Near East Yoga — Local services in Portland

The Near East Yoga space is a simple, warmly cheerful room. The collective dedication and devotion to practice is palpable, even when you're the only person in the room. You can tell people love this place and feel a sense of home about it.

Wherever you are in your physical development and capabilities Casey Palmer meets you offering guidance through Mysore-style Ashtanga yoga. Even if you have physical hurdles that might prevent you from stepping right into Ashtanga poses, Casey will help you find a path into developing your abilities and your practice.

If you have gone to typical yoga classes for even a month or two, the chances are high that you have encountered a good number of the poses that you will learn in the Ashtanga primary series. The difference is that the poses are in an organized sequence and that by memorizing that sequence you will develop independence in your yoga practice. That is a powerful gift that manifests differently in everyone.

In addition to teaching and holding space for practicing the physical side of yoga, NEY supports the more subtle, arguably more fundamental, aspects of yoga, what some might call the spiritual side. Every week there are multiple opportunities to engage with the sources of yogic thought: Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita. Through chanting, reading and discussion, and bhajan/kirtan, working with these and other sources teaches us how to take yoga out of the room and into the world, not in an evangelical way, but as an ongoing personal practice - asanas of the mind and spirit - that has the potential to permeate everything we do.

Near East Yoga is not about a workout, fashion trends, or the cults of personality that tend to float through the yoga world. It's about offering a space and inspiration so that we can show up and practice for ourselves. You will get that workout (it's a worthy reason to start), but that is only the beginning of...

Near East Yoga is a jewel: a wealth of yoga knowledge, community, inclusiveness and expression are contained that one room.

Teachers, including owner Casey Palmer, teach the Ashtanga method of yoga, giving practitioners truly individual attention to help build their practice at a customized pace. Every practice I felt discovery and challenge while always feeling safe and secure. The space is clean and lovingly attended to, and always has room for all who wish to practice there.

If you want yoga to be an asset to your life, this is the perfect place for you, no matter your level of experience. The yoga taught here is inclusive, while teachers' depth of knowledge can support advanced practitioners, too. I started with a few years of on-and-off yoga classes, and was able to experience practice becoming a part of my life. Ashtanga has a reputation for difficulty but if it is taught with true expertise and compassion, as it is here, it is perfect for someone who has never been on a mat before. Or who has, and is wary to do it again!

With great dedication, Casey has created a welcoming space not just for learning yoga poses but also for enriching and expressing the soul. The Ashtanga asana practice begins the process of connecting the soul with the body, but interested practitioners can join the Near East community in regular study of sacred texts such as the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita. The studio also holds regular Kirtans that provide a truly unique setting for joyful expression in the form of music--and beyond.

Near East Yoga just feels good. If you go, you will see. Many hearts, not least Casey and his fellow staff, have created a really...

AWESOME! Fun! Rewarding! Enlightening! SO special! These are just a few words to describe this studio. The space itself is welcoming and so conveniently located to arrive either by bike or bus. And i even live in the Southeast but my commute has thankfully been no troubles. Honestly, even if the commute was a bit of a drag, this studio's many offerings give easy justification for it. There is so much more than yoga practice here. If one is ready and willing, you can find paths to yoga living here too.but yoga is a very personal, fluid , and always growing practice so this studio can offer you what you want at this moment and when want more, it will be there waiting for you. So if you just want to just stretch and/or try something new: this is the best place to begin. If you are a devout yogi/yogini teacher or student trying to compliment or expand your practical : this is especially the best place for you. If you dont even want do move your body in any way but want to discover ways to practice yoga in your heart, spirit, and mind : this is also the best place to wonder and play. I have been to many studios in few states, and Casey's studio is a genuine gem...