Enlighten Up
New South Congress yoga studio opens doors to more than just a good workout
A new South Congress yoga studio is encouraging Austinites to "enlighten up," not just work out. Yoga Illumined, helmed by Zoe Mantarkis and Kristina Lanuza, holds a soft opening on Sunday afternoon.
If the Yoga Illumined name rings a bell, it's because Mantarkis and Lanuza are already immersed in Austin's yoga culture. The two have led a highly respected yoga teacher training program in Austin for years.
At the new studio, located at The Shops of SoCo, Mantarkis and Lanuza aim to provide a supportive space that highlights the physical — as well as mental and spiritual — benefits of practicing yoga. "At its truest sense, yoga is a science for ensuring the human system's alignment with the natural rhythms of nature and the universe. Through our yoga studio, Zoe and I are honored to make this science of yoga, as passed on by our lineage teachers and masters, more accessible to everyone," says Lanuza.
All Yoga Illumined classes will be taught by teachers who have been certified through the company's 200-hour teacher training program. Options will range from athletic Hatha and Vinyasa classes to therapeutic breath-work, healing and restorative asana classes.
"We are thrilled to open a yoga studio that upholds all eight limbs of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, from the highest states of enlightenment to a good asana workout," says Lanuza.
Yoga Illumined opens to the public with its full range of classes on Monday, February 2.