If you live in the Mission, you are in luck: You've got a brand new yoga studio in your 'hood. Laughing Lotus just celebrated its opening with a full weekend of ritual, music, and classes. I missed the opening evening with Bhagavan Das (Jeff Tweedy was playing in the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival and that was hard to pass up) but I caught the tail end of the celebration Sunday evening with a Lotus Flow class that was taught by a cool teacher named Keith to the mantra rhythms of Sean Johnson's Wild Lotus Band quartet.

You may have heard of Laughing Lotus—it's a popular yoga studio in Manhattan that was opened about eight years ago by Jasmine Tarkeshi and Dana Flynn. The studio became successful and the two owners, who both grew up in the Bay Area, decided to finally return to open a second studio here in the Mission, where they both now live. (Laughing Lotus in Manhattan still thrives, too.)

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The venture took nine months to complete, says Jasmine, who, along with Dana and a dedicated group of Lotus teachers and local friends, designed and painted the space themselves. The studio is beautiful. The front space has a little sitting area with hot tea, and there is a hall with books and a large picture of Amma set on a shelf. The wood-floored studio space is painted orange, pink, and yellow, with borders of geometric flower shapes and beautiful paintings of different gods and goddesses on the walls. There is even a small garden out back.

The mission of Laughing Lotus, says Jasmine, is to "create sacred and ecstatic spaces for everyone to celebrate their lives," and to hold classes in which students can practice "poses in a way that the body allows." Each month there is a theme (this month it is Gods and Goddesses) and their classes combine mantra, meditation, asana, and philosophy. Another nice thing about Laughing Lotus is that many of their classes are only one hour long, which is great if you are short on time—or funds (those classes are only $11).

Let us know if you attended the opening ceremony or have had any experiences yet at the new studio!