Ashtanga Yoga Room moved into its new space, in its own building, in October, 2016, located in the heart and university center of uptown New Orleans on the second floor at 2521 Jena Street. Lined with white oak floors, canopied by high ceiling fans and filled with natural light and views of nature, it beckons the soul to relax and surrender. You will not find a more serene, welcoming yoga studio anywhere.
“Teaching Mysore Style is a labor of love. There is no doubt about it. But I absolutely love teaching and I would be lost without it. But it was not a straight trajectory for me and, in fact, I tried to avoid making it my profession. I worried that the integrity of the practice would be compromised by making a living out of it. This has not come to pass and I am blessed to do what I love every day of my life. Since committing myself to New Orleans and opening my studio in 2002, it has been my dream to own my own building in which to house AYR. Somehow, life creates its own order based on our inner desires, thoughts and efforts until one day we can see the fruits of our years of trying. My building, the second floor space that houses my studio as a whole, symbolizes the linear trajectory of my life. It is filled with the things I love now and memories made along the way. My ideal yoga space: facing East, natural light, windows that open, high ceilings, ceiling fans as opposed to wall units or central a.c., real wood floors, a discrete alter space, quiet, empty walls — a large empty room with pure, clean energy. Energy. It is all about Energy. Nothing too much in your face, nothing intrusive, nothing to get in the way besides what our minds let in. ” Melanie Fawer
