Toronto-based yoga collective, Moksha/Modo Yoga, has opened another brick and mortar on the East Side of Los Angeles in hip Echo Park. The studio is founded on seven pillars: health, eco-consciousness, accessibility, community, outreach, peace, and perpetual personal growth. The new space lives and breathes these tenets while simultaneously speaking to the East Side’s industry-meets-artistry vibe.
The studio is founded on seven pillars: health, eco-consciousness, accessibility, community, outreach, peace, and perpetual personal growth.
Welcome to Modo Yoga
The decor in the lobby includes reclaimed, naturally-fallen Sequoia trees turned into expansive benches. This homage to California flora is paired with a DTLA industrial vibe using cast iron doors graffiti-ed by SoCal street artists. Each of the Modo Yoga locations is a microcosm of the surrounding neighborhood.
Philanthropy is a mainstay at the studio, even in the retail space. For example, Modo Yoga LA plants a tree for each and every upcycled t-shirt and canvas tote bag sold. Modo East Co-Founder Alice Toyonaga says, “Part of our core is sustainable practice.” She says Modo is intentional about using the heat to create more peace, the postures to support all bodies, the practice to not be taken too seriously, and the carbon footprint to be lowered or offset.
Modo Yoga LA plants a tree for each and every upcycled t-shirt and canvas tote bag sold.
The Classes
Each studio’s “karma classes” are donation-based with proceeds benefiting local charities and support the studio’s pillar of accessibility. In five years, Modo Yoga LA alone has raised half a million dollars that has funneled back into the community. Modo Yoga East founders Alice Toyonaga and Deena Robertson are committed to the studio’s mission to encourage ways to be good to the ecosystem and each other through environmental and social activism.
Plan Your Visit!
Modo Yoga East
1755 Glendale Blvd, LA
323-407-6321
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.