A Yoga Studio That Feels Like Immersive Sculpture

A glass and concrete atrium housing granite boulders isn’t a feature of most yoga studios. But that’s what you’ll find at Simhanada Ashtanga in Collingwood, where a yoga school has been reimagined in polished concrete, steel beams and glass blocks.

“We wanted it to look like it came out from the ground,” says co-owner and head teacher Eoin McCarthy. “A real earthy, solid structure.” He’s referring to the hulking raw steel staircase that leads students up to one of two practice studios.

The hefty granite boulders, which look as if they’ve been excavated from the ground, sit in a pile beneath the stairs. It’s a monumental version of a Zen rock garden, and a reference to McCarthy's time in dojos (martial arts spaces) in East Asia. For all the grey, heavy materials, the end effect is unexpectedly calming.

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