Of all of the yoga studios I have experienced in the City of Angels, Hot 8 Yoga has always felt like coming home. Since I’ve been teaching at Hot 8 Beverly Hills since its inception, I thought my bias contributed to my rose-colored perspective. Hot 8 Yoga began from a desire by owners Vincent and Linda Nicoletta to have a small hot yoga studio in LA where they could practice together. In 2010, Linda, an LA native and Vincent, a businessman from New York City, created Hot 8 Santa Monica. Two years later, they opened the second Beverly Hills location, and Hot 8 Yoga was voted the #1 Hot Yoga Studio in Los Angeles in 2013 and again in 2014. In 2016 Manhattan Beach and Pasadena hail as the third and fourth extensions of the Hot 8 Yoga community. While the sky is the limit as to where Hot 8 will expand next (although look for a new location in Sherman Oaks), Brit Middleton, Hot 8 Yoga Regional manager attested to the fact that Hot 8 will stay loyal to the high-quality product it has offered since day one.
All of the Hot 8 studios feature a clean, spa-like aesthetic as well as intentionally designed studios, and a dedication to constant innovation and community growth. To meet the wants and needs of the community, Brit and her team craft studio schedules particular to the communities they serve. For example, Manhattan Beach, with a penchant for high octane fitness, has a schedule ripe with Yoga Barre and Yoga Vibe – a soulful candlelit class created by Hot 8 Yoga teacher and fitness celebrity Omar Lopez. The Pasadena studio, on the other hand, accommodates a community that tends toward quieter introspection, so the schedules sees a greater offering of Yin and meditation. What all of the studios in this growing family share in common is an attention to and celebration of the individual.
For more information about Hot 8 Studios, visit www.hot8yoga.com
Marja Lankinen is a poet, prospective scholar, and former professional dancer (Beyonce, Oprah, The Billboard Awards). Recently, she graduated from Harvard University with an ALM degree in the field of English and is currently an independent researcher and freelance writer. Marja has been a staff writer at LA YOGA Magazine since 2017.