More Than Just Hot Yoga

Right after my first year at Burning Man in 2001, I was invited to try my very first hot yoga class which happened to be at Mission Yoga! After their intro deal, I found a temporary home at Funky Door Yoga where I worked the front desk and fell in love with the heat and the way the yoga made me feel. I have been practicing hot yoga ever since and have been teaching since 2006.

In addition to my extensive experience teaching hot yoga, I’m also trained in other modalities including Inferno Hot Pilates and Somatic Breathwork. I am committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all of my students and strive to offer classes that are fun, challenging, and uplifting.

I am the owner of New Mission Yoga, a thriving studio where I have helped countless students find physical and mental balance through the practice of yoga. With the help of my community, we have built a beautiful temple where all people can come to heal, celebrate and commune with the divine. The space continues to evolve and has exceeded my initial vision.

Alexandra is one of our earliest instructors in the new Mission Street space. Many of you will remember Alexandra for her radiant presence, her empowering teaching style, and her grounding leadership in both Hot Yoga and Inferno Hot Pilates.

Alexandra brings her signature warmth, precision, and strength to the room. She offers powerful, transformational fitness classes to our students.

As a holistic trainer, Michael has guided clients worldwide in achieving their goal of optimal health through movement, nutrition, stress management, and the breath for long-term lifestyle change. From working with tech executives and athletes to single moms and everyone in between, many find that after attending just one of his classes they receive clarity and inner peace. He believes the first step to healing trauma is to connect our minds back to our bodies and to allow the innate wisdom of our bodies to do the work

I discovered Bikram yoga in 2021, and what began as a practice of discipline quickly became a practice of self-discovery. After completing my 26+2 teacher training in the Ghosh lineage, I realized that teaching isn’t just about leading a class, it’s about holding space for transformation, connection, and presence.

For me, the hot room is a mirror. Each posture is an invitation to meet yourself more fully, with strength, softness, and curiosity. My classes are grounded in alignment, breath, and focus, but also infused with a deep respect for where each student is on their journey.

This is more than exercise. It’s an ongoing conversation between body, mind, and spirit, and I’m honored to guide others through it, one breath and one posture at a time.

Ashtanga Wasay has practiced yoga for 10 years and teaches Ashtanga Vinyasa, a practice they first discovered through a lover. Sometimes the path to yoga takes unexpected turns. For Wasay, teaching is both a privilege and a way of staying honest about their own practice. They love connecting with students and watching people leave class with a smile on their face and moving through the world at a slightly slower pace. Wasay strives to create a loving, welcoming space where students can connect with yoga in whatever way serves them. Expect movement, expect stillness, and, because Wasay is also a writer, expect the occasional sprinkling of poetry. Whether you come looking for a kick-ass workout, a way to anchor yourself in the present moment, or an exploration of yoga as a spiritual path, Wasay celebrates it all. Their hope is simple: that you leave feeling grounded in your body and connected to the present moment. Outside the studio, Wasay writes, rides motorcycles, belly dances, backpacks, cooks, meditates, and works with technology. One thing you will not find them celebrating? Goat cheese.

Annelle brings 10 years of yoga practice and three years of teaching experience to Mission Yoga. A 200-hour RYT, she has trained in Vinyasa, Power Yoga, Hot Fusion, Yoga Sculpt, Yin, and Restorative Yoga, and has coached and helped lead 200-hour teacher trainings. After years as a competitive dancer, Annelle discovered yoga and found that the practice began healing parts of her she didn’t even know needed healing. That experience continues to shape how she teaches today. Expect high energy and intensity in Annelle’s Yoga Sculpt classes, balanced with encouragement to listen to your body, rest when you need to, and remember that yoga extends far beyond the physical practice. Mindfulness, intention, meditation, and kindness toward ourselves and others are as much a part of yoga as what happens on the mat. She hopes students leave feeling lighter, empowered, motivated, and confident enough to carry that energy into the rest of their day. Outside the studio, Annelle is a professionally trained singer and dancer who loves live music, nature, friends, and family. And in a former life? She worked as a scare actor in a haunted house. Terrifyingly fun.

