About the Studio

The Yoga Room is the longest standing family yoga studio in Redlands. It is owned and operated by Daniel and Shawna Head. Daniel Head, who was born and raised in Redlands, CA, was inspired to share his love for Power Yoga by opening a yoga studio in the community back in 2003.

The Yoga Room continues to grow with the help of its popular instructors who bring variety and motivation to the studio. There is something for all fitness levels at the studio. People can expect a broad spectrum of classes: heated to non-heated, “Beginner” to “Advanced” and everything in between.

Despite the fact that this studio has been notorious for challenging classes, the emphasis is on Love, Compassion, Gratitude and achieving the most important result, that of a calm, peaceful and truly healthy state of mind.

Daniel and his instructors use a unique method of instruction which incorporates fun music, dynamic posture sequencing and philosophy that serves as simple yet important reminders for us all. The studio is a place where people can let go of negative and discouraging thoughts, a place to be free from the judgments of society.

The benefits of yoga are endless, students experience an overall sense of peace, contentment plus the added benefit of a toned body and increased flexibility.

By leaving the ego at the door and practicing with an open mind you are embarking upon an opportunity to change the fabric of your life!

– Welcome and Namaste.

About the Classes

Our Power Vinyasa classes are much like any style of yoga in the realm of asanas(postures). We incorporate much of the same philosophies and techniques that you would experience in a hatha yoga class. What separates our style from others is the atmosphere that we create. We believe that to fully experience yoga it is important to mix the right ingredients to get the most out of the practice.

All of the components strategically put into place make our studio a mini retreat for your body and mind. The most optimal experience is created from a formula that incorporates setting, temperature, music and the right sequencing of the asanas. Once put in place, each person can explore new levels of strength, stamina, and mobility in a safe manner. At the end of each practice the goal is to leave feeling incredible from head to toe.

Each one of our classes begins by setting the right environment; this is important to get the mind quiet, focused and completely tuned in and aware of what is about to take place.

After we get our minds in the right place by focusing and deep breathing we can begin to explore basic movements that help gradually warm the body up and get it ready for the deeper vigorous peak of the class; this is the phase where the most difficult challenges take place. This is also the most optimal time to get some hard work done. The work feels good because we have taken the right steps to get there.

Each class is then taken into the last phase. Now that the body has been challenged and explored through strength and stamina building movements, the focus shifts to a deeper release. This is where we use the building blocks we have already put in place and look to deepen our level of quietness, calmness and even depth in the asanas. The body’s heat and the way the movements have been put together create an opportunity for each participant to explore deeper levels of mobility that help unlock a lifetime of tension. Even more important, it brings everybody to a deeper level of calm and peacefulness that will leave each person feeling amazing.

Daniel has been practicing yoga for 25 years and teaching for 20 years. He started practicing in 1990; at that same time he also started martial arts. By 1995 Daniel started teaching classes for martial arts and yoga, and was practicing up to 10 hours per week. The year of 1996 was the first time Daniel had taken a Power Yoga class with Bryan Kest and immediately fell in love with the style. He was drawn in by the intense physical workouts that he was used to, but more by the philosophies and emphasis on quality of practice. Daniel pursued Bryan’s classes eager to learn. Although Bryan’s studio was 80 miles away, Daniel attended class weekly. With the help of Bryan’s videos and audio CD’s Power Yoga quickly became the most important aspect of Daniel’s total health and wellness.

In 1997 Daniel received his black belt in a combined martial art technique which led him to begin teaching 10-15 martial art classes per week, as well as several yoga classes. In 1999, Daniel started working for 24 hr Fitness and became one of the most popular Power Yoga and kickboxing teachers within just a few months. His popularity offered him a position teaching yoga for a local junior college at the age of 21. He was considered to be one of the biggest and most sought after teachers for that college in the physical education department; this led him to get a second and third teaching job for another junior college a few cities away, as well as the Lake Arrowhead Resort.

