May 15, 2017

Meet Christian Castano and Brandee Goatcher of Siesta Yoga in Los Feliz

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Castano and Brandee Goatcher.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Christian and Brandee. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
We feel so blessed to have this space. It was our dream since we met and started practicing yoga together. We knew we wanted to hold space and share this beautiful practice with everyone we could. So, we worked hard to create a space that is comfortable and welcoming; a place you can come to if you’ve never stepped foot on a yoga mat before or if you do yoga in all forms, or every day. At this point, it feels like the studio is a home to many, full of positive energy from all the good people and positive wishes that have made their way through. The community that has gathered is full of dedicated, supportive, creative, and fun yogis.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
To be honest, it’s a struggle every day to hold the space. What we mean is that we need to be at the studio day in and day out in hopes that students will come in; promoting and trying new ideas constantly in hopes that someone will understand what we’re doing and how special it is; doing all this, and then when the students do show up, we need to help them feel better, work through their junk, and help them to thrive without hurting themselves. The studio remains full of more love than bodies and that’s what keeps us going. It’s a labor of love.

So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Siesta Yoga story. Tell us more about the business.
Siesta Yoga is a small, homey studio, where we give personal attention to everyone who walks through the door; where the other students in the lobby or in the yoga room will chat with new students and get to know them. We’re all neighbors here, and when we get travelers, they get treated with the same embrace.

We are known for having Ashtanga led and Mysore classes at a variety of times. Christian teaches them in a way that helps the average non-Ashtangi to enjoy the meditative aspect of the practice, while also challenging long-time Ashtanga students, all in a playful yet firm way.

Brandee teaches an almost therapeutic class, guiding students into their version of the practice, empowering them to find the practice for the moment. Mackie teaches a fun, energetic, exploratory YogaHour class for a great rate; JD offers a variation of the Ashtanga series which begins with breathwork and ends with meditation; Grace and Emily add a touch of sweetness to every class they teach, caring for each student as an individual; Alessandra teaches a powerful yet soothing late night class; and .Stephy and Stella challenge students to push past their boundaries in a mindful, loving way.

We are so proud of our teachers, who are so attentive and knowledgeable and supportive, and of our students who are ALWAYS making progress and sharing their light, which creates the overall settling spirit of the space.

Each month, we offer specialized workshops that combine things we care about and find healing from. We, Christian and Brandee, have started making music together by combining soothing crystal sound bowls with the ambient, journey-inducing modular rig to clear the chakras. Stephy and Brandee have combined Kundalini Yoga and meditation with Restorative Yoga and a crystal bowl sound bath release to ignite a healing process based on the season, the moon, what’s going on around us. Everything we do at the studio is special to us, well-thought out and an offering that we think will help our community find a little more ease in their lives.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
We started our lucky streak from the beginning of Siesta Yoga’s existence! The fact that we found a great building in a location that flourishes more every year was a great start to venturing into the small business world. We have had respectful neighbors in the buildings attached to ours, which is a blessing. Also, we have just been lucky in general with an almost protective bubble we’ve worked under over our 5+ years.

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