Westside Costa Mesa has always been a dynamic part of town – but these days, it’s changing by the day. A new coffee shop, MoonGoat Coffee, recently opened. Semi Tropics Wines is in the works. Genuine Property Management just renovated a 5,000-square-foot warehouse off Placentia Ave. The hum of activity, and quickening pace of investment, runs like a soundtrack for the ‘West of Harbor’ set.
Home Yoga OC – emphasis on ‘om’ – is part of this new life and livelihood infusing Westside Costa Mesa.
Co-founders of Home Yoga – Katlyn Greiner and Scott Underwood – are partners in life and business. Both college professors as their ‘day job,’ in late January 2018, the couple birthed this cozy, community-minded, neighborhood-yoga-haven off Monrovia Ave., and never looked back.
Underwood, a jovial, animated storyteller, described the early days of coming up with a name for the studio.
“Om is the sound of the creation of the universe,” said Underwood. “So we thought calling the studio ‘Home,’ and putting the om in the middle of it, was super original, super cool. Then, after we got our business license, we discovered there were, like, 5,000 other studios named Home Yoga across the country.”
“So we added ‘OC’ to our name, since clearly it wasn’t as original as we first thought,” added Greiner, with a gentle laugh. “Now we’re actually considering putting ‘Costa Mesa’ in the name, since we love it here. We’re not moving, because to us, Costa Mesa is Home.”
Let’s Lotus: Co-Founders of Home Yoga OC, Katlyn Greiner and Scott Underwood.
Photo: Brandy Young
Underwood and Greiner met while they were both teaching at The Art Institute, and partaking in the free yoga classes offered there. Eventually, they got to talking, and wondered, “What if we opened our own studio?”
“We were driving all over, looking at locations,” said Greiner. “From Seal Beach down to Newport, and everywhere in between.”
“I knew about Westside Costa Mesa because of some surfboard repairs I’d done over here,” said Underwood. “It seemed like there was a lot happening in this area. Lots of cool, hidden spots.”
“We spoke to the landlord here, and she was amazing,” said Greiner. “Cute, spunky, creative – and a yogi herself – so she was excited to have a yoga studio here. She said, ‘Let’s make something fun and interesting!'”
What really sealed the Costa Mesa deal for Home Yoga OC was the business-friendly climate of the city.
“The Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce was so helpful to us in the early days,” said Underwood. “They were super supportive of our vision.”
When the studio opened two years ago, Underwood and Greiner spread word the old-fashioned way – going door-to-door.
“We canvassed this whole area with flyers,” said Underwood. “My 10-year old son pitched in and his goal was to make sure every house got a flyer. He told his teacher that he had a real job, now – he was ‘Flyer Man.'”
Flyer Man must have canvassed well, because Westside locals are Home Yoga’s primary clientele.
“It’s not uncommon to see people ride their bikes, or walk over, to our yoga classes,” described Greiner. “We’re pretty local.”
Westside Homies: Beach Vibes + Bakasana at Home Yoga OC, Costa Mesa.
Photos: Brandy Young
Since its opening, Home Yoga OC has hosted neighboring businesses – ranging from Volcom to Coastline Community College – for classes and workshops at their studio. They also see, firsthand, some of the homelessness and drug problems that are part of Westside life.
“One of our members is actually also our handyman,” shared Greiner. “He does odd jobs for us when things need to be painted or fixed around the studio. Well, he used to be an addict. He lived on the streets at one time. But through yoga, he’s in recovery, and has transformed his life. Yoga is his gospel. He’s been here since the day we opened our doors.”
“That’s the transformational power of yoga,” said Underwood, emphatically. “We’re not one of those places that’s all about sculpting the perfect body. At Home Yoga OC, we adhere to the yoga tradition that goes back thousands of years. Yoga runs through all areas of our life.”
To that end, Greiner and Underwood even opted out of hanging up mirrors in the studio.
“Who is your worst critic?” asked Underwood. “Yourself, okay? So if you’re in there judging yourself and comparing yourself, that’s not in line with yoga. That’s not in line with how we look at life… which, by the way, is also yoga.”
Underwood goes on to encourage anyone, of any body type or skill level, to come give Home Yoga a try.
“Come in your jeans, come in your board shorts, just come,” he said. “We’ve got 70-year-old women who will just pop right into a handstand. People you wouldn’t think were very athletic, they pop into crow pose. When you lose the mind chatter, you become super powerful, and all things are possible.”
Something else that sets Home Yoga OC apart from other studios… no class levels. Anyone, no matter their experience, can come to any class. Teachers will modify the moves for newer students, who work alongside the more advanced yogis.
“Every one of our teachers can teach every kind of person,” said Underwood. “So what’s the point of having levels? I also think the newer students are encouraged by what they see the experienced people doing. It’s a great way to learn.”
DJ R33D: Monthly ‘House @ Home’ Where Yoga and Live Music Meet.
Photos: Brandy Young
Just when we thought Home Yoga OC’s adherence to the yoga tradition might make members serious and monk-like, we learned about House @ Home and all bets were off.
“On the third Saturday of the month, at 7pm, we bring in our resident DJ – DJ R33d – and he does a live, 60-minute music set while we all do yoga. Then after class, we hang out, drink wine, eat crackers, etc. It’s the most fun Saturday night of the month!”
“We try to make this studio a blend of, ‘Let’s have fun, but let’s also be serious about the tradition,'” said Underwood. “At House @ Home, we can let our hair down, and goofiness is strongly encouraged.”
The couple also has plans to start teacher training in 2020… bringing educators into the studio to teach them yoga methods that will help them reach students in a new way.
“Imagine a third grade teacher is about to give a test,” explained Underwood. “The kids might be anxiety-ridden and worried about grades. Now imagine that same teacher gives a five-minute, guided meditation to help the students re-center, and stop the racing brain. Teach them to take a breath, make some space in your head, and stop thinking for just a second. Then we’re all going to exhale and take that test. It’s very powerful.”
Photo: Brandy Young
While the yoga tradition is a big deal at Home Yoga OC – being part of the Costa Mesa community might be just as important to this independent business.
“The people in our studio wouldn’t necessarily call themselves ‘yogis,’ even if they are,” said Underwood. “But they would definitely say they are Costa Mesans. They would identify with that way before anything else.”
“We are supporting Costa Mesa and helping to make it a little bit better,” said Greiner. “People leave our studio happier and healthier than when they entered. We have one guy that comes here, he works over at Mesa Water, and he goes in to work and talks to his co-workers all about how yoga has changed his life, how he feels better every day.”
As our interview wrapped up, we asked Underwood if he had a parting message for Costa Mesa.
“He’ll probably say something serene like, ‘Inhale, exhale,'” Greiner said.
“More like, ‘Yo’ beeyatches, come on in,'” Underwood replied with a hearty, reverberating laugh that concluded with a resounding snort. It was a peek at the “goofiness encouraged” part of the Home Yoga OC equation.
“You can only print that if you add that snort to the end of it,” laughed Greiner, good-naturedly.
So come on in, Costa Mesa, and give Home Yoga OC a try. Snort. ♥
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Connect with Home Yoga OC on Instagram @homeyogaoc or Facebook @yogahomeoc, or visit them at 1812 Monrovia Avenue. Parking is available behind the building, and the class schedule is online at www.homeyogaoc.com.
