Empower
Growth
That first step onto a mat is a Bold Venture. See what happens to the mind when you stop thinking, to the body when you stop performing.
Can't touch your toes? Who cares? Can't do a backbend? So what! This is "Yoga for the 80%" --not the 20% who are hypermobile and want to push every pose to the limit.
We do yoga that still feels like yoga--and doesn't make your body your adversary.
If you tried LifeTime, CorePower, or similar studios, and didn't like them,or felt something was missing, this might be your yoga.
We're evolving, from YogaHotDish to BoldVentureYoga! Same YogaHotDish style classes, but with a nod to North Oaks roots, adventurous yoga retreats and Japanic! Tours.
Independent Kripalu Yoga Teacher & Retreat Leader
Since 2001
WELCOME to Yoga for the 80%
Tried fitness yoga—and wondered where the yoga went?
Maybe you’ve felt lost in the back of a large group class. Maybe the choreography moved too quickly, the mirrors made you self-conscious, or the emphasis on performance left you more frazzled than peaceful.
Breathe. You’re with friends here.
YogaHotDish offers thoughtful, beginner-friendly yoga with roots in India, the practicality of Japanese Zen, and a generous helping of Minnesota Nice(r).
You don’t need to be flexible. You don’t need the right clothes. You don’t need to know what you’re doing.
Just show up as the most sincere version of yourself.
A Great Workout—and an Even Better Work-In
After more than 20 years of teaching, here’s what I know: much of modern yoga is designed for the bendiest 20%.
YogaHotDish is for everybody else.
These are small, student-focused classes where you have time to breathe, learn, and notice what is actually happening in your body and mind.
Thoughtful, personalized, instruction
I don’t simply demonstrate a pose and chirp, “Modify if you need!” I move around the room, teach to the people in front of me, and offer individual guidance and hands-on assists.
Longer, smarter classes
No rushed “quickie yoga.” No yoga-as-cardio. We take enough time for your nervous system to settle and your awareness to deepen.
Made for real bodies
Tight hamstrings? Stiff shoulders? Old injuries? Over 40? Never touched your toes?
Excellent. You’ll fit right in.
Classes are beginner-friendly, bro-friendly, and body-type friendly. You do not need to arrive flexible on Day One—or Day 1,001.
Not Just Poses—Presence
Fast-paced flow classes can keep your brain in task mode: anticipating transitions, watching other people, and trying to keep up. But do you really need more task vibes in your day?
Mindful yoga helps declutter the brain and frees up enough bandwidth to enter the realm of sensation. That’s where the peace lives, creativity runs free, and—at least for a while—all feels right with the world.
Just Show Up
Join us in North Oaks, Shoreview, Arden Hills, Falcon Heights, or White Bear Lake.
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No contracts
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No apps
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No gatekeeping
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Drop-ins welcome
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Mats available to borrow
When Minnesota gives us temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees, plan on spending at least part of class outdoors.
Why? No nature, no Zen.
Bring a mat if you have one. Pay with cash or Venmo at class, or register online in advance.
Is This Your Kind of Yoga?
Probably—if you are:
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A first-timer or curious restarter
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Tired of fast, crowded, showy classes
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Looking to feel better, not merely look better
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Living in a real body with its own history, limitations, and surprises
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Interested in yoga as something deeper than exercise
The hardest part is walking through the door. After that, I’ve got you.
Yoga for the 80%—because that’s where the Zen is.
Experiencing Japan More Mindfully
Third Annual Japanic! 2027: "Finding Peace in Chaos" Tour
TOKYO HAKONE HIMEJI HIROSHIMA KYOTO
Enjoy riverside yoga in "The World's Most Peaceful City," Hiroshima
This isn't a choreographed, predictable group tour; this is planned spontaneity and travel that gets you out of your comfort zone. Many people see Japan without understanding Japan. Want to be comfortable---take a cruise, or a bus! This is for people who want to return with skills, insights, and stories to tell. Carry-on only because we do more than appreciate minimalism--we practice it!
YogaHotDish-by-Numbers
20+ Years Experience
Shaila attended yoga teacher training in residence at Kripalu Yoga Center for Health, Stockbridge, MA in 2001. This was back when the Yoga Alliance required immersion in a residential program for yoga teacher training certification. No cell phones allowed, and no coffee! Collegial in atmosphere, a large staff of full-time teachers was ready to guide you, tell you the truth and kick you in the backside.
5 Disciplines = A Globally Informed Yoga Style
Shaila first studied yoga and Zen meditation while living in Singapore and Japan. Kripalu, and other classical Hatha yoga marinate in a rich Zen sauce. Sprinkle in modern best practices, some Santa Barbara style, and you end up with a slow-cooked…HotDish. That said, this isn't "cook book" yoga where teachers recite memorized "cues" that sound like they're reading an actual cookbook aloud. This is embodied instruction with a sense of humor, based on 25 years of practice, 20+ years of teaching, and 3 continents of living!
6-12 Person Classes for Better Learning
More like a collegiate independent study, less like group exercise, you’ll see the same committed people every week. Newsflash: classes with a revolving door of drop-ins and teachers don’t progress. They give the illusion of mastery through repetitive sequences, but you really don’t understand the concepts or how to apply them.
Zero Woo-Woo = Down to Earth Yoga
Shaila isn’t a Buddhist or a Hindu, just a St. Olaf Grad with Lutheran roots who started studying yoga and meditation while living in Asia. She then trained with leading teachers in California and Massachusetts — and knows how to throw a HotDish together! You won’t find any chanting or new-age assumptions about energy, chakras or astrology. What you will find is peace, quiet, and clarity.
Less Gym, More Zen
YogaHotDish is well balanced in fundamentals, alignment and philosophy. Shaila is a compassionate, experienced and hilarious instructor.
Dr. Carrie Ann Terrell
Division Director for
ObGyn
The University of Minnesota
Contact Me
Reach out to me for any inquiries or to join my upcoming yoga classes, private yoga, and retreats. Or, just show up! Most drop-ins can be paid for with cash, check or VENMO to YogaHotDish
Email: shailayoga(@)gmail.com
Address: 5050 Hodgson Road, North Oaks, MN 55127 USA
