In downtown L.A., a stress-free zone

In a desolate stretch of downtown Los Angeles, the only other sound besides the occasional car motoring by is a low, melodious “om.”

It emanates from Bashtet Movement Arts Studio, a small loft space in the artist district. In a Kundalini yoga class, students sit on the floor cross-legged, eyes closed, hands in prayer position in front of their chests. “Draw your concentration there,” instructs the teacher. “That’s your heart center.”

In the two years it’s been open, Bashtet (named for an Egyptian goddess) has developed a following among downtown denizens such as lawyers, bankers and others, who have found their niche in lunchtime and after-work yoga classes and dance workshops that are only a quick drive away. Many have been surprised to find Afro-Cuban dance amid warehouses and parking lots, even as the area goes through a much-hyped revitalization that’s bringing in more residents and workers.

But it was important for founder and creative director Z Zazhinne to set up shop here. “We wanted to be able to really serve this community,” she said. “I’ve lived downtown for 14 years and we’ve got hip and groovy places, but it’s a real city with a diverse population, and what they all have in common is stress and a lack of exercise.”

Zazhinne sits on the floor of the studio, which has the homey feel of someone’s living room, which it once was; Zazhinne used to live here before finding another home in the area. An Oriental-style carpet covers the concrete floor, and a squishy caramel leather sofa sits below the window at one end of the room. The space is scented with a citrusy tang from an aromatherapy candle. A sheer curtain blocks out the haze of the day, and belly dance costumes for sale are displayed around the room.

Zazhinne, who has a background in dance and hypnotherapy, was tired of teaching individual students and wanted to help a larger population, so she decided to open the downtown studio. She wanted to offer an eclectic mix of small classes and hire teachers who could challenge beginners and pros alike. Other yoga classes can be found nearby at the Yoga Circle Downtown studio and at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

Bashtet recently held a free meditation session, and it will host a free workshop on “Healing Through Creative Movement.” There’s also a program called Bashtet 2U, which dispatches teachers to offices or residences to teach classes that include yoga and stress management. Zazhinne plans to add Pilates mat classes, salsa and modern dance.

“We want to be accessible to the average person,” she says. “Very few people nowadays are physically fit, and we want to start and maintain them on a level of real body awareness.”

That sometimes means steering students away from the notion of exercising to shed pounds in a hurry, says studio manager Alison Bonham. “We get people coming in saying, ‘I have to lose 20 pounds. How can I do that as fast as possible?’ We try to show them that if they focus on feeling good and taking care of themselves, that will come.”

With some L.A. yoga classes having a reputation as see-and-be-seen events, it’s no wonder Edna Sheen was afraid her fellow belly dance students might be of the petite starlet variety. The 60-year-old Hollywood makeup artist happily discovered “women from all walks of life,” with whom she’s formed strong friendships.

“Whatever stress that’s going on, we are able to relate to it,” says Sheen, who lives in the Crenshaw district and has been taking classes at Bashtet for nine months. “There’s a connection, a sisterhood, and it’s that connection that makes you feel positive, that life is not so difficult. At a gym everyone’s in a rush, and here you get time to talk to someone.” The atmosphere is comfortable enough that Sheen doesn’t think twice about draping her body in bangles and beads.

Shirley Radcliff, who teaches a Viniyoga class at the studio, sees a lot of students who, like herself, are looking for relief from workday stress. Radcliff, an exhibitions manager at the California Science Center, tells students that she feels their pain -- or at least their stiffness and discomfort from sitting at a desk all day -- and she shows them techniques that can be done at work.

Zazhinne, meantime, is looking for a larger space -- also downtown -- as Bashtet begins to outgrow its current location. While most agree that the area still lacks basic necessities such as grocery stores and parks, there’s a need for a place like this too. Pauline Kamiyama, 37, just started taking Afro-Cuban dance and says the studio “gives the area more of a community feel. It enhances the cultural fabric of downtown.”

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Jeannine Stein can be reached at jeannine.stein@latimes.com