Do you have a friend who wants to try yoga?
Their first class is 50% off through our Referral Program!
Our studio has grown so much over the years, and it’s because of YOU - our amazing community of loyal students. To thank you, we are offering an ongoing referral program!
The SYA Referral Program is easy. Simply bring a friend with you to class and their first class is only $8 (half off the regular drop-in rate). If your friend buys a pass during the same visit, we'll thank YOU with a $5 credit to your account!
Specifics:
- Bring a friend to a class with you - you must BOTH attend for friend to receive $8 class.
- Your friend must be new to Seattle Yoga Arts. If they have practiced with us previously, an absence of more than one year is required for them to qualify as a “new” student.
- Make sure your friend provides your full name in the “How did you hear about us?” section of their Welcome Form.
- If your friend buys a pass during the same visit, you will receive a $5 credit to your account.
- Your friend’s initial $8 can be credited towards their new class package.
We are so grateful for your ongoing support and hope you will continue to share SYA with your friends and family.
LIKE US on Facebook, get a FREE Class
Valid for students who have not yet 'Liked' Seattle Yoga Arts on Facebook. Current students who already 'Like' our FB page: get a friend to 'Like' us, and we'll give you a free class!
Denise Benitez, A 21st Century Yogini
Meg Agnew, Yoga & Buddhism
Beth Award, Yoga with Beth Award
Erin Goldman, Awakened Heart Yoga
Bianca Raffety, Updates
Awards
Best Yoga in Seattle (Citysearch 2011)
National Press
Yogi Times
The Community of Yoga by Denise BenitezAlaska Airlines Magazine, Sept. 2011 (pg 147)
Time for Yoga by Andrea Berninger ThomasYoga Journal, numerous articles by Denise Benitez
Local Press
Seattle Natural Awakenings, March 2012
SYA 2011 Citysearch Winner
The Capitol Hill Times, January 2012
Capitol Hill Yoga Studio Wins by Caitlin EnwrightSaturday Persimmon Blog, October 28, 2011
Free Community Class by JenniferSeattle Metropolitan Magazine, January 2011
Bend It Like Buddha by Jessica Voelker
Yoga with Nikki Chau Blog, July 30, 2010
Anusara Yoga for Pregnancy w/Jessica JenningsSeattle Magazine, July 2010
Top Docs '10: Jane Hitti
Yoga with Nikki Chau Blog, June 6, 2010
The Triadic Adventure w/Ross Rayburn at SYA
Seattle Woman Magazine, March 2010
Is Yoga Your Ticket to Health? by Cheryl MurfinF. Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Aug.2009 Yoga practice associated w/mindful eating by Alan Kristal, Dr.P.H. et al (including Denise Benitez)
Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, March 2008
The Fit Parade by several writers
DGuides Seattle
Three Prominent Yoga Studios
These are writings by Denise Benitez and Seattle Yoga Arts teachers and students. The files are in PDF format - download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader if you need it.
