Holistic Movement Center

I come here from SLO because the classes are awesome, the teachers are awesome, and I like that they have massage rooms on site, so I can do a yoga class /​massage combo. It’s the perfect way to end a stressful week. I used to go to classes at Cal Poly but they were too crowded and the teachers weren’t nearly as skilled. I started getting a hurt hip joint and decided to try HMC. I realized the instructors really matter, and this place has the best instructors.

I have been going to this studio for a lil over a year now and I just want to say thank you to Val and her amazing staff of teachers… I knew nothing about yoga and my first class was with Kendra she helped me throughout the class to make sure I was doing it correctly :)
Valentina is an amazing person along with being a great yoga instructor she has helped me thru some difficult things… She is caring and genuinely is interested in you as a person…
I guess I just want to say is if you come to this studio you will never regret it! You will grow as a human being in all the right ways… Namaste

Very chill studio. I am new to yoga and have felt very welcomed and encouraged by everyone here. The teachers are all really wonderful, which is great because I don’t have to plan my day around trying to make a specific teacher’s class. I can just go when it works best because I know the class will be good no matter what. The instructors are all very focused and you can tell they all truly love their practice. It’s not just a job.
The other really great thing about this studio is the pricing, it makes daily yoga completely affordable at only $ 5/​class. I’ve priced other studios in the area and most are at least 2 – 3 times as expensive. Thank you Val!
As a testament to how great this studio is I will tell you that I have been going an average of 5 – 7 days per week since my first class with Kendra back at the end of March. It’s transforming my life in the most unexpected ways, and I too am very grateful for my practice. Thank you Val, Kendra, Seanna, and all of the others!!!

When I was visiting Morro Bay about a year ago, thinking about moving to the central coast, I took a class at the Holistic Movement Center with Valentina, and I loved it. About 6 months later, we decided to move to Morro Bay, and I think my experience at HMC played a role in us deciding on Morro Bay over San Luis Obispo. I wanted to find a yoga studio that I could bike to, that would have several classes a day to choose from, and that I felt I could really learn from, and make a home at. The Holistic Movement Center has definitely been that for me, and I have found many fabulous teachers there over the last 6 months. The main instructors I take classes from are Val, Kendra and Seanna, because I appreciate their style that accommodates all different bodies and flexibility ranges. While all 3 have a different vibe and presence, they each have in common that they treat each person as an individual, and don’t expect you to morph your body into a pose that is uncomfortable. Rather, it is about finding where your body can most comfortably relax and move with ease, in order to then go deeper. In addition, all three of these teachers, and others that I have experienced at HMC offer such presence and openness, that keeps me coming back week after week! Aside from the great teachers and regular classes, they also offer fun and interesting workshops on a regular basis, providing something for all types of people. The pricing for drop-​ins, packages and memberships is also very reasonable, with discounts available for younger folks. I highly recommend the Holistic Movement Center, for yoga and community.

I really enjoy taking yoga at HMC. The studio is light and tranquil, and Val is the best yoga teacher I’ve experienced. She is so clear with her instruction and is extremely knowledgeable. She is excellent at tailoring the class to the level of her students. I always leave her class feeling peaceful and rejuvenated.
I had the pleasure of going on one of Val’s yoga retreats and getting to do yoga twice a day while traveling was a fantastic experience that I would definitely do again.
Thankful for yoga at HMC!

Warm, comforting and inviting are how i would describe this little oasis in beautiful Morro Bay.
This gem of a studio may be under estimated by it’s humble exterior, as soon as i entered i felt at ease and welcomed by Val, she really knows here stuff and is clearly passionate about her studio.
Loved her Gentle class, very helpful with modifications and special requests for each and every student.
Also loved the warm, glowing interior really helps enhance the space~ awesome spot to check out if you are in the area!

I just finished the Introduction to Yoga class with Valentina and I can’t recommend it enough. I think it’s a class that everyone who is new to Yoga or even those who have taken som yoga should take and could benefit from. I for one, have never really enjoyed yoga. I’m more of a cardio kickboxing, zumba, spin etc. kind of a girl. Everytime I’ve tried to take yoga, I’ve felt awkward, super unflexible and incompetent. Even though I could see that it could be great for me and help with the flexibility, I just never really looked forward to going back and went just because I knew I should. Well, I told myself that I would give yoga one last chance and decided to try an intro to Yoga class. I’m so glad I did!!! And that I chose Valentina! Her class was very educational and a very positive experience. I felt that Valentina was very intuitive in regards to what her students were experiencing, feeling and needing. Her explanations, suggestions and little tweaks in regards to our poses were spot on and so helpful. I truly feel that Valentina’s wish for each of us was to try and make yoga as positive an experience for each of us and to make us feel like each of us could benefit from and be successful in yoga no matter our age, level of fitness, strength, or flexibility. She also never pushed for any of us to sign up for yoga classes at her studio. Valentina is a breath of fresh air and her class left me feeling confident, centered, peaceful and optimistic and most importantly for me, excited to take more yoga classes! Thank you!

