ABOUT US
Village Yoga has been independently owned and operated since 2001 by Amy & Sally aka Salami.
Salami opened up the first HOT YOGA studio in Santa Cruz County in Soquel Village (hence the name!). A few years later they opened up in Downtown Santa Cruz where they sweated out 16 years until 2020 when the world went sideways but Village landed right side up in their happy home in Midtown!
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Meet The Team
Village Yoga would not be what it is without our amazing teachers!
We are grateful and inspired by their
passion and dedication to sharing the gifts of yoga with our community.
Amy Mihal
I took my first Bikram Yoga class in San Francisco in 1997 and felt so amazing that I knew I wanted to practice yoga for the rest of my life!!! Bikram yoga has had a profound effect on my physical, mental and emotional health and well-being. A consistent, dedicated practice has allowed me to get off of daily medications for asthma that I had taken throughout my childhood and well into my 20s. Ahhhh, being able to breathe deeply is a real treasure!
Importantly, my practice has helped me navigate my way through the ups and downs that life presents while maintaining a deep sense of hope and peace. The mental, physical, emotional and spiritual strengths that this practice gives me are priceless gifts; I cherish these gifts deeply and practice to embody them. Words cannot adequately express my gratitude for this practice, for how it has changed and shaped my life, and most importantly for the amazing friends and family that it has brought into my life. I love being at the studio and truly feel that it is an honor to share this yoga and its many gifts with all of those who come to class. See you at the studio!
Sally Adams
At 24, after 21 years of dancing (ballet, modern, jazz, tap) I needed a new way of stretching my body. I was perpetuating bad habits and felt stuck in my progression. I found myself in a hot, sweaty yoga class at Global Yoga in San Francisco. I never looked back. I thought I would incorporate both dancing and yoga but it took me several months before I could. The yoga wiped me out at first and at the same time left me feeling alive and peaceful. I knew I just needed to let the yoga alone work it’s magic in me. When I went back to dance class, I was stronger, more flexible, had great stamina and I felt better than ever. For me working with my body has never been just that. It has always been a way to connect with the spirit of joy and connect with my soul. The 26 postures are like coming home. They allow me to be who I am, they give me comfort, they challenge me, they make me honest, they make me grateful and most importantly they show me how physical well being and the states of balance, peace and love take constant vigilance.
Puja Chance
I have been certified and teaching Hot Yoga since 2007. My path and heart led me to Vinyasa Yoga in 2013. Since then, I have had the honor of training with Baron Baptiste, Janet Stone, Mark Stephens, Erika Abrahamian, Kino MacGregor, Lino Miele, and many more. I consider myself always a student and feel honored to share the teachings of my teachers and this practice. This path has led me to teach from my heart what inspires the individual to shamelessly care for the container that is you. To tend to this body, heart, mind, breath and spirit so that we can tend to others with the respect and love that all humanity deserves. The direction of my classes are an attuned and vigorous flow offered to all. Expect alignment cues, a focus on meditative breath and presence, as well as the potential for laughter, compassion and humility. Each class is infused with rhythms and beats chosen to inspire movement and joy in this body and practice.