MLC

It’s 6 am in Miami’s South Beach.  The sun slowly rising over the oceanic horizon, illuminating the waves and sand dunes.  On Washington Ave where the sun rays don’t yet reach, club-goers are slowly making their way home, or back to the temporary homes of their hotel rooms.  Many still roaming the streets in search of pizza, in search of an early morning companion, or in search of a cab.  For them, the revelry has wound down, a night in South Beach has come to an end.  In the midst of this scene you may catch an unexpected sight, another creature all together.  You may come across the South Beach Ashtanga Yogi toting a yoga mat, on their way to begin their day with the rising sun at Miami Life Center.
    Miami Life Center is a haven of health and wellness set within the sometimes chaotic social whirl of South Beach Miami.  In a city that is known for its celebrities, hot clubs, and shopping, Miami Life Center offers a yoga and holistic health experience steeped in tradition with some of the best trained instructors in the country, a diversified group of students that reflects Miami’s many visitors, and an environment of peace, focus and discipline.  It is the love child of Kino MacGregor and her husband Tim Feldmann. 
    A Miami native herself, Kino is one of very few Ashtanga Yoga instructors certified by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, late Guru to the Ashtanga Yoga tradition, and the youngest female to have so far been given that honor.  Within the worldwide Ashtanga community Kino is a bit of a celebrity, known for her incredible flexibility and powerful strength.  She has an amazing ability to inspire growth, commitment, and joy in her students.  Kino and Tim decided as they built their yoga shala to invite only the most qualified instructors to teach at MLC.  Their standards and expectations include experience and training as well as an innate ability to inspire.  They set out to create a space that doesn’t just teach postures but actually changes lives.  While MLC is primarily an Ashtanga Yoga shala with three Mysore self-practice programs and guided Ashtanga classes throughout the day, the schedule of classes includes Iyengar and Jivamukti that, like Ashtanga, honor tradition and authenticity but offer diversity to the many students that make their way through the doors.
    Miami Life Center has cultivated a community of very disciplined local students.  You have to be a certain type of yogi to awake before the sun to practice two hours on your mat before work, six days a week, as is the Ashtanga way.  Each of the three Mysore self-practice programs are saturated with committed regulars, people who have chosen yoga as a way of life.  While MLC’s core student base is comprised of this unique sort, it is also a yoga traveler’s dream.  The beautiful beaches and wild nightlife of Miami Beach draw vacationers from all parts of the globe, and Miami Life Center welcomes them all.  MLC has developed a reputation that attracts students from as far away as Sweden, Brazil, and Japan, many coming to South Beach just to practice with Kino, Tim, and the staff.  Of course, you will also find local models, professional athletes, and the occasional A-list celebrity maintaining their camera ready or court ready physiques, it is Miami after all.
    Beyond yoga asana, Miami Life Center hopes to enrich every aspect of your life with a staff of experts in Life Coaching, Nutritional Counseling, Reiki, Pranic Crystal Healing, and Sangha Meditation.  With so much powerful positive intention the space is bound to become infused and it is felt the moment you pass through the doors.  A sense of peace and well-being pervades, as you are lulled by the atmospheric music and incense as well as the simple and soothing decor, interspersed with Indian artwork and photos of sages and gurus.  Comfy couches, healthy snacks and nearly a library full of inspirational books welcome you to stay a while, enjoy your time, chat with the instructor, or introduce yourself to that NBA player who just finished class. 
          The practice of yoga is gaining popularity everywhere and hard partying Miami Beach is no exception.  Whatever lures a visitor to the sandy shores, there is a sanctuary of inspiration, health, and personal growth at Miami Life Center.  Sweat out that hangover from the night before, go to the beach and feel good about yourself, ready for another night on the town.  Now that is a pretty balanced life.