Rasa by Rainey
Hridaya by Rainey
Home for the Holidays by Bobbi Ewing
Finding Hanumanasana by Bianca Raffety
A Different Kind of Emergency by Shannon Patterson
Thoughts On Yoga by Fred Ward
The Fruits of Practice by Denise Benitez
A Walk with Ma by Benjy Wertheimer
A Simple and Profound Thing by Denise Benitez
How Do I Love Thee? by Shannon Patterson
Sky of Light: Conversations in India by Denise Benitez
Try-Athlete by Jill Seidenstein
What the Body Loves by Denise Benitez
What will be my Vinyasa today? by Julia Smith
Why chant? by Denise Benitez
The Transition to Faith by Sri Aurobindo
Embracing Life by Denise Benitez
Fiercely Gentle, Gently Fierce by Bianca Raffety
Start with Softness by Denise Benitez
Yoga in My Secret Garden by Karen Hirsch
Enlightenment 101 by Denise Benitez
A Ripple in the Front Fender by Meg Agnew
Doorways to Deeper Experience by Denise Benitez
Keeping it Light: Yoga as Play by Denise Benitez
Finding Grace in Hard Times by Lisa Holtby
aum by Rainey
The Four excellent Qualities by Denise Benitez
Practicing at Seattle Yoga Arts by Monica Wellman
Trust the yoga by Denise Benitez
The Yamas and Niyamas by Denise Benitez
Going there for sure by Wendy Lippmann
One Door Slams by Wendy Lippmann
Dog is God Spelled Backwards by Denise Benitez
The Power of Love by Denise Benitez
The Pleasures of Not Doing Yoga by Karen Hirsch
The Garden of Yoga by Denise Benitez
Finding Tadasana by Barb Perlmutter
Play - April 2012
Retreat & Emerge - March 2012
The Threshold - February 2012
Resolve - January 2012
Healing - December 2011
Change Your Mind - October 2011
A Harmonic Life - September 2011
Inner Sensing - August 2011
Revelation - May 2011
Yoga. Swim. Sun. Eat. - March 2011
One Conscious Moment - February 2011
I Have a Yoga Dream - January #2 2011
So Much Gratitude - January 2011
A Gift of Life and Love - December 2010
The Fertile Darkness - November #2 2010
Teachers - November 2010
Wild Thing - October 2010
Go Deep - August 2010
Celebrate - June 2010
Ride the Wave - May #2 2010
Vision - May 2010
Hawaii Yoga Retreat: Price Reduced! - March 2010
Home/Heart - February 2010
The True Work of Yoga - January #2 2010
Yoga. Swim. Sun. Eat. Repeat. - January 2010
Our Prenatal Yoga class is every Sunday, 1:15-2:30 pm
Teacher: Jane Hitti, MD
Appropriate for all stages of pregnancy. Postpartum mothers and pre-crawling babies also welcome!
What Jane's students have said after taking class:
"The birth was incredibly transformative and we feel full of abundance and love from our amazing birth team and the experience. We want to pass on to the prenatal class how much a strong yoga practice was an important source of strength to draw on during labor. In particular the yoga teaching of tapas - she had an amazing fierce face during transition and pushing – and the practice of using strong physical sensations to work towards your goal."
"Jane's prenatal class helps me stay strong during pregnancy, it helps me feel more comfortable in my body, and it connects me to other pregnant women in the community. She is a great yoga teacher and a doctor, so I trust her completely. I look forward to the class every week-- I wish she'd teach it everyday!"
"Taking prenatal yoga provided a safe space to stretch spiritually and physically when my body was challenging me the most. At a time when I felt very focused on a growing being, I needed at least one weekly reminder of the importance of putting myself first. I appreciated, as a beginner to yoga, that the class was for individuals at all levels of training. And while the class certainly pushed me, I never felt overly taxed. Instead, incredibly, I left each session with more energy and animation than I possessed when I walked into class. It was also extraordinarily rewarding to spend time with a cohort of women in different stages of pregnancy, hearing lessons from those several weeks ahead and vulnerabilities from those a bit behind. "
"My doctor said she was impressed with my ability to labor so well. She wanted me to tell you she really thought your yoga instruction made a big difference."
Seattle Yoga Arts provides promotional support, as well as monetary, class, and goods/clothing donations to many non-profit organizations, local businesses and schools to assist with community awareness and/or fundraising efforts.
Here are some we have supported:
- Amara Parenting
- Butterfly Guild – Seattle Children’s Hospital
- CHEW
- Education Across Borders
- Gulf Savers
- Hickman House
- Montlake Elementary
- Polyclinic Community Health Foundation
- Project Air
- PRASAD
- Street Yoga Teacher Training
- UNICEF
- Washington Middle School PTSA
- Women in Film/Post Alley Film Festival
- Yoga Behind Bars
- Yoga for Hope
If you have questions about yoga, about which classes might best serve you, or any other questions about our community of teachers and what they have to offer, please contact our Yoga Advisor.
