Beats And Brunch At Ritual Hot Yoga!

Beats And Brunch At Ritual Hot Yoga!

By Kelly Finnegan

We often take the ritual of yoga for granted. Its ability to build communities is intimate, welcoming, and empowering.

Yoga generally takes place in an intimate and collective setting. As a collective, you hold a space together, share vibrational energy and even unify intentions through mantras and chants.  Therefore, the space in which you practice is sacred and the community that you share your practice with will affect both your collective and personal experiences.

I recently had the chance to experience Ritual Hot Yoga and the beautiful community it is building.

Ritual Hot Yoga hosted an event and invited bloggers and publishers in the Bay area to be part of their blossoming community.  Upon arriving at Ritual, it became clear to me that they are consciously building a strong community that serves as a pillar of strength and support to teachers and students alike.

They greeted us with warm smiles, a hot class and a hearty brunch. I met so many lovely people who are dedicated to sharing their passions (including yoga) with their own individual communities. This event was essentially a gathering of communities that gave us the opportunity to connect with each other through yoga.

The Ritual Hot Yoga studio is absolutely beautiful. Every detail has been crafted with the intention of offering a truly comfortable and welcoming experience. The mood in the yoga room is set like a good song. You walk into a spaciously heated room illuminated by candlelight. There is also no need to bring a mat, as Ritual takes care of all the small details. The setting immediately invites you to drop your ego at the door and to draw your senses inwardly.  

There is a big sign when you first enter Ritual that states “Breathe to the Beat.” When I saw that sign, I knew I was in for quite an experience. Ritual plays contemporary music. Going beyond more “traditional” yoga songs and flowing through songs that truly inspire you to move creates a fun space that encourages you to go beyond boundaries.

Brittany, one of the studio co-founders, led us through an amazing practice and didn’t skip a musical or inspirational beat. Every week, Ritual collectively focuses on a weekly intention. Brittany shared inspiring words around creativity, as this was the intention during the week I attended class. She invited us to go beyond boundaries and to give ourselves permission to be creative in our lives and in our practice. I played with more asanas than usual that day. I gave myself permission to be curious and to create a practice without limits.

The hands on assists were out of this world. I went deeper into poses because the assists encouraged me to further let go and relax. Practice ended with a cool eucalyptus towel over the eyes. It was refreshing and the most perfect touch for savasana.

Post-practice, we went back into the main room and were treated to brunch by local chef, Claudine Dagit (@cookingclaudine). Delicious, real foods felt so welcoming to my hungry body. At the end of this event, I felt completely nourished: mind, body and belly.

I had a chance to connect with Brittany post-practice and she shared some exciting details with me about Ritual. Ritual is revolutionizing the industry by providing teachers with salary and benefits. This speaks to the kind of community they are building. Ritual works to build strength from within.

I definitely recommend checking out Ritual. The intimate, welcoming, and empowering environment Ritual offers will most likely convince you to become a monthly member. Once hooked on Ritual Hot Yoga, students will want to take the studio up on their offer of unlimited private classes that allow them to advance within their practice. Finally, I have important advice to remember when going to Ritual Hot Yoga: come willing to move, breathe, and create your own rituals!

To learn more about Ritual Hot Yoga, visit their website at www.ritualhotyoga.com or follow them on Instagram @ritualhotyoga.

To lean more about the author, you can visit her website at www.korebykelly.com.

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