Highland Park Yoga (formerly Namaste) is a yoga studio in Highland Park, Los Angeles, offering a variety of yoga classes for all ability levels.
Our class styles range from strong and heat-building, to steady and breath-centered, to gentle and restorative. Enjoy a class with us on our outdoor patio, in our spacious indoor studio, or virtually from the comfort of your own home.
Formerly known as Namaste, the studio was founded in 2012 by Vanda Ciceryova, born out of a vision and yearning for a healing sanctuary, supportive community, and a comfortable place for people at any stage of their life.
“It’s a place to celebrate our shared humanity, a place for self care, a place where you can release the pressure valve and start feeling better.” — Vanda
In the summer of 2021, after a long 1.5 years weathering the pandemic and giving the studio everything she had, Vanda decided it was time to pass the studio on to someone with fresh energy and enthusiasm. Lydia Stone, a yoga instructor and student of Namaste, and her partner David Gross were thrilled to accept the challenge. Lydia and David hope to follow in Vanda’s footsteps, continuing Vanda’s original vision while bringing in their own personal touches and helping the studio to evolve and grow. The studio, the classes, and the instructors that you know and love aren’t going anywhere!
The decision to change the name came out of the desire to increase accessibility and visibility of the studio, and to express our gratitude to the neighborhood we’ve called home for the last 9+ years. Our vision for the studio moving forward is one of accessibility, simplicity, peacefulness and joy. We have a deep reverence for the practices we share, but offer a light-hearted approach. It’s our hope to create a space where everyone feels welcome.
Yoga is a wonderful, safe exercise for increasing strength and flexibility, but to us, it’s so much more than a workout. Yoga is a lifelong practice of self study and getting to know our own true nature. Through the physical postures we learn to be with ourselves, connect with our bodies and witness the constant fluctuations of the mind. But on the most basic level — it helps us relax and feel good!
If you have any questions about the studio, your practice or want some advice on how to get started, please feel free to reach out to us directly (Lydia here and David here). We hope to see you at the studio soon!