Our Story
Liberation Yoga is a Hatha-based yoga studio in mid-city Los Angeles founded in 2004 by Christine Burke and Gary McCleery. They wanted to build a community and place to make peace with your body, mind, and the world—to find Liberation. They sought an alternative to the corporate yoga vibe and mentality that was fast uprooting independent studios in Los Angeles (and beyond).
Liberation Yoga is about living authentically. It's about finding one's true nature through the practice of yoga and sharing this limitless life force with the world. At Liberation we celebrate all styles of Hatha Yoga and all levels of practitioners, recognizing that every individual has a unique path to follow and every teacher has a unique gift to offer. Yoga seeks to create union, relieve suffering and thereby liberate the soul during this lifetime. Liberation is a home where people can create healthy, strong, vibrant bodies and cultivate creative, tranquil minds. The physical beauty of the space that is Liberation Yoga embodies both the internal and external experience of yoga. The asana room is warm and bright, filled with natural light and an indoor garden resting upon rich, eco conscious wood floors. Walking into Liberation is like walking into a spacious living room with twinkling star lights that provide a safe, magical environment in which to explore the vast regions of the interior mind, body, and spirit. The boutique and front desk are nestled up inside where fresh tea is brewing daily, clean purified water flows freely to your bottle, and all of our beautiful items are conscious and connected. Every item we sell comes from a company that shares the values and ethos of yoga – fairly traded, kind to the environment, giving back to a cause, and/or handmade by the Liberation Yoga community.
What is yoga like at Liberation?
Hatha Yoga is the ancient traditional yoga practice that incorporates asanas (poses), pranayama (breath practice), and dhyana (meditation). At Liberation, we are steeped in the tradition of yoga and it’s 6,000+ years of proven effectiveness to improve every area of health and well being in a comfortable and modern way. We offer a variety of yoga for all ages and situations and welcoming to all. We love to bring many kinds of people together through our wide array of diverse and engaging classes.
Liberation Yoga is dedicated to promoting:
HEALTH: soundness, especially of body or mind; freedom from physical or mental disease or pain; a condition of well being.
PEACE: inner contentment, serenity; peace of mind; the absence of war or other hostilities.
FREEDOM: the condition of being free from constraints; exemption from an unpleasant or onerous condition; ease or facility of movement.
IN THE COMMUNITY: sharing, participation, fellowship; the region occupied by a group of interacting organisms.
AND ON THE PLANET: a non-luminous celestial body larger than an asteroid or comet, illuminated by light from a star, such as the sun, around which it revolves; one of the seven revolving astrological celestial bodies that in conjunction with the stars are believed to influence human affairs and personalities.
Accolades
Over the years the small family run studio has garnered many big awards, among them are Top 20 (not 10) yoga studios in the world” by Travel and Leisure” and "Voted Most Beautiful Yoga Studio” by Hoodline.com & Tripping.com, “The Best Yoga Studio In Los Angeles” by LA Weekly (twice), plus more articles and accolades than we can mention.
Liberation has also been a prominent and featured location for many notable films and television series including “Big Little Lies”.
Though we have been honored and bow in gratitude to be noticed in this way, it is really the community of teachers and students that stands above. The quality and passion, diversity and humanity of the staff and teachers have created connections, friendships, healing and joy that you can feel pulsing through the studio. Come and meet yourself, meet us, meet your better life.
Christine and Gary
Christine Burke and Gary McCleery have shared their desire to create a dynamic convergence of physical/spiritual health, art and community for the last 23 years. They have been deeply involved in the Los Angeles Yoga Community as workers, leaders and practitioners during this time. They began their studies of yoga (at Jivamukti) and theater and film arts in New York City where Christine lived for 6 years and Gary for over 20 years. They have both spent the better part of their lives dedicated to yoga, music, and theater and were the co-founders and directors of Salvation Theater in Silverlake from 2000 to 2004. Today, Christina and Gary continue to support and participate the arts at Liberation and outside projects that include their greatest collaboration to date: Clementine Burke McCleery, born November 4th, 2008. She can now be seen working at the desk and sprucing up the boutique!
Moksha (Liberation)
The transcendent state attained as a result of being released from the cycle of rebirth. Freedom and Liberation.
