BEST YOGA STUDIO

This is not just a place for supermodels to sweat off water weight or body builders to stretch out their quads. What distinguishes Yogashala from the plethora of yoga studios and gym yoga classes in Miami is owner, director, and instructor Fred Busch. His positive attitude and serious attention to correct form and proper breathing not only enable people from all walks of life to get into yoga, he allows yoga to get into people from all walks of life. The studio offers classes in Ashtanga yoga, a branch of Hatha yoga. Nicknamed "Marine yoga" because of its vigorous nature, Ashtanga is a sequence of postures that synchronize movement and breath to create a moving meditation. It has become a favorite with one-word stars such as Sting and Madonna, but Yogashala is no temple for the body perfect. It's a sanctuary for those who want to calm the mind as well as strengthen the body. The space is minimalist in design, leaving room for Busch's soothing, almost liturgical voice to reverberate between its walls as practitioners of varying levels twist, turn, sweat, and om toward flexibility, strength, and serenity. Like any other yoga space, Yogashala on any given morning or evening heats up with sweating bodies, but it also radiates with something you won't find in a gym yoga class -- inspiration.