Yoga Resources
- Himalayan Institute
- Yoga Finder
- Yoga Journal
- Yogi Times
- Elephant Journal
- Matthew Remski
- Asana Diagnostics
Yoga Teachers & Schools
- Martin Kirk
- Ross Rayburn
- Jessica Jennings
- Sianna Sherman
- Desiree Rumbaugh
- Christina Sells
- Kula Evolutions
- Anusara School of Hatha Yoga (Teacher Run)
- Noah Maze
Videos/Downloads
- Listen to our 2013 mantra or download the pdf.
- Yoga & Health
- StretchClock (free download)
- 4 Yoga Poses w/Erin Goldman
- SYA Prenatal Yoga
- Pure Stretch w/Erin Goldman
Meditation Teachers & Schools
Kirtan & Music
Yoga Retreat Centers
Wellness
Every so often, I sense how yoga has moved me forward through many subtle transitions to where I am today. When I am on the mat, I am sometimes moved to tears when I realize the impact that SYA has had on my life. Often, I feel these shifts/changes when I feel the "internal me" now and remember the "internal" me before. The "me" being my responses to life's difficult times, awkward situations or the many more moments of joy that I have. I do notice that my physical body is shifting as well; I don't always move in the easy way of years past. I try to remember patience, deep breathing and that it's a process. I continue to come to the mat. May I say I appreciate each one of my yoga teachers. They teach the Anusara principles, yet they bring their own perspective - their words and instructions to the practice.
-SB
This yoga studio is the heart beat of my life. Its true. I have been attending classes here for the last 8 years or so. When I first started coming to Seattle Yoga Arts I was quite sick with a chronic illness and had been attending a recovery yoga class for three years slowly building enough strength and stamina to attend a beginning level yoga class at SYA. It had an incredible reputation. The classes and instructors are real, down to earth, totally practical, supportive, funny, very knowledgeable about our bodies and know how to keep folk safe. I feel very safe. They are so positive and have the ability to see the good in everyone in a truthful, not phony, way. The sense of community is truly amazing. I see the classes and embrace of the community as rungs on a ladder that have allowed me to heal and grow strong in unexpected ways.
- Davida W.
News flash: Yoga is good for you. This information may send you to any number of good studios in the city. No matter. If you get serious about yoga, sooner or later you'll show up at Seattle Yoga Arts.
By serious, that doesn't mean you have to be flexible. Or strong. Or any other preconception you may be harboring about yoga amongst the tattooed, the nubile, or the crotchety. There is a reason Denise Benitez,, SYA's owner, has been teaching for 37+ years-she believes in it.. As do all the radiant teachers and students at SYA.
This is the place to start a practice, rekindle a former practice or recover from injuries incurred by any form of athleticism. If your interest is purely physical, that's available, too. But you'll be missing the best part-the feeling of joining an amazing community of people who have been transformed by yoga. It is truly unique.
- Ann H.
I've practiced yoga at several studios around the world and Seattle Yoga Arts is by far my favorite. I like to call Anusara yoga "smart yoga" because of its refined physical alignment principles and wise philosophical underpinnings.
Seattle Yoga Arts offers highly skilled instruction, a good laugh, really great people, and a feeling when you leave class that everything is a bit brighter.
- Kara F.
I have been deepening my yoga practice at this studio for about 10 years. Over the years I have learned the energetic and spiritual aspects of yoga - which adds so much. I leave feeling nourished and centered - no matter what my state is when I enter. This is truly a community of practitioners - all trying to be our best selves.
- Karma R.
This is the most wonderful yoga studio in the city! OK, I'm a little biased because I've been going there for over ten years. Still, what's not to love? All the teachers are smart, funny, and very skilled. Also, SYA is truly a community. Through workshops, retreats, and special training sessions I have gotten to know so many other students there, and that has enriched my life and deepened my practice. SYA is my home away from home and I am truly grateful for it!
- Susie H.
Walking in the door at SYA is like coming home. Nothing is rushed, everyone knows your name (or soon will). The instructors are skilled, knowledgable and caring, and the community of students there is amazing. I regularly recruit friends to the studio and I can't think of a better place to go. You want a trendy yoga boutique, you'll have to go somewhere else. You want yoga that will fill your heart, mind and body with lightness and ease, this is the place.
