BREATHE
INNER W
in and relax as you enter the calm serenity at Ra Yoga in Costa Mesa. The staff is calm and incredibly kind—not to mention extremely relaxed. Unlike most of the rest of Orange County, I have never entered a yoga studio. I get a chuckle out of owners Bobby Kittleman and Jenny Vende Hei as I sheepishly slip my very loud cheetah print shoes off. After walking the halls, I realize that much of the décor is lovingly homemade at Ra Yoga, even the wood floors were placed with love in mind.
The balance throughout the studio is very noticeable, and this is one of the reasons they were selected as our winner for
MOST BALANCED;
most balanced WORKOUT
RA YOGA 3077 Bristol Street Costa Mesa CA 92626 www.rayoga.com
“Yoga is a clear connection to your spirit. It allows you to have a beautiful body, but it also allows you to unlock your potential, work longer, and inspires you to live your dreams.” -Vande Hei
everything feels thoughtfully connected and very serene. “Yoga is a clear connection to your spirit. It allows you to have a beautiful body, but it also allows you to unlock your potential, work longer, and inspires you to live your dreams” explains Vande Hei. “Ra opened its doors in 2011, but prior to that, I was in a car accident and was told to go to yoga to deal with both my accident as well as my stressful job—I fell in love and didn’t look back,” glows Kittleman as he explains why he chased his passion. “After that, I left my job and opened Ra with Jenny.” At Ra, they bring community to a new level. “Our people love their jobs, our front desk receptionist loves it here so much that she actually had her wedding here back in October; she also did my makeup for this photo shoot. She lives and breathes Ra Yoga, we just love that,” beams Vende Hei. Ra also has a nutrition program that includes raw food diets and juices. They have community outreach and workshops; they even have yoga for the hearing challenged, which is conducted in American Sign Language. The most original aspect, though, is their teacher training. It is essentially a personal trainer for yoga. You get your own yoga trainer that develops a specific program just for you. When it comes to yoga, Ra really mixes both yin and yang styles to make a balanced workout for everyone, and you’ll find your inner peace in the meantime. | JANUARY 2014 | 145