There's a new home for yoga on the scene in central Austin. Hyde Park Yoga Company — helmed by Black Swan alums — opened on the Duval corridor in early November, filling a void for the neighborhood's yoga community.
Less than a month ago, its founders, husband-and-wife team Aaron and Lilyana Frescas, moved into the space between Flightpath Coffee House and The Peddler Bike Shop. With a quick weekend of renovations — a new coat of paint, floor installation and some ambient lighting — the space was transformed into a cozy neighborhood yoga studio that aims to be a source of transformation for a growing community of students, too.
“We opened Hyde Park Yoga Company as a husband-and-wife team to build a yoga community in Hyde Park,” says co-founder Lilyana Frescas.
“Our vision for the studio is for it to be an extension of your home, and that concept plays out in the ambience and aesthetics of the space,” says studio co-founder and familiar Austin yoga face Lilyana Frescas. “[The studio] resembles a cozy parlor with an antique seating area, library and tea/refreshment station that all students are welcome to before and after class.”
In this intimate setting, Frescas, who spent years in the Black Swan Yoga community, intends to cultivate deeper relationships with students, helping each forge a unique path through his or her practice. “My time spent working at Black Swan Yoga was incredibly valuable, and I am grateful for that time and experience. I developed some wonderful relationships and had the opportunity to work with many eager students,” she says.
“[At HPYC], I want to connect with students in a deeper way to help them in the many aspects of their practice, and I intend to do this through smaller, more intimate classes and by developing a relationship with students as individuals.”
Much of that connection comes from the studio's varied class offerings that go beyond the “hot yoga” and “yoga with weights” crazes found around town. “We offer a balance between active, athletic, vigorous classes and restorative, gentle, yin classes,” Frescas explains. “A practitioner of yoga can find a hot, sweaty, challenging class just about anywhere, while yin offerings are harder to find.”
Singular to Hyde Park Yoga Company is the offering of Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga, as taught by Sadie Nardini and Tyler McCoy. This is the only Austin-based studio offering the rigorous practice that incorporates therapeutic elements for developing strength and flexibility.
For a true communal experience, HPYC also offers “Yoga Church” each Sunday. At this family-friendly event, participants are led through a gentle yoga class followed by time to mingle over a breakfast taco, coffee or a mimosa. “Taking time out of your day to practice yoga can be challenging, especially for families with kids,” says Frescas. “Yoga Church is a great way for everyone to come and enjoy a yoga class, some inspiration, and get to know the neighborhood yoga community.”
The journey for Hyde Park Yoga Company has just begun, but Frescas says the response so far has been overwhelmingly positive. “We opened Hyde Park Yoga Company as a husband-and-wife team to build a yoga community in Hyde Park,” she reiterates. “The word 'community' keeps coming up, and that's really what I want to cultivate.”
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Find out more about the studio and class offerings on the Hyde Park Yoga Company website.
Hyde Park Yoga Company opened in November.
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