The Full Spectra

When you walk through the doors of Costa Mesa’s Spectra Yoga, there’s a little bit of palpable magic.

And that’s the intention of studio owner Aileen Pham.

“We are kind of a one-stop shop for your mind, body and soul,” Aileen says with a jovial wink and a smile.

Owner of Spectra Yoga, Aileen Pham, at her studio in Costa Mesa, California.

Open seven days a week, Spectra offers a packed schedule with over 100 weekly classes taught by more than 40 different teachers – spanning all types of yoga, as well as a boot-camp style class called Full Body Fitness, a Run Club for runners, meditation, and prenatal and kids yoga.

Just wanting to chill out? Try a yin yoga or sound meditation class. Brand new to yoga? There’s a host of level one classes that cater to newbies. There’s even aerial meditation, a class no other studio in the area offers in which you’re suspended from the ceiling in a silk hammock while practicing guided meditation.

“The word ‘spectra’ is plural for spectrum. Everyone has a different reason for coming in every day. And we offer so many different classes that can meet your needs,” Aileen says.

That sentiment appealed to Aileen as she reflected on all the different reasons she had stepped onto a Yoga mat. “Sometimes I needed to do yoga because my mom had cancer; sometimes I needed to lose some weight; there are times I just want to go lift weights. All those reasons make one big reason.”

Owner, Aileen Pham, and Studio Manager, Amanda Arias, laugh during an interview at Spectra Yoga in Costa Mesa.

But it wasn’t always this way. In her youth, Aileen had been more focused on competitive fitness. At age 19, she was gifted two weeks of hot yoga by an aunt and figured she’d give it a try.

“It wasn’t love at first sight,” she now jokes.

Not wanting to disappoint her aunt, Aileen completed the two weeks, and then kept going to class throughout the summer. And something clicked. She began to improve and look forward to coming to class.

Then one day, her teacher was late for class. She remembers the receptionist coming in to tell her she’d have to start the class. “It was so bad!” she laughs. “They eventually gave me a regular class to teach but it was ‘silent yoga’ so I wasn’t allowed to talk.”

Aileen is now registered with Yoga Alliance as an experienced yoga teacher with more than 500 hours of training, and as a pre-natal yoga teacher.

None of this was part of her family’s plan. “My parents came here from Vietnam with nothing,” Aileen says. “In my culture, there are only a couple of careers that are acceptable. And being a yoga teacher is not one of them.” So she went to USC and got a Bachelors in Business Administration, and found a job at an accounting firm.

But as time went on, Aileen kept coming back to yoga. Eventually, her mom came around to supporting her decision, and even helped her back the business financially when she decided to open Spectra Yoga three years ago.

“My mom is my saving grace. She was an angel who helped me see that this is what I love,” she says. “I want to work just as hard as she worked. I can never repay her for what she’s done for me but I’m trying to show her that her entrepreneurship lives on in me.”

Spectra carries Yoga Clothing, Accessories and Jewelry in their Retail Store. Most brands featured are Female-Owned and/or Locally Made.

Now Spectra Yoga is a place for all ages and abilities and body types to come together.

“I’ve heard customers say that Spectra Yoga is kind of like your neighborhood ‘Cheers’. Most of the people who come here know each other or are in a couple degrees of each other. The front desk staff knows your name, your teachers know your name, everybody knows your name! So it’s the neighborhood chill place to hang out.”

Maybe that’s because it’s not just your average local fitness joint. In addition to the varied weekly class schedule, the studio offers a bunch of other unique events, like goat yoga (yes, yoga with goats—it’s a thing), “vinoyasa” (yoga and wine tasting), and even exotic international travel.

Spectra Yoga Adventures is working in partnership with another Costa Mesa small business, BlueDotOrg, to create unique travel experiences together. The group has traveled to Northern Thailand and Belize so far, with another trip to Southern Thailand coming up this fall. These are not yoga retreats, although there is yoga in some form every day. But the trips also include hikes, beach days and more.

It’s all just part of the community Aileen wanted to create. But she’s not taking credit for what it’s become. “It was always my vision to have a place where people were welcome and it was a community, but it got bigger than I thought. Spectra Yoga is not the Aileen Pham show. It never has been and it never will be. It’s a studio that has grown on its own. I just happen to be behind the scenes.”

And that’s that magic you can feel when you walk in the doors. Spectra offers something truly unique—more than just the diverse schedule, the teacher trainings, the free classes—it’s a place where local people to come to discover something new.

“The tagline of Spectra Yoga is ‘reveal your radiance’ and yoga is just a way to dig a little bit deeper and explore yourself. You get to see your real self,” says Aileen. “Today, when there’s so much distraction and instant gratification, your yoga practice can help reveal your true self and the radiance that’s there. Everyone shines in their own light!”

New students who live in Orange County receive a free week at the studio to try as many classes as they would like. Spectra also offers free Karma classes three times a week to the community. It’s a way for people to try out yoga, as well as an opportunity for newer teachers who have graduated from the Spectra School of Yoga to practice their teaching style.

As the students for the next class start to arrive, Aileen and studio manager Amanda Arias greet them with smiles and hugs. “It’s so good to see you,” says Aileen. She’s been away for a few months on maternity leave as she and fiancée Zach welcomed baby boy Logan to the family. Soon, she will be back at Spectra every day again.

“You can measure success on so many levels,” says Aileen. “I just feel lucky that we have the students we have, the people who really feel the vibe we’re trying to put out there.” ♥

Spectra Yoga is located at 2701 Harbor Blvd., Suite E-1 in the Mesa Verde Center in Costa Mesa. The studio is open seven days a week and offers discounts for seniors, students and service personnel. 714/436-0576  www.spectrayoga.com  Instagram/Twitter: @spectrayoga  Facebook: facebook.com/SpectraYoga

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