In his early years, Daniel taught as a side job trying to keep his focus on earning a business degree. After realizing his passion for teaching Power Yoga classes Daniel switched his focus to the subject of Kinesiology, the study of physical movement and physiology of the body. While Daniel was teaching for the junior colleges he met the University Dance Company director for Cal State University and decided to join the company, with the intentions of furthering his knowledge in movement as well as music. He danced for the company for two years and did four different shows throughout those years. During that time, Daniel was asked to teach at the Caapherd Acrosports and Dance movement convention as a guest instructor for Power Yoga as well as kickboxing.

By 2001, Daniel was beginning to be widely known for introducing Power Yoga to the community. He taught anywhere from 10-15 classes per week throughout the area, including two fitness gyms, the community hospital and two colleges. During this time, he was working on finishing his Kinesiology degree at Cal State. In the spring of 2003 he graduated with his bachelors’ degree. During his last quarter of college, the BBC contacted Daniel to be a part of a documentary on human movement and balance. A meeting was set up by the BBC, in which Daniel demonstrated his ability in flying aerial kicks. Daniel picked his long time friend and fellow instructor in martial arts to join him in the filming of the documentary. The scene was a fight demonstration, which caught Daniel in mid-air using the same modernized technology as that used in the film The Matrix. Along with appearing on the BBC’s Discovery channel, Daniel was also asked to appear in Scott Cole’s Athletic Abs book as an abs model.

In 2003, Daniel decided to become certified as a Tae Bo instructor through Billy Blanks. His weekend training and natural abilities in Tae Bo led him the opportunity to teach several classes at the Billy Blanks World Training Center in Sherman Oaks, CA. Daniel was a natural at teaching kickboxing, however; his heart and mind was still with Power Yoga. He persevered towards deepening his own personal practice as well as becoming a better instructor to his yoga students. In 2004 he decided to teach his first yoga class in the waiting room of his old martial arts instructor’s business. Although he only had a few hundred feet to work with, his classes grew rapidly; within a month he was forced next door to the main martial arts studio to accommodate the growing number of students. After three months of paying rent at the martial arts studio, Daniel decided to rent his own space about a block and a half away.

While Daniel was getting his first studio up and running, the Billy Blanks World Training Center contacted him about being part of the cast for the taping of Billy’s newest Tae Bo DVD home workouts. Daniel joined the team of members and helped in the making of eight different DVD workouts for Billy Blanks. Later that year, Daniel was approached by some of his yoga students who belonged to a professional acrobat company. They asked him to try out with the knowledge of his unique abilities. Daniel joined the company and began training with aerial ribbons, Chinese poles and human structural movements. Within three months of training Daniel was ready for his first aerial ribbon performance, a cancer benefit “Hope Takes Flight”, in Pittsburgh, PA. Daniel continued performing shows all across the country throughout 2004 and 2005.

In the spring of 2005, Daniel was running his first studio with great success. He later decided to upgrade to a studio three times the size on the other side of the building. Shortly later, Daniel left for Taluum, Mexico for three weeks to be certified by his personal favorite yoga instructor, Brian Kest. Soon after Daniel returned from Mexico, he was asked to teach for the La Fitness Jam convention in Orange County, Ca. He taught a master Power Yoga class as well as a master kickboxing class. At this time he also decided to start teaching at one of Bryan Kest’s Power Yoga studios in Santa Monica, Ca. He continued teaching three classes a week in Santa Monica through 2006.

In 2005 Daniel met his wife, Shawna. The connection was so powerful that it truly changed his life and they married a short time later. By finding Shawna, he feels that his life now has a deeper happiness and peace that he has never felt before; the relationship is the ultimate yoga practice in finding harmony with the love of his life. Shawna made it her mission to help Daniel rebuild The Yoga Room and re-define the business structure. Shawna wanted to reach out to the community and share her love for Power Yoga with all. Like Daniel, Shawna also has a background in martial arts and kick boxing. She has earned her 200hr Yoga Alliance Teaching certification, as well as 60hr Advanced Power Yoga training with Brian Kest. Shawna debuted in a series of yoga videos with Rudy Mettia. She now dedicates her time to assisting with the business and building our retail section. She is a dedicated Mommy of two and lately finds herself busy at home with dirty diapers.