Our studio is located at 1547 6th Street (just north of 6th and Colorado) in Santa Monica, California.  Our suite can be found by followin

g the path to the right of the building into the garden area that provides our students with an oasis in the middle of the city.  The entrance is directly across from the stone fountain.

The practice of yoga is an effort to bring the mind, body, and breath together to facilitate the flow of energy within your body as well as the exchange of energy from outside your body to the inside.  As we approach a place of balance, we feel a sense of peace.  The first teaching of Patanjali is the practice of non violence.  In order to truly move towards a place of balance we must learn to treat both ourselves and our environment with respect or in other words, a non violent way.  Applying principles of environmentally intelligent design, Melissa Wilhelmina Designs created a facility free of volatile off-gassing chemicals, such as conventional paints, glues, and varnishes.  In addition, we reduced the carbon handprint our construction made on the environment to a negligible amount by using reclaimed and recycled materials, furniture, and fixtures.

The studio features a reclaimed old growth mahogany floor  throughout the practice room, retail space, and changing rooms.  The floor was originally imported from Brazil many years age

for use in a high end retail store.  We purchased the floor in place, when we found out the store was closing and had it carefully removed board by board so it could be reused.  We developed a method of installation that  preserved all of the patina from its years of service without the use of products harmful to the environment.  First the floor was rubbed with a very fine mesh screen to remove any possible r

ough spots.  The floor was then carefully hand rubbed with natural oil and waxes to create the beautiful finish that are students enjoy each day.

To provide clean air and constant draft free temperatures, we installed a high efficiency radiant heat system under the floor.  It provides all the heat in the studio at a fraction of the energy use of mor

e traditional heating systems.  The heat comes from hot water running through tubes under the floor.  In order to eliminate waste going to a land fill, a sub floor was placed over the existing  concrete floor like a big jig saw puzzle.  High pressure water tubes were run through the resulting channels and held in place by small pieces of copper.  The mahogany was then installed on the diagonal by being carefully nailed to the sub floor to avoid puncturing the water tubes.

The individual changing rooms were made with copper plumbing pipe that is both recycled and recyclable and feature adjustable stools which were also reclaimed.  The displays, cubbies, and and reception desk were also reclaimed.  Only the counter top is new, featuring “paper stone”, a material made from of 100% post consumer recycled paper and a natural resin compressed under high pressure.  The resulting surface is very durable, has a high tensile strength, and requires little maintenance.

No toxic chemicals are used in the cleaning and maintenance of our studio, all our printing is done on recycled paper with vegetable based inks, and a water filtration system provides pure drinking water without the use of plastic bottles.  We encourage our students to drink from their own glasses or mugs to reduce the use of disposable cups.  We have also initiated programs to encourage our students to come to practice by walking, biking, car pools or public transportation when possible.

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