В Santa Cruz открылся новый центр йоги с гибридным форматом занятий и преподавателем мирового уровня

Maya Lev works with students at Yoga Center Santa Cruz. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel) Maya Lev teaches hybrid classes that offer students the opportunity to attend in person or join remotely. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel) Yoga Center Santa Cruz founder Maya Lev leads in the center's Seabright Avenue studio in Santa Cruz. In 2024 the center began offering Iyengar yoga classes in a 3,300-square-foot studio that was the longtime home of Hart’s Fabrics. Before that it was located for 23 years on Front Street in downtown Santa Cruz. Lev, who has been teaching yoga for 34 years, said, "I teach yoga because it works. There are many things a person can do, from various sports or activities to diets or food supplements to medical interventions, to try to lead a healthy and productive and satisfying life. I have found that of all these many options, yoga continues to offer the best results in the long run." Lev was originally inspired by yoga when she was a freshman at UC Santa Cruz and took classes from Sarah Pepper. Lev said that Pepper "Pushed our limits, both physically and mentally." She teaches Iyengar yoga, a form of Hatha yoga created by Indian yoga teacher B.K.S. Iyengar. It focuses heavily on precise body alignment, holding poses for longer times, and using props like blocks, belts and blankets to make postures safe and accessible for all body types. Yoga Center Santa Cruz offers classes from beginner to advanced levels, both in person and on Zoom. The center offers classes from 10 instructors, including Lev's teacher Kofi Busia. Busia, one of the world's foremost teachers in the Iyengar tradition, has been teaching more than four decades. He is one of a select group of teachers awarded a senior certificate by B.K.S. Iyengar and studied with Iyengar many times in Pune, India. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel) Maya Lev helps one of her students reach during a pose. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel) Minor adjustments from Maya Lev help students access deeper positioning in their yoga poses. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel) 1 of 5 Maya Lev works with students at Yoga Center Santa Cruz. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel) Yoga Center Santa Cruz founder Maya Lev leads in the center’s Seabright Avenue studio in Santa Cruz. In 2024 the center began offering Iyengar yoga classes in a 3,300-square-foot studio that was the longtime home of Hart’s Fabrics. Before that it was located for 23 years on Front Street in downtown Santa Cruz. Lev, who has been teaching yoga for 34 years, said, “I teach yoga because it works. There are many things a person can do, from various sports or activities to diets or food supplements to medical interventions, to try to lead a healthy and productive and satisfying life. I have found that of all these many options, yoga continues to offer the best results in the long run.” Lev was originally inspired by yoga when she was a freshman at UC Santa Cruz and took classes from Sarah Pepper. Lev said that Pepper “Pushed our limits, both physically and mentally.” She teaches Iyengar yoga, a form of Hatha yoga created by Indian yoga teacher B.K.S. Iyengar. It focuses heavily on precise body alignment, holding poses for longer times, and using props like blocks, belts and blankets to make postures safe and accessible for all body types. Yoga Center Santa Cruz offers classes from beginner to advanced levels, both in person and on Zoom. The center offers classes from 10 instructors, including Lev’s teacher Kofi Busia. Busia, one of the world’s foremost teachers in the Iyengar tradition, has been teaching more than four decades. He is one of a select group of teachers awarded a senior certificate by B.K.S. Iyengar and studied with Iyengar many times in Pune, India.