Escape life’s stresses at Denver’s newest — and prettiest — yoga studio

Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems.)

I am selfishly tempted to gatekeep Canopy Yoga from the rest of Denver.

That’s because I am not gifted with a naturally calm mind. (In fact, with my unrelentingly Type A personality, it’s quite the opposite.)

But there’s something about stepping into Canopy Yoga that feels like a salve. Decorated in warm, creamy touches of minimalism, the space invites me to breathe easier, triggering a Pavlovian response each time. After I descend the stairs to the basement studio, I’m sometimes greeted by the wafting scent of palo santo or the soft glow of candlelight. As I’m lying on my mat, I have a habit of gazing through the six glass ceiling panels and admiring the sky blues and leafy greens of the world outside the windows.

And when I walk out, I’m frequently pleased to find that an hour of moving meditation has slowed my pace — even if just by a hair.

Many gyms attempt to achieve this aesthetic and fall flat. As somewhat of a fitness tourist, I’ve sweated in classes at Solidcore, CycleBar, SoulCycle, Pure Barre, CorePower Yoga and Orangetheory Fitness. These franchises are effective, but they often lack heart, occupying sterile and uninspired buildings.

My hot take is that, when buying a pricey membership, I want to feel like I’m treating myself to an experience. That’s precisely what owner Emily Masters had in mind.

Six years ago, she moved to Denver from Sydney, Australia, with her husband. While Masters, 35, worked in technology banking at Wells Fargo and taught yoga on the side, she chewed on the idea of opening a studio of her own.

In the Highland neighborhood, “there are some good yoga studios, but I couldn’t find one that’s kind of like a community feel,” Masters said. “Everything’s a bit more corporate.”

The birth of her daughter solidified her decision to turn her business dream into a reality. On Sept. 20, Canopy Yoga opened to the public.

Masters, who has done yoga for over a decade, said the practice helped her find peace away from the corporate grind. She wanted her studio’s design to foster that sense of serenity, drawing inspiration from California’s Joshua Tree National Park.

“Yoga is such a calming, peaceful experience. I wanted the environment to reflect that as well,” Masters said.

With 20 teachers, Canopy Yoga offers several types of classes, including lightly-heated vinyasa flow, balancing Vin/Yin yoga, spiritual kuṇḍalinī yoga, candlelit Yin yoga and gentle prenatal yoga for pregnant mothers.

Masters teaches the prenatal classes herself.

“There are so many things that pregnant people are told they should or shouldn’t do,” she said. “It’s nice to have that space for people to come where they know that they can get an experience that’s safe for pregnancy.”

Classes are currently capped at 16 people, although they can technically fit as many as 24. In my experience thus far, they’ve remained intimate, with a max of seven people in the room.

Guests have the option of placing an order at the smoothie and coffee bar before class, then grabbing their beverage of choice on their way out the door. But there’s no rush to leave — in fact, Masters purposefully included open seating in her design plans to encourage yogis to mingle among themselves.

In an effort to build community, Canopy Yoga also hosts events. Next on the calendar: winter solstice restorative yoga and sound meditation on Dec. 21 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., which costs $40 for non-members and $20 for members.

As of Nov. 16, Canopy Yoga had hit a benchmark of 25 members. Because it’s a smaller studio, Masters doesn’t have a particular numeric goal in mind.