Things are about to heat up at Vida Yoga. Literally. The Orcutt studio just installed new infrared heaters, which owner Jenn Gagarin plans to fire up for the first time on Oct. 11, as part of the venue’s third anniversary celebration.
Describing the nuanced sensations and benefits of hot yoga to someone who’s never held a tree pose inside a 90-degree room can be just as challenging as the practice itself, she explained.
“You have to try it to really understand how it feels,” Gagarin told the Sun. “Infrared heat heats your body from the inside out. So instead of blowing hot air from a heater, it gets into the inner layer, so you’re able to get a deeper, safer kind of a detoxifying practice. It’s good for your skin, and your joints, and your immune system, and it really just makes you feel elated.”
When Gagarin first opened Vida Yoga’s doors in 2022, she hoped to incorporate hot yoga into the studio’s class lineup someday. She nearly held off from offering it until committing to buying the infrared system this October but decided earlier this year to begin hosting hot yoga classes using a regular heater, partly to gauge feedback from attendees.
The successful turnout at these heated sessions over the past few months helped solidify her decision to invest in the infrared heaters.
“The electricians are installing them as we speak,” Gagarin said during a phone call on Oct. 1. “Until now, we’ve been heating the room up to 85 degrees with the regular building heater. But now it will go from 90 to [about] 100. I’m planning to start at 90.”
Attendees who register for Vida Yoga’s free hot yoga session at the Oct. 11 celebration will be the first to benefit from the new infrared heaters. Bella Scott, one of nearly a dozen instructors who work for Gagarin’s studio, will lead the class at 11 a.m.
Like all of Vida Yoga’s classes, there will be different variations of hot yoga that appeal to different skill and comfort levels, Gagarin said.
“[We] plan on offering a slow flow that’s heated, … for people that are curious to try this infrared heat. They can try it at a slower pace,” she said. “You’ll still get your sweat on but it won’t be as intense as a heated vinyasa class.”
One observation Garagin’s gained from the hot yoga classes with the building’s regular heater is many attendees’ ability to ease their bodies “into poses [they] wouldn’t usually feel safe relaxing in.”
“We’ll get members with joint pain, wrist pain, knee pain, or things like that, and when you practice in heat, it kind of makes it safe for you, … to actually relax in a pose,” she explained. “[That’s] when you can actually feel the benefits of it. So you’re not tense, … and clenching.”
A boost of temperature during hot yoga can often raise participants’ spirits too, Garagin added.
“It can reduce your stress and anxiety because you kind of just detoxify it all out, kind of just sweat it all out,” she said. “It’s also really good for the lungs because you’re breathing differently.”
Before Vida Yoga’s debut in Old Town Orcutt three years ago, which marked Garagin’s first time owning a brick-and-mortar studio, she was best known for her yoga pop-ups at vineyards and breweries along the Central Coast—many of which paired her sessions with wine or beer.
Gagarin still hosts pop-ups often and enjoys splitting her time between different work modes, from leading yoga sessions herself to managing her team of instructors at the studio, she explained.
“It is a totally different role. It’s the first business I’ve ever owned,” Gagarin said. “Having 11 instructors and growing, … it’s been so fun. We have such an amazing team.
“Everyone brings their own unique style, and this is why we get to offer so many classes in our schedule,” she added, “from gentle flows to challenging power yoga.”
Highlight
• The Kiwanis Club of Santa Maria-Noontime announced new members to some of its leadership boards in early October. The club’s Santa Maria board of directors appointed six new members: Ray Arensdorf, Santiago Bañuelos, Diego Cardenas Garcia, Dawn Jackson, Glenn Prezkop, and Silvia Oishi-Cheatham. Focused on the club’s philanthropic initiatives, the Kiwanis for Kids Foundation board recently welcomed three new members: Bob Doyle, Alex Posada, and Marisol Cruz.
Reach Senior Staff Writer Caleb Wiseblood at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 9 – Oct 16, 2025.