Move | Breathe | Meditate: Urban Yogis Opens in Downtown Everett

Urban Yogis is Everett's newest hot spot to practice yoga (don't worry, they also offer non-heated classes if that's more your speed). As an aspiring yogi, I was delighted to check out this new studio in Downtown Everett.

Co-created by two yogis from Seattle, Jeffrey and Kiana are passionate about yoga. "Our mission is to create a community of connection and a space that offers an escape from the suburban rituals of daily life," they share on their website.

Urban Yogis co-creators Jeffrey and Kiana // Courtesy of Urban Yogis

I had the pleasure of catching one of Jeffrey's classes recently and learning a bit more about what Urban Yogis is all about.

Jeffrey is friendly and intentional.

As soon as I entered the studio at 2900 Grand Ave (across the courtyard from Choux Choux Bakery), he swapped my mat out with one that would be better suited for the Modern Hatha class I was taking that evening.

The design of the studio lobby is striking and has an urban feeling indeed, with its infinite walls of large windows, high ceilings, and polished cement floors. Two large and beautiful swings hang in the lobby. "These are for fun, "Jeffrey shared as he showed me the space.

From the lobby, entering the studio offered a contrasting experience. No windows, but large mirrors line the entire front wall. The lighting was blue and fairly dark as I entered, and the ambiance was strong and peaceful.

Urban Yogis offers an immersive yoga experience. Utilizing medical grade LED light, immersive sound, and scent "to create a comfortable container for guests to sink into their own depth of practice," Jeffrey shared.

Strong and peaceful // Courtesy of Urban Yogis

I found the experience to be very … well, experiential, in the best of ways.

Jeffrey was a strong guide, setting the class up with an intention, awareness and a mantra. I appreciated how Jeffrey shared and wove the intention, awareness, and mantra throughout the practice. I'll share his words below, expounding on each of these elements.

"The intention was breath & balance, balance of where your body is today and meeting it there, and using breath as the vehicle for our practice and massaging our nervous system from flight or flight into rest and recover through the yoga breath."

"The awareness that this isn't a fitness class, it's a practice, not performance. Fitness studios have their place but we focus on mental health through move breathe meditate where fitness is the side effect and mental balance is the goal, and when we become aware of critical thoughts about our practice, judgment or comparison while practicing we use that awareness to take a deep exhale out to refocus."

Immersive experience // Courtesy of Urban Yogis

"The last thing is the mantra or affirmation, "All is well, I'm doing great, all is well, I am well." This is a trauma-informed mantra that allows for calm and grounding in any space; this is important to have as a sort of anchor in the waves that is the movements of yoga when we find ourselves out of breath and sweating, this brings us back to our practice."

With such an intentional and thoughtful framework guiding our class, and Urban Yogis as a whole, I wasn't too surprised to find out Jeffrey is also a crisis counselor and enjoys helping others through their difficulties with a cathartic and compassionate experience.

He and Kiana also love serving the Everett community in general. They offer free classes with the Recovery Cafe and free yoga to anyone growing through recovery. And once a month, they also do private sessions for Providence nurses and staff at the studio. Jeffrey shared, "our last one was magical!"

Magical? Sounds about right. With Urban Yogis immersive and mindful approach, I have a feeling magical classes happen often.

Urban Yogis offers an array of classes: