Inhale. Exhale. Sip Tea. Buy a Crystal. 

DEFINE Living is one of 21 stores in the DEFINE umbrella of work out studios. It’s different from all the other ones that I’ve been to because it in part shares a space with the nearby Life HTX building for its yoga classes, has a little cafe, and full-on home boutique.

DEFINE is incorporating its mission of disconnecting and reconnecting in meaningful ways, by offering classes in yoga, meditation and hammock (more on that one later).

I visited them last weekend for a yoga and meditation class. The yoga class took place in the Life HTX building. Walking in, I was greeted by a large auditorium space with chandeliers and giant projections of fish and landscapes lit up on the front wall. The class was lead by Ashley, who is the longest teaching teacher at DEFINE. The class itself was your pretty standard combination of vinyasa flows, twists, triangles, and savanasa.

Afterwards, I switched on over to the DEFINE Living space for meditation led by Henry. I’m always looking for an excuse to meditate in a group setting and was excited to check this class out. The space was absolutely beautiful! It was warmly lit with natural light. We all got a little pillow to sit on. And Henry guided us through the 20 minute meditation, ending with a ringing of a metal bowl. That’s always my favorite part of the class–listening to the sound as long as possible until it disappears. Granted, there’s probably a more official name than “metal bowl,” but that’s essentially what it is. Very calming, I must add.

Click here to read about some other Houston meditation classes. 

In between class and afterwards I perused the DEFINE Living cafe and shop. The cafe was offering up samples of their cold brew coffee and fresh pressed juices–both delightful in aiding the recovery of the previous night’s hangover. The shop was edgy and hip. It had gold gilded chairs, a calligraphy etched chalkboard and interesting coffee table books. I felt like I had walked into a very trendy friends apartment. For sale was everything from water bottles to essential oils to crystals to a Houston made yoga clothing brand–DYI!

This Saturday, I went to the hammock class to see what that’s all about. I saw the harnesses hung up in the ceiling of the meditation room, and was wildly curious about how they get incorporated into a class. DEFINE is known for getting pretty crafty with their workout classes (see: Bounce class on trampolines), so I knew was going to be good!

The class had some similar tactics to an arieal yoga class. Most of the class was spent swinging and stretching upside down –I got a HUGE head rush and had to come up a few times but the idea is that when you’re upside down and hanging you’re stretching out your spine that gets so compressed during the day. The focus of the class was much more on meditation and stretching than strengthening. It was just what I needed after running 5 miles. Aaaaaall of the hamstring stretches. So lovely and Henry, who led the class was fantastic and kept an eye out for all us beginners.

Peace out & namaste!