Ashley brings an extraordinary depth of experience to Mission Yoga, with more than 35 years of yoga practice and 20 years of teaching. Her influences span generations and traditions, including Lilias Folan, Sharon Gannon, Lynn Whitlow, Bikram Choudhury, Emmy Cleaves, and Mary Jarvis. Her own introduction to yoga began, wonderfully enough, with PBS. Ashley’s classes are high-intensity, physically precise, supportive, and rooted in the belief that people are capable of far more than they sometimes imagine. Her favorite part of teaching is watching students accomplish something they didn’t think they could do. What does she want you to feel when class is over? Catharsis. Outside the studio, Ashley creates artistic experiences and dances. She is also a grandmother, which might surprise anyone trying to keep up with her in class. Decades into her own practice, Ashley continues to bring the same combination of rigor, experience, and encouragement to the yoga room: work hard, pay attention, and discover what your body can do.

Qualifications

Jess brings more than a decade of teaching experience, serious endurance-athlete credentials, and an enormous amount of heart to Mission Yoga. A longtime runner with more than 20 marathons and three ultramarathons under her belt, Jess originally discovered Hot Yoga after running two marathons back-to-back and realizing her body desperately needed some balance. A friend suggested yoga, Mission Yoga’s mission drew her through the doors, and the community convinced her to stay. Her classes are fast-paced, inclusive, positive, and unapologetically fun. Expect challenging movement, encouragement, laughter, and plenty of permission to pursue your goals rather than somebody else’s version of the practice. For Jess, simply showing up is already a victory. Outside the studio, Jess is a poet, spoken-word performer, fashionista, actor, filmmaker, and special-effects makeup artist whose work ranges from gore to glam. Above all, Jess is passionate about creating spaces where people feel safe, wanted, accepted, and heard. She wants every student to leave class with a sense of accomplishment, self-love, and a smile that refuses to go away.

Sasi has practiced yoga for nearly 30 years and taught for more than 25, bringing a lifetime of physical, philosophical, and spiritual study to his teaching. His influences include Ashtanga teachers Clayton Horton and Douglas Wong and Vinyasa teachers Dharma Mittra and Les Leventhal. Sasi spent many years teaching yoga in China while studying Buddhist philosophy and continues to study and teach Sanskrit and Yoga Philosophy. Sasi’s classes are attentive and highly individualized. He adapts his teaching to the experience and needs of the students in the room, paying close attention to each person while guiding the group through a practice designed to be both healing and transformative. Students can expect to leave feeling relaxed, invigorated, and perhaps a little changed. Outside the studio, Sasi is a certified acupressure massage therapist, writer, poet, photographer, traveler, and accomplished vegan chef. He holds a B.A. in Architectural Design from Florida International University, loves gong fu cha, the Chinese art of tea, and considers meditation essential to his life. In Sasi’s own words: “I am a source of endless joy.”

Shashi brings more than 30 years of yoga practice and 20 years of teaching experience to Mission Yoga. He holds an M.A. in Yoga and Philosophy and an M.Phil., along with foundational and advanced yoga certifications from Mumbai University. His practice and teaching are deeply influenced by the work of Maharshi Patanjali and Swatmarama and by the traditions of Hatha and Ashtanga Yoga. Shashi first came to yoga while searching for greater stability of mind and body following a personal loss. What began as a certificate course at Mumbai University became a lifelong study, eventually leading to his graduate degrees and decades of teaching. His classes combine energy, yoga philosophy, self-study, consistency, and a healthy surrender of the ego. What matters most to Shashi is understanding the needs of the people in front of him and creating genuine connection. Outside the studio, he researches yoga science, plays guitar, swims, walks, and spends time with his grandchildren. His philosophy is wonderfully simple: keep practicing.

Sirron brings art, deep house, humor, and a serious workout to Yoga Sculpt at Mission Yoga. A yoga practitioner for 10 years, Sirron completed his Yoga Sculpt training through CorePower, and his classes are rooted in the S1 Yoga Sculpt methodology. His relationship with Mission Yoga goes back even further: this is where he first discovered yoga and where he now teaches. Expect an enthusiastic, high-energy class with progressive values, great music, and enough intensity that Sirron hopes you remember him the next morning. Outside the studio, Sirron has been a professional artist and small-business owner for more than 25 years. He owns an art gallery in San Francisco’s Mission District and was a lead designer on the animated series Bob’s Burgers. His artwork is also part of the visual landscape of Mission Yoga. His goal for class is refreshingly uncomplicated: work hard, get stronger, have some fun, and leave knowing you did something good for yourself.