Power play

Power yoga has arrived in midtown.

In June, the Zuda Yoga Center opened at O and 19th streets, offering power Vinyasa yoga classes for all levels of fitness.

"Vinyasa yoga emphasizes breath and movement to build internal heat through a constant flow of movements," center co-owner Anne Marie Kramer said.

"Many studios just teach yoga poses," she added. "We teach the spirituality of yoga ... but we do it with humor and fun."

In just five months, the center at 1515 19th St. has developed a loyal following among devotees of the more strenuous style of yoga. Classes are held in a 1,400- square-foot studio, with multicolored exercise mats spread out over a brown reclaimed wood floor. The inner walls feature soothing earth tones, with one corner of the room dominated by a 2-foot-tall golden statue of Shiva, a Hindu goddess. An outer glass wall provides a backdrop of traffic on 19th Street as barefoot students work out or meditate.

The studio generates good vibrations, said Ty Saal, 36, a student at the center.

"It's a beautiful place," the certified massage therapist said. "When you arrive for class, you can feel the energy as people greet each other.

"You walk in and you almost feel calmer in that environment. There's a lot of good, positive energy there."

Of the various places where he has studied yoga over the past few years, the Zuda Yoga Center is tops, Saal said.

"For me, trying to explain yoga to someone who's never done yoga is like trying to explain what an apple or pear tastes like," he said. "Until you bite that apple and try yoga, it's really hard" to know how good it is.

Christine Cedillo, a sales representative for a pharmaceutical firm, is taking yoga at the center during her lunch hour.

"This is my first week, and it's great," Cedillo, 34, said.

Cedillo, an accomplished runner, was persuaded to enroll by her friend Kramer, the center's main teacher.

"I had no interest in yoga, but Anne Marie told me, 'It's time,' " she said. "Anne Marie meant it's time to try yoga."

Cedillo is glad she listened.

Michael Sayers, a veteran professional cyclist, also is in the noon yoga class.

"As a cyclist, you need to work on different parts of your body," Sayers, 37, said. "This class allows me to do stretching and some strength movements all at the same time. ... It also helps me with my focus."

For Kramer and her husband, Bill Prysock, the center represents the shining end of the rainbow.

The couple moved from Cleveland to midtown in December 2005.

The relocation was for professional reasons: Prysock, a doctor of osteopathy, had been offered a job by Marshall Hospital in Placerville.

"We wanted to move to California because we liked the people here," Kramer said. "We had visited many times on vacation, and we thought the people were really friendly."

After Prysock began commuting to Marshall Hospital, the couple realized that midtown needed a new yoga studio.

"We moved to California, knowing that no matter where we lived we would (eventually) build a dynamic yoga community around us," he said.

Pooling their life savings, they launched the Zuda Yoga Center 18 months after their arrival.

Both wanted to share with others the peace and healing they had gained from yoga, they announced in a press release.

Prysock, who had studied and practiced yoga for years, joined the center's 10-member faculty part-time.

But like his wife, he's about to become a full-time instructor.

Six weeks ago, Prysock announced his resignation from Marshall Hospital, effective this week.

The reason: During the past few months, he's healed more people with yoga than he has with modern medicine, he said.

"My colleagues at Marshall have been very supportive," he said. "The comment I've heard the most is, 'It's nice to see somebody follow his heart.'

"People get excited seeing other people follow their passion."

After 18 years in the medical sector, Prysock has a new passion.

For more information about the Zuda Yoga Center, call (916) 640-9832 or visit zudayoga.com.

About the writer:

• Call The Bee's Edgar Sanchez, (916) 321-1088.