Ritual Yoga

Rituals: we all have them, whether you walk your dog each morning or have dinner with your family every Sunday. Rituals keep us connected, focused, committed and grounded- bringing comfort in times of chaos. Our favorite ritual right now is stretching at our favorite yoga studio.

Located in the heart of Laguna Beach is Ritual Yoga Arts—a sanctuary for yogis and art lovers. This historic building sits in the former Esther Wells Art Gallery, the first art gallery in town. Blending together a yoga studio with an art gallery perfectly fits the creative nature of Laguna. Spiritual street art, eye catching yoga photos, and abstract body sculptures crafted by local artists adorn this beautiful space.

Ritual Yoga is unlike any studio we’ve ever experienced. At corporate yoga studios, things can feel intimidating—unfriendliness with a side of competition combined with repeated mandatory scripts from yoga instructors, #boring. Everything just feels the same. But Ritual upholds a rare vibe where teachers expand and stretch beyond normal class protocol. They aren’t just encouraged, but required to be different here—no mandatory script or sequence order necessary…yes! Ritual celebrates creativity and freedom.

Owner Gabby Levine is the creator behind this evolving community. Everything Gabby generates is from the perspective of a yoga student— she builds her business around our wants and needs. Trust me when I say anyone who steps foot in her studio immediately falls in love. It’s comfy, cozy: basically you could sip tea and hang with yogi friends all day. A stellar team of instructors make well rounded class styles, which is pretty hard to accomplish in smaller studios. Gabby’s sister, Ava Levine, a modern day sound healer, teaches our favorite class at Ritual.

Sound Healing Vibration by Ava = our newest ritual. As lights dim, a psychedelic starry sky projects on the ceiling, green stars flicker as Eva guides us to set an intention. “I am flexible. I am pain-free. I am letting go” her soothing voices echoes. As students, we like to think yoga instructors are perfect, enlightened beings, but Ava finds inspiration through turmoil in her life. Through hard times Ava discovered bravery and courage within herself—without this she wouldn’t have the tools to guide her students. She calls the studio “a transformation station.”

Ava shakes rattles to break up the stagnant energy while lighting palo santo to bring in spirit. She hovers over each student, sending vibrations to our core with instruments like tuning forks. All of these healing sounds and smells take us out of our minds and into the present moment. This is only one of the many amazing classes offered.

An entire spectrum of classes, styles, practices, modalities, teachers and students are here; all seeking something more. There is space to move, space to grow—Gabby only allows a limited number of students in each class. So you don’t have to worry about overcrowding or finding a space for your mat…no one wants to sweat on their neighbor.

After experiencing Ritual Yoga Arts, we couldn’t think of a better name for this studio. We all need more rituals in our lives, not just brushing our teeth or walking the dog. Deeply healing and meaningful rituals are the gifts this studio generously shares with us. A sister studio is set to open in Newport by October: imagine aerial classes, complimentary valet parking, an infrared heat system and more studio space. Poppy & Seed can’t wait to watch Ritual Yoga Arts expand and become a ritual practice in more lives.