April 24, 2008 -- By Becky Moore

“My gosh, are you open yet?”

The woman is about the fifth to ask in ten minutes, giving me the impression this new yoga studio has been long anticipated. Sitting next to me, Lisa Mae Osborn and Diana Hulet both laugh, getting up to give hugs like they could never bore of the popularity. They joke about being the new mayors of the neighborhood, the Southeast Clinton/Division nook that will soon be home to their new yoga haven, The Bhaktishop.

When I first walked into their space on the corner of SE 26th and Division, the cork flooring had yet to be installed; the lobby chandelier was lost somewhere between here and Florida; and workmen dashed in and out of the rain, ducking under the scaffolding to bring in ladders and other equipment. I asked if they were really going to open in two weeks, and Lisa Mae looked to the sky, saying, “God willing.” She and Diana shared stories about the people who’ve extended a hand — or seven — to help, whether installing speakers, bringing dinner by the studio or pouring love into the place alongside them.

When I revisit the studio two weeks later, I can see what they mean. From one neighbor to the next, their community had contributed in full, from the long panels of fabric hanging in the window to the Sanskrit mural, the bamboo wall to the canvas paintings. “Portland is such a friendly town in that way,” Lisa Mae says. “Everybody wants to help everybody do what they’re supposed to be doing. It’s very, very supportive.”

What most intrigues me about this place is their plan to give back to their people. In fact, The Bhaktishop has at least one class per day that is either free, cheap or by donation. For this alone, The Bhaktishop is extraordinarily different. But to understand them fully you have to know that these yogis define bhakti as a “gratitude-based practice of love, devotion and service.”

Each of these three elements is so deeply instilled in their business that the result is something of a phenomenon. “Breathe love,” they insist. But what does “breathing love” mean for the two owners? It means having $8 seva (service) classes for yogis on a budget. It means pooling donations into a “Soul Fund” that goes out to members of the community when in need. It means being green — using and selling recycled yoga mats, building with reclaimed wood, cork flooring and low-VOC paint, and adding a water filtration system that will cut down on the use of plastic, single-use bottles.

Even if they hadn’t crafted their name in a tiny temp studio on lower East Burnside for several months, The Bhaktishop would still be rooted in strong community, for Lisa Mae and Diana had both built a following at Portland’s Yoga Shala, coincidentally down the street. It wasn’t their intention to leave or set up shop nearby; they simply saw necessity for growth. Diana explains, “More than a yoga studio, we wanted it to be a place for the community to come together, a place to really share each other’s lives.”

Part of the process was cultivating their style, which is unmatched for their blend of wholeness and sincerity. There are no mirrors here, no pose rules or feelings of exclusivity. In its Sanskrit form, Bhakti means devotion, and many teachers start class with song, accompanied by a beautiful accordion-like hum that is hand-pumped from a harmonium, an awkward-looking Indian instrument with keyboard and air reservoir. For some, it is a time to sing praise to God or to the Hindu deity, Hanuman. For others still, it is a time to simply sing love. It is not to be mistaken for a religion, says Lisa Mae. “But yoga is a spiritual-based practice,” she says. “It is impossible to divorce it.”

She doesn’t have that “knee-jerk response” to the spiritual aspect, which she says is continually fading out in the community, replaced instead with the belief that yoga melds body, mind and spirit. She, Diana and the others are all trained in classic Hatha style yoga and teach varying vinyasa classes with ranging intensity.

Unique offerings include Harmony Flow, with its 45 minutes of vinyasa followed by 45 minutes of yin; Flow Dance, which blends modern dance with yoga and music; and the Rookie class series, which proves The Bhaktishop is genuine in their quest to eliminate the elitist yoga scene. This four-week crash course for yogis-to-be covers all aspects, so at class end, they know a Namaste from a Savasana and have a group of friends already in class.

In addition to the 30-plus classes offered each week, their schedule is filled with unique workshops, retreats and events like the Celebrate-Your-Yoga Ride in June, when participants will bike from Mt. Tabor to the studio, stopping to roll out the mat in various locations along the way. In addition, their monthly Kirtan is, from one yogi to another, an event not to be missed. The yoga family gathers to celebrate love and togetherness, singing collectively amid a chorus of harmoniums, djembe drum and violin.

It is the Kirtan that brings me in for my return visit, and I am awed by the mass of people who congregate for the love fest. Without a doubt, this support will carry them into a bright future.

Stop in now for introductory specials, including a $20 unlimited week pass for new students and an unlimited month pass for $108. When you arrive, make sure to comment on the chic lobby chandelier, which traveled the length of the states and back, finally finding its way home.