Sara Parker & Katie Etter: Ra Yoga
Ra Yoga is a new yoga studio located on Bristol in Costa Mesa. This studio was transformed from a store front into a relaxing environment of positive energy. The owners are dedicated to creating a green oasis of calm, rejuvenating yoga. Ra yoga is meant to be an inner sanctum of finding peace and calming the soul.
This yoga studio opened March 25th by Robert Kittleman, Jenny Vande Hei, and Aileen Pham. They believe that unity, the meaning of Yoga, should be taught continuously throughout the studio.
"We are creating a calm, balanced, and nurturing environment where you will not only learn the
importance of centering and breath but you will
learn to lose yourself in movement and kinship."-Ra Yoga
The teachers are dedicated to yoga and have made it not only their careers but the foundation for their lives. They have years of experience teaching and learning the latest trends in yoga. They have strength, yogalates, Tai Chi, Hot yoga, Bik Ra and many more classes. They never take a day off from sharing the experience of yoga. This studio also provides group classes, private yoga therapy and private yoga asana.
Ra yoga welcomes their clients as family and builds a personal bond, they want to create a "commUNITY". Not only do they care about their inner being they also care about the environment. Almost everything in their studio is recycled, reused or energy efficient.
This is the lobby of the studio. This yoga was designed by the owners. It has calming colors to relax you before your yoga session, they have earthy tones such as green, browns and off whites. They include greenery in the lobby and art work on the walls.
Heaters and Lighting
The photo of the ceiling in one of the yoga rooms. These Ecostrip radiant heating panels are used for hot yoga. They are energy efficient which uses less energy then regular heaters.
The heaters are from the Frenger Systems company. They are 100% metal and have flame proof motors. They also reduce the spread of dust and other harmful particles.
For the lighting of this yoga room they used florescent hanging pendant lights from Zaneen Lighting. They are energy efficient and eco friendly. They cost anywhere from $1,004.80 - $1,216.00.
Concrete Flooring
This concrete flooring was used in the lobby area, bathrooms and various walkways throughout the studio. They did not install this concrete, they demolished the old flooring and restored the concrete from underneath. They also sealed the concrete floor.
Concrete is environmentally friendly because it is local, it was previously used and it can be recycled or used again.
Furniture
The furniture used in the lobby like the reception desk and the sofa was made from reclaimed wood. They did not order this wood from a manufacturer, they used old or unused wood from various job sites.
Using reclaimed wood is better for the environment because it reduces waste, conserves energy limits the amount of production.
Fabric
They used an organic herringbone fabric for the cushions on the hand made sofa. The fabric is very soft. Traditional herringbone woven. It has no dyes. 54" wide. 7.2 oz. weight. Sold in full yards. It was purchased from the Green Sage Store.
Rug
The rug used in the lobby area was found at a garage sale. By reusing a rug saves money and also helps from adding more waste to the environment.
It is Persian inspired rug. They purchased this rug for $50.
Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo flooring from Cali Bamboo is a green building product. This floor is Mocha Vertical Organic Bamboo and is Leed Certified.
Bamboo is a fast growing plant, much faster than trees, so it can product more in a shorter amount of time. This type of flooring is also ultra low VOC and has no added Urea Formaldehyde. Bamboo is a very durable wood and can be reused or recycled.
It is $2.99/ Sq. Ft. It is 37-3/4 inch length, 3-3/4 inch width and 5/8 inch think. The finish is klump aluminum Oxide/ Treffert Acrylic system.
Paint
The paint used on a wall inside a yoga room is from Behr paint. The color is Sweet Midori. This green gives the room a tranquil feeling it will give a calm balance that people seek.
This paint does not contain any lead pigment.
$30.98/ GA Gallon. One gallon covers about 400 sq. ft.
Lighting
This light is from Jamie Young design. This lighting shade is a cork classic drum. Cork is a renewable source made from the bark on trees; it can be reused and or recycled.
This shade is $163.00
Jute Jug
The green 
Classic Home Bermuda Collection Carmelia Moss Rug was used in the lobby area.
This rug has natural fibers from India and is made of 50% Jute and 50% Coir.
It is available in 5’ x 8’.
These rugs are non-toxic and non-hazardous.
