Yoga Without the Crowd

IN YOGA

When your potbellied yoga instructor insists upon sharing the details of last night's chocolate truffle during sivasana, you know you've missed the point of yoga.

From the valleys to the beaches, there are many, many such strange permu tations of the centuries-old Hindi discipline, which means, literally, "union" with the supreme spirit. Only owner-instructor Ginger LaRoche has maintained the undiluted integrity of astanga teachings (of which "power" yoga is yet another distortion), incorporating weekly contemplations on introspection, karma and nonattachment into the physical practice of asana (postures) and pranayama (breathing).

Unlike precision-oriented lyengar yoga, whereby instructors are constantly "adjusting" students within poses, the philosophical approach here is one of experiencing yoga from the inside out -- creating a practice of one's own.

Better still, LaRoche, who left her high-profile job as a Beverly Hills real estate banker to teach full time, has managed to maintain a quiet, off-the-beaten-path space that has yet to be infiltrated by trendy mobs and celeb-seekers. The mood is meditative, mingling ocean breezes and the calming scent of Nag Champa. Prepare to relax and release. 73325 Beach Ave., Marina del Rey; (310) 306-9644. (Kristal Brent Zook)

Ginger LaRoche
Founder/Director