Cleveland’s Ever-Evolving Yoga Scene: the Hot, the Haunted and the Huggable

Today’s yoga across the Western Hemisphere has developed distinctly from the practice’s roots thousands of years ago in India and other Asian cultures. Dozens of styles, from restorative, to vinyasa and iyengar, see new life here in Cleveland, as studios stretch into both familiar and uncharted territory with one-off and recurring classes of several calibers.

Some cater to calmer crowds, like the viral Puppies & Yoga at Spaces & Co. in Downtown Cleveland, which features weekly classes with different dog breeds. Others, like aerial yoga, require more endurance and skill. Some renditions like chair yoga let even those with decreased mobility experience the physical benefits of a yoga flow.

And even unconventional twists, like a yoga class complete with cotton candy, or a Taylor Swift listening party with themed cocktails, still have their perks for both friends having fun or the craftier yoga enthusiasts.

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Patricia Sexstella is the owner and instructor of Meta Soul Yoga Studio based in Northeast Ohio. Among her variety of offerings, her popular Goth Yoga was the first venture into specialty yoga sessions. Rather than calming ambient background music, her candlelight classes are a vinyasa flow — the practice of repeated sequences of yoga poses — anchored by grungy classics from Joy Division, Marilyn Manson, Type O Negative and more. Despite the energetic, alternative soundtrack, the music has been a gateway for all types of yogis.

“I actually get a lot of heavy-metal dudes and bands that were always interested in trying yoga,” Sexstella explains, “but it was intimidating for them to go to a typical studio. So they kept coming, and eventually something opened up the door for them and led them on this yoga journey that went even further.”

“I think doing yoga to music that resonates more with them or that they enjoy just adds an element to it,” she explains, “and they still get all the benefits of yoga.”

Those benefits can range from lower blood pressure, better sleep and increased strength and flexibility, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Sexstella’s classes explore additional dopamine release and stress relief through more than just music. Her spooky-yet-serene yoga classes at Riverside Cemetery in Cleveland employ a slower flow with deeper meditation in order to become more grounded into the location. And her newest offering, “Go with the Flow Otter Yoga,” is simply fun.

The class has gathered folks from all across the country at Westmeister Farm in Shelby, Ohio — who raises and socializes the otters from birth — to stretch, unwind and play with the animals.

“You're still getting that physical benefit (of yoga). But it is super gentle,” Sexstella says, noting that many will skip the steps and just play with the otters, which she finds totally acceptable.

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“In doing it, I found that the otters actually have favorite poses that they get really excited about,” she adds. “So we hold those for two to three minutes or more. Everyone laughs and has a good time. I think there's something to be said about animal therapy and healing that way.”

More common yoga classes can be just as enriching, too. Yoga Strong in Cleveland and Canton has robust class offerings that provide a bundle of benefits in one short session. Hot yoga is a vinyasa flow done in a room over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, promoting more sweat and muscle relaxation. Aerial yoga is done off the ground for what owner and instructor Amanda Fulmer describes as “a chiropractic appointment, a deep tissue massage and a yoga class all at once.” Red-light yoga, the studio’s newest offering, integrates the famed infrared light therapy for skin into a short 15 to 20-minute session.

“Red light charges the battery of your cells,” Fulmer says. “Your cells are going to be performing more optimally: turning things over, shedding old stuff, growing new stuff and repairing damaged cells. It's an enhancement of what you're already getting in a yoga class. And, you know, in our busy lives, if we have one hour for ourselves, let's try to get the most out of it.”

No matter how you go with the flow, yoga is all about healing beyond a physical level, promoting inner peace and body-to-mind balance — whether that comes from the relief of cuddling a furry friend, moving suspended above the ground or listening to a favorite album.

“I came from being a competitive, professional dancer in my youth, and vinyasa yoga was a similar feeling in my body without it being so intense,” Fulmer says. “I fell in love with it. That's why I wanted to be an instructor. I just really felt aligned with the beliefs, the pillars of yoga: the nonviolence, the non-attachment and the truthfulness.”

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