coming back! I was searching for a yoga studio nearby and wanted to try this place out since I’m only visiting for a month. I went in on a Sunday morning at 10 AM for the Hatha Yoga class. There were 2 other people with me so it wasn’t crowded. This was a perfect time to go because it wasn’t crowded and there were available street parking. The yoga instructor, Lisa, did a wonderful job in teaching us each movement and making sure we did the it correctly. I felt so relaxed and at peace after the class. My lower back was hurting me since I had ran 12 miles the day before so this yoga class has helped me tremendously to erase the tension.