I was in the Los Osos area visiting friends when I found HMC, and boy am I glad I did!
Val is a wonderful instructor whose yoga classes left me feeling centered and at peace. I live in LA where more and more studios are transforming yoga sessions into high impact, high energy workout classes where you can gauge the effectiveness of your practice by how many layers of clothing you sweat through.
The classes I took at HMC did leave me feeling stronger in my body, but also much more grounded. At HMC, the focus was on the mind/​body connection and using the breath as a guide to help me depend my connection with the various poses. I felt challenged physically and mentally during the classes. Often Val gave the exact right suggestions and tweaks to help me understand a pose better.
All in all, I took three yoga classes in three days and participated in a one-​hour meditation session as well, where we meditated for 45 minutes then spent about ten minutes to sharing our questions and comments.
HMC is a real gem and my only regret is that it’s so far away from where I live. The yogis of Morro Bay are truly lucky to have such a wonderful yoga studio in their backyards.

Very glad to have practiced at this place. I had Val as my teacher on the few times I went while visiting from the Bay Area. The place has a very welcoming and warm energy. While not as huge as the many fast food type yoga places, this space provides enough room for a good number of people to share their practice with each other. Val is straightforward, completely unpretentious, yet she is able to instill calm and focus when she’s guiding the class. The classes that I’ve taken fro her were vigorous, but never felt that it was about working out. I always left feeling more at peace with myself and the world around me and most importantly, breathing better… can’t wait to visit this place again…:)

This is a great, small studio in Morro Bay. Love Lauren’s Saturday morning class!

The owner doesn’t seem to be interested in helping others deepen their practice. She seems more interested in showing off her flexibility, her ego and gymnastics abilities.

RUDE is an understatement which falls in line with another reviewer here!
I visit the area 4 – 6 wees a year and called Val today to book a few private lessons. I greeted her, told her I found her name for privates on their website, introduced myself with my name and home city then asked «how are you today?». Isn’t that how you start a friendly conversation?
Val rudely asked «what are you selling?» in a tone like I was telemarketing something in the diamond district of New York City and she was a NYC cab driver!
The insulted side of me wanted to say «nothing and neither are you!»
Once I explained I was a potential client she chilled a bit but before asking anything about what I might need or was working on in my practice she just jumped into scheduling, money and whether she’d have to provide a mat (I travel with my own mat and strap).
It is incredibly rare for this type of treatment and tone when you call any business much less a yoga studio. I’m no yoga pro or snob but I do privates in LA and Vegas and many other cities when I travel and have never heard this tone calling a plumber much less a yoga studio.
Val did apologize at the end for thinking I was a salesman pitching something but frankly she cooked her goose in the first ten seconds of the call. That first impression counts and I’ll take my 12 – 15 Morro Bay area privates at $ 65 each somewhere else or just practice on my own.
No sense of anything yoga, holistic, gratitude, spirit, peace or love from this studio.
Namaste~

I’ve been taking Vinyasa yoga here on Sundays for a little less than a year and I love it. I practice Shorin Ryu karate and I find the yoga helps with my flexibility, balance, and breathing. Additionally, I sustained a snowboarding injury many years ago and have found the yoga to be therapeutic.
I usually take the class with Val on Sunday mornings and I really enjoy her «no-​nonsense», «hit the ground running» approach to instruction. There are no superfluous explanations or coddling. You get in there and get into your workout right away. She guides you through the poses efficiently and effectively with just the right amount of verbal instruction. I previously took a yoga class at the SLO adult school and instructor did nothing but talk all day with a sprinkling of yoga poses. It was nauseating. I didn’t sign up for a yoga class for a history lesson. I’m there to practice yoga, so I’m very glad I stumbled onto HMC.
This studio has become a place of peace for me on Sunday mornings with the calming studio environment and the energy of the other yoga students. Nobody is there to show off or socialize. People are there to push themselves, learn, practice their yoga, and get their exercise.
I consider myself pretty fit and I regularly work out 5 – 6 times a week. Even though the yoga I take these days is Beginner level, it still challenges me and makes me sweat.

I’m a big fan of the Holistic Movement Center and Val’s teaching in particular. I live in LA, but when I come to the SLO area to visit family, I make a point of finding time for yoga classes at HMC.
I’ve brought along a number of friends to take Val’s classes; all of us very much appreciate her clear instruction, thoughtful class preparation, helpful adjustments, and economy of words in directing the class.
I was lucky enough to participate in HMC’s yoga retreat in Tuscany last year, and had a ton of fun while also benefiting from the twice-​a-​day yoga and pranayama. I would do that again anytime :). Val’s quite the trip planner!
The new entrance area is lovely, and the people here are very welcoming. I’ll continue to bring my friends and family around for yoga whenever I can!

I took an Introduction to Yoga class with Val – I had taken yoga classes but this was my first experience with this studio. I will agree with others that Val knows anatomy and kinesiology very well. During the class which lasted several weeks, I learned a great deal but found Val’s personality pretty abrasive. While I personally was not subjected to her ridicule – some others were, making me feel uncomfortable and sad.
As strange as this might seem, some of the time Val actually appeared to be «showing off» for us! Never in my life have I gotten that feeling about any teacher I have ever had. To me, none of this is even close to what the essence of what yoga is.
Lastly, although I realize that this is her business, I also need to be really honest and say that to me her harsh focus on money was a turn off. There are some wonderful teachers in Los Osos and San Luis Obispo. I’ll stick with them thanks.

I Love the Holistic Movement Center wellness center and spa. I try to head over to Morro Bay when I can to take a class with owner Val. She knows her stuff, alignment, yoga principles, and Vinyasa style which I love.