Left Coast Power Yoga: 'We’re Always Looking For People To Add To Our Family'

Left Coast Power Yoga: 'We’re Always Looking For People To Add To Our Family'Left Coast Power Yoga's Uptown studio. | Photo: Left Coast Power Yoga/Facebook
Jetta Rae
Published on May 02, 2017

For Left Coast Power Yoga founder Rachel Rajput, yoga isn't just a way to look after one's mind and body; it's also a way to engage with the community.

"I have the city of Oakland logo painted on the wall because it can also symbolize the eight limbs of yoga," she told Hoodline while watching an instructor lead an outdoor class outside Oakland City Hall.

Left Coast Power Yoga founder Rachel Rajput. | Photo: Rachel Rajput

Rajput opened her first location in Grand Lake in April 2013, followed by a second studio on 16th Street in Uptown that opened in January 2016. From the start, engagement and accessibility have been the priority, she noted.

"Really living in the community is important to us," said Rajput. "We didn't want to drop another place that charges $25 for a class into a community that doesn't need it.”  

And when Rajput references community, she means Oaklanders in general.

An outdoor yoga class outside Oakland City Hall. | Photo: Jetta Rae/Hoodline

"Everybody needs yoga, everybody needs stress relief, everybody can benefit from meditation. That shouldn’t be an elitist thing.”     

With studios as warm as 90 degrees and some classes designed to be taken three times each week, Left Coast Power Yoga promotes a practice some might find vigorous. Regardless, Rajput has developed a space —and culture — intended to serve a diverse client base.

To ensure that people of all body types feel welcome, she develops programs that accommodate expectant mothers, people recovering from injuries, and office workers. Studios have padded floors; after figure skating for much of her life, Rajput said the hardwood floors found in most yoga studios are too hard on her knees.

Rajput said Oakland's logo can also symbolize the eight limbs of yoga. | Photo: Rachel Rajput

In the spirit of inclusion, no one's ever been turned away for financial reasons. "We have two donation-based classes every week," said Rajput. "If you can’t pay, we can hook you up with an administrative shift that’ll help me out. We’re always looking for people to add to our family."

Rajput's idea of family extends beyond immediate staff and clients; Left Coast Power Yoga regularly collaborates with local nonprofits like PatriACT, an organization that hosts fundraisers for civil liberties that was founded by two of Rajput's students.

Other collaborations include fundraising dance classes with Project HOPE Art and leading free classes for clients of the Housing Consortium of the East Bay.

"We need more boots to the ground, more organizations that are getting out there and doing the work," said Rajput.

Left Coast Power Yoga has studios at 564 16th St. and at 3702 Grand Ave. Classes are offered from 7am to 8:45pm at both locations; schedules are posted online.