About Our Classes

Santa Cruz Yoga offers over fifty classes weekly for beginning to advanced students. Our outstanding teachers draw from a wide range of yoga backgrounds in their teaching, including Vinyasa Flow, Iyengar, Ashtanga Vinyasa, Anusara, Kundalini, Power and other forms of Hatha yoga. Many of our teachers tap into their broader backgrounds in dance, martial arts, chi gong, tai chi, massage therapy, acupuncture and various sports to offer a variety of richly diverse class experiences. Please read our teachers' bios to get a better sense of which of these styles they draw from in their classes.

The best way to get a feel for our different classes and teachers is to come try some classes. 

Questions about classes? Send us or email or call us at 831.227.2156.

Introduction to Yoga

While you are welcome and encouraged to dive into any of our ongoing, regularl;y scheduled classes, you might like to start here or come in for a basic yoga tune-up. This FREE class is offered the first weekend of each month. We begin with a gentle warm-up followed by a variety of basic yoga poses designed to stretch, strengthen, and release tension in your body. Demonstrations and personal hands-on adjustments are provided. Basic yoga breathing is also taught to help reduce stress by quieting and focusing the mind. For people of all ages and conditions.

Level 1 and 1-2 

Open to beginners as well as experienced students who want a moderately paced class. Most Level 1 and 1-2 classes are taught in the Vinyasa Flow style, offering dynamic movement with and between poses that generates internal warmth and helps the body to more naturally open. These classes focus on the fundamentals of basic poses, offering a well-rounded class emphasizing safe alignment, breathing techniques, and the gradual development of greater flexibility, strength and balance.

Level 2-3 

These classes are designed for physically fit students who want to develop a deep yoga practice involving deep strength and flexibility. Each classes offers a variety of relatively challenging poses, sequences and breathing techniques. These classes are taught in the Vinyasa Flow style, offering dynamic movement with and between poses that generates internal warmth and helps the body to more naturally open. Come  expecting poses, sequences and variations that require moderate strength and flexibility.

Vinyasa Flow 


This is a dynamic style of yoga is all about precision amidst movement and ease amidst flow. Here we move from steadily pose to pose in coordination with the breath, gradually building deeper internal warmth as we explore a variety of Sun Salutations, Standing Poses, Core Integration practices, Arm Balances, Backbends, Twists, Forward Bends, Hip Openers and Inversions. Usually set to lively yet soothing background music, these classes offer a vigorous yet sustainable approach to Hatha yoga in which every part of the body is awakened, purified, tonified and brought into greater balance. Put differently, this appraoch integrates the best that Ashtanga Vinaysa and Iyengar have to offer.

Gentle Yoga & Easy Does It Yoga 


These classes are idea for anyone who wants an easy going and slow-paced class.  If you have any significant physical challenges of movement limitations, these classes can be a highly beneficial way to stimulate circulation, strengthen and stetch muslces, relieve tension from your joints, and develop a deeper sense of being both awake and calm. If you are recovering from an an injury, have a chronic condition such as osteoporosis, arthritis, sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome or multiple sclerosis, or are limited in practically any other way, these classes are for you.

Kids Play Yoga


Open to kids of all ages but mostly 4-9 year-olds with mature 3 year-olds and playful older kids more than welcome. Kids Play Yoga is a fun, healthy way for kids to further develop their self-awareness, listening and sharing skills, and to be in a community of other kids while having fun and relaxing in a warm, playful, supportive and beautiful environment. Come play, Mondays and Tuesdays, 3-3:45pm!

Relax Deeply


The title just about says it all, but we’ll add a few more words. This class is all about pure relaxation, completely letting go of tension and stress. Free of standing poses and requiring only as much effort as it takes to occasionally change to a new position designed to more deeply release tension, this class is the perfect way to prepare for the coming week.

Yin Yoga

This quiet, meditative practice focuses on the passive holding of postures for longer periods of time (3 to 5 minutes). Through deep relaxation, we release deeply held tension in the muscles and connective tissue, encouraging the free flow of energy in the body. Longer holds and focused breathing give the bodymind time to slow down and drop into stillness, cultivating a meditative component of practice. This class is a wonderful compliment to a Vinyasa practice, running, cycling or other activities. All levels are welcome.

Yoga for Larger Bodies

These classes make yoga postures more accessible and effective for anyone in the plus sizes. Whether you just getting started with yoga or an experienced student, you'll learn a variety of ways to enjoy yoga in ways that make sense with a larger body.

Universal Yoga

Description coming soon!

Beat Sanctuary :: Ecstatic Dance

Beat Sanctuary :: Ecstatic dance is a free form moving meditation dance practice. There are no moves to learn and there is no way to do it wrong, just let the beats and your breath guide your movement. Expect a no shoes, no booze,and no chit chat on the dance floor.

Community Class

This free Friday night class offers a complete practice while covering basic elementsof alignment, breath, and movement.