Our location is central to the Monterey Bay Area, close to Hwy. 1 with ample street parking. We have two yoga rooms, a spacious lobby, private changing booths, and a full retail selection.
Our instructors are certified, experienced, and passionate about supporting you to get all the healing and performance benefits of a yoga practice.
Being the owner and director of Sweet Heat Hot Yoga is a culmination of my 30-year pursuit to help people preserve good health and vitality. I have a BS in kinesiology from San Diego State University, have been an ACSM-Certified Exercise Physiologist since 1999, and graduated from Bikram's teacher training in the fall of 2000.
I began yoga 23 years ago as a cross-training vehicle to give my body a rest from other athletic pursuits. What I received in return for my efforts surpassed what I thought was possible from a yoga class. I learned to be a better person, to live in the world with honesty and integrity. Please join us to learn, grow, and explore your inner world in ways you may have never considered.
I began my yoga journey in 2011. I was looking for this kind of yoga; I just didn't know it yet. Starting with the Intro special, I jumped on a 60-day challenge in 2012 – after that, I was hooked. I practiced as often as I could and watched as my life slowly transformed for the better.
This yoga is extremely challenging but worth every bit of effort you put into it. I became a certified Bikram Yoga instructor in 2014 to help people heal themselves through yoga. Anyone can try this class, and it's my mission to teach and encourage the patience, self-control, faith, concentration, and determination required to succeed. See you in the hot room!
From my very first class Bikram Yoga class, I envisioned myself teaching. My journey began at Mount Madonna Retreat Center in the fall of 2013 when I became a 200-hour registered Ashtanga instructor through the Yoga Alliance. I lived in a tent in the woods for a month while studying classical yoga asana, philosophy, and pranayama. In 2014 I completed my nine-week Bikram certification in Thailand. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, including childbirth, four times without drugs!
What most moves me about this yoga asana is how our practice relates to life off the mat. Bikram Yoga combines sacred sweat – utilized since the beginning of time to purge and transform – along with the practice of yoga, taking the mind, body, and spirit on a journey within. This healing power is the magic of hot yoga. I'm honored to be part of this yoga community and the studio's evolution that has inspired the change within. What is your story? Bring it on the mat and share it – namaste.
I've been practicing Bikram Yoga since 2009, first arriving in the hot room to explore healing options for my injured runner's joints (hips, knees, lower back) while maintaining a challenging physical workout. This powerful series of asanas has offered me both and more. The studio quickly became my favorite place, a consistent high point of my day. When I walk out the door, I strive to maintain that magical yoga feeling (uplifted and grounded, strong and relaxed, focused and peaceful.)
I recently completed my teacher training in September of 2018, and I'm deeply honored and grateful to bear witness and offer support to all students of this practice.
Judy was not always a yoga teacher; she worked for 20 years in the semiconductor industry. She started practicing Bikram Yoga to relieve stress and stay in shape. It hit home on a business trip on 9/11; life is short, and you need to follow your passion. She loved Bikram Yoga but felt a need to explore the wide range of yoga options. In 2003 she completed a Yoga Alliance 200-hour teacher certification from the Carmel Yoga Center. It was a great introduction to the many styles of yoga, but deep in her heart, Judy knew her calling was Bikram Yoga. In January of 2004, she moved to LA for nine weeks to study with Bikram Choudhury and received her teacher's certification. Judy wants to share the physical and mental healing of Bikram Yoga with everyone. It's more than getting fit; it's about learning to listen to your body, realize you are stronger than you think, and follow your heart.
Hello yogis. I completed teacher training in 2010 and have been teaching at studios in the South Bay since. I believe that these 26 asanas and two breathing techniques that we practice are life-changing. So much is accomplished in 90 minutes in the hot room. Our bodies and minds change as we dedicate ourselves to returning to the mat again and again.
I practice meditation (zen/vipassana). For me, this is a perfect complement to the Bikram series. Bringing the mind into the body using the breath is a beautiful thing. I enjoy hiking, swimming in the ocean, boogie boarding, and taking care of two goats, two puppies, and one husband. I look forward to meeting you all in the Sweet Heat hot room – namaste.
15 years ago I was searching for a little religion. A friend suggested that I try a hot yoga class at The Sweat Box, a Bikram studio in Seattle. I have been devoted to Bikram Yoga ever since – it fits my lifestyle and value system. I believe in perfect health and in the power of human potential. Teacher training was super fun! I graduated in the Spring of 2015. I am also an "industrial athlete," currently driving a truck for FedEx Express.
I love Ashtanga yoga; it just makes sense to me! I have a lifelong commitment to healthy eating, cooking, and being physically active. Yoga has become a large part of my life which I enjoy sharing with others. I respect the science of Ashtanga Yoga, the physical practice (asana), the mind-body connection, the challenge of the strengthening, and the comfort of the calm.
My teacher, Terry Johnson, introduced me to practicing with Greg Tebb and Manju Jois, whom I respect and have gratitude for. I love teaching, working with individual bodies, and guiding others through their practice. Everybody is different, and yoga is for every 'body.'
Steph is RYT 200 certified. She's committed to an integrative approach for nourishing and empowering the whole self, focusing on intelligent sequencing, mindful movement, and breathwork.
I've been practicing yoga since 2006 and switched to hot yoga in 2007. I always feel accomplished on the days that I practice, and it complements the other activities that I like to do. I graduated from Ghosh Yoga's teacher training program in the Summer of 2022.
You'll see me tinkering around the studio most days; please let me know how I can make this place better for you. You can also follow my dog Nelson and me on Instagram.
Raised in the western US, as a chubby kid lacking grace, David found athletics allowed him to discover a glimpse of his own potential and form a degree of purpose. He was an All-Conference football player at Fort Lewis College where he received his BA in Exercise Science. Over time, injuries changed his path.
While serving as the trainer for a circus/burlesque troupe he discovered new modalities for physical development - yoga and the circus arts became his new vehicle for range of motion, flexibility and strength. He also followed a dream to a Tibetan village where he lived and studied the culture of Buddhism and Bon Shamanism. This was followed by an immersion in yoga while staying for three months in Rishikesh India, where he also returned to study in 2020.
In my younger years I ran many marathons and my body took a beating. Bikram Yoga helps soothe and strengthen old injuries, and I'm hooked! It's a moving meditation that requires focus and offers awareness. I work in marketing and communications, and I'm happy to be able to apply it to help spread the word about yoga – to encourage others to heal their bodies and transform their lives.
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