- Renee D.
"I'm grateful for your insightful, kind and humorous teaching. I'm amazed at how much I've learned in the last few months and look forward to continuing."
- VE, 57, Journalist
"Denise, I so appreciate your light heart and infectious laughter, your gentle attention to all of us, and your often stunning insights. Rainey, your depth, power and openness are inspirational, awe-inspiring to me. I feel that I've found a heart-home."
- CM, 56, Doctor
"I am deeply grateful for the studio's presence in my neighborhood and the words you speak into our lives in class and via email poems and newsletters. My sacrum, my lungs, my shoulders, my spine, and my quads thank you too. And I love the honest laughter in class - it's like comedy central for yogis!"
- EL, 35, Architect/Spiritual Director
"Thank you for providing a home/church/gym/studio. I savor every moment of class."
- KP, 39, Teacher
"I thank Denise and Rainey for being my powerful, inspirational teachers."
- NS, 52, English Professor
"Thank you for all you do, for all you are, for your commitment, your creativity, your intelligence and insight, your humor, your honesty and your sensitivity."
- ND, 62, Nurse Practitioner
"There aren't words enough to thank you for your teaching, guidance, support, mentoring, love, sweetness, sense of humor, and steadiness over the years. I feel so full and lucky to have stumbled into Seattle Yoga Arts 10 years ago. So many doors opened for me during that time. You helped me to find my own heart, voice, and confidence as a teacher and yogini. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
- AM, 33, Yoga Teacher
"The grace, authenticity and wisdom you share have a quality I haven't experienced much in other teachers, and I'm grateful."
- LB, 39, Bodyworker
"I wanted to let you know what a significant impact your class has had on my life- especially the way I deal with stress and things 'not going my way.' "
- SH, 32, New Mom
"Thank you for keeping the studio a comfortable temperature. We have been searching for a studio that was not heating their rooms to 80+. Yoga is a sweaty business; it doesn't have to be a nauseatingly miserable business because of heat that us Nordic Seattleites are simply not used to. After class, we feel refreshed, instead of wrung out."
-GH
Quotes
"By embracing your mother wound as your yoga, you transform what has been a hindrance in your life into a teacher of the heart."
-Phillip Moffitt
"You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection."
-Buddha“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built.”
- Rumi"In this body are stars and planets, the sun and moon, ether, air, fire, water, and earth. He who knows this is a Yogi."
- Shiva Samhita"A spiritual perspective is a panoramic situation in which you come and go freely; your relationship with the world is open. It is the ultimate non-violence."
- Chogyam Trungpa"Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination."
- William Longgood
Videos/Articles
Father & Son Run Marathon Together
I started classes at Seattle Yoga Arts in 2009. Yoga has brought me great physical benefits: upper body strength, flexibility, balance, physical grace. Inwardly, though, I'm now better at the crucial task of trying and failing. Before yoga, my answer to failure was always "Try harder!" But trying harder doesn't always work, and with yoga it really doesn't work (unless you have a crush on the sports-injury doctor).
I didn't know what to do if I couldn't try harder, but I kept coming to class anyway because I liked how I felt afterward. Slowly, I learned to accept small improvements, not be so self-conscious, laugh when I got tangled up or fell over. Yoga isn't boot camp and it's not school: I can't get extra laps, or flunk, so I might as well have a good time.
That philosophy has leaked over into other areas of life. I'm re-trying stuff that I've always stunk at, like cooking and object-oriented programming. I'm enjoying my small successes, while laughing at the occasional odd-tasting dish or bizarro program result. As long as I keep going, I'll get better eventually. But if I don't, it doesn't matter as long as I enjoy the process.
Before yoga, I had enough determination for two people, but not enough patience for even one person. I'd always been like that, so I couldn't see how miserable it was making me. I used to think a lot of me needed improvement before I could become "OK" as a person. Now, I know I was OK to start with: and there's nowhere to go but onward. Thanks, Seattle Yoga Arts!
-LC
© 2012 Seattle Yoga Arts 
206.440.3191