Buzz Blog
Located in the newly renovated Trolley Square, Prana Yoga (602 E. 500 South, 801-596-3325) opened in May 2011. The idea was born when Jennifer Ellen Mueller sold Flow Yoga in March 2010. She had been working with Scott Moore and Matt Newman on various projects and teacher trainings—and, over that summer, all three were ready for a change, Mueller says.
“We thought there was a need in the community for something a little new and different. When Trolley Square approached me to open a studio, we felt like it was really meant to be,” Mueller says. “Now we had an opportunity to create something exactly the way we wanted to.”
They wanted a yoga studio that also included a cafe and spa. The yoga studio opened this past May 5, with the first class taught by internationally renowned instructor Shiva Ray, who is also Mueller’s teacher of the past 10 years. “For someone like her to come, it was a huge deal for us—really generous,” Mueller says. There were 75 people packed in for those first classes (pictured above) The spa followed and opened on July 1. Prana Yoga now offers services, which can be registered for online, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. seven days a week.
Salt Lake City’s only all-gluten-free vegan cafe, Cafe Supernatural, will open at Prana Yoga in approximately three weeks. It will be operated by Ian Brandt, owner of Sage’s, Vertical Diner and Cali’s Natural Foods. “Those are the main areas of total-body wellness, and now we have them all under one roof,” Mueller says.
And tonight, Prana Yoga offers an eclectic experience to yogis: a live DJ spinning tunes. Mueller welcomes Ian Hyman, known as DJ Hyfi, to the 5:45 p.m. Anusara-Inspired Advanced class taught by Matt Newman. Hyman is the only full-time yoga DJ in the country, Mueller says. And because he’s dedicated solely to cutting tracks to folks on mats, he is versatile.
Music is a tricky thing to add to yoga. Mueller squelched my cynicism by agreeing with my past experiences. “Music has this amazing ability to bring you deeper into your practice, but if the vibe is wrong, it can bring you out of it,” she says. “Ian can be a co-creator of the class, and he makes for a really cool experience.” The DJing is offered at no additional charge to the regular price of a class.
This weekend, the special events continue with world-renowned yogi Simon Park, who will teach several workshops. “Because of [the owners’] networks and connections, we can offer so many of these guest teachers. It’s something that I can’t remember happening very much in Salt Lake City before. It’s very exciting,” Mueller says. Visit PranaYogaSLC.com for a schedule and more information. And for more information on the yoga landscape of Salt Lake City, read this cover story written (before Prana Yoga opened) by Jesse Fruhwirth.
