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Some Corona businesses grow up right alongside the town. YogaDen Health Spa is one of them. Since 1996, husband-and-wife team Leeza and Humberto Villagomez have been sharing yoga with their neighbors, and today their studio at 1255 Magnolia Avenue is a welcoming home for yoga in Corona.

Today we are proud to shine a hometown light on the couple and the studio they built together.

A simple vision in 1996

YogaDen began with what the founders describe as "a simple vision": making yoga accessible to everyone.

In those early days, there was no studio at all. Leeza and Humberto offered classes in local dance studios and community centers throughout Corona and Norco. As their website puts it, this was "a time when yoga was still relatively unfamiliar in the Inland Empire," and they were committed to introducing it to the community.

There is something wonderful about a business that started by meeting people where they already gathered. Before YogaDen had a front door of its own, it was already part of Corona's community rooms.

From Main Street to Corona Point

As interest grew, so did YogaDen. The couple moved into their first dedicated studio on Main Street. From there, the site says, they expanded into a 4,500-square-foot wellness center with two yoga studios, private rooms, a boutique and a growing schedule of classes and workshops. That period also saw the start of YogaDen International Yoga School.

In 2008, Leeza and Humberto reached another milestone: they purchased their first commercial building in the Corona Point Business Park.

Today YogaDen welcomes students at its newer home, 1255 Magnolia Ave, Suite 101. The website describes it as a "light-filled studio, surrounded by natural beauty," and a "peaceful sanctuary" for students.

Yoga for every body

If YogaDen had a motto, it might be this line from its About page: "Yoga is for Every Body."

The studio says it welcomes "students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds," whether someone is "stepping onto the mat for the first time or deepening a lifelong practice." Its offerings include:

• Yoga classes for all levels
• Guided meditation and breathwork
• Private, small group and corporate yoga sessions
• Workshops and specialty programs
• Local and destination retreats
• Yoga Alliance certified 200 and 300 hour teacher training

The homepage describes YogaDen as "more than a yoga studio," a place built around community and connection. Among the lines we love on that page: "A place to grow" and "A place to come home."

Meet Leeza Villagomez

At the heart of YogaDen is co-founder Leeza Villagomez, the studio's Founder and Program Director.

Her website biography shares that she was raised between Southern California and Maui, where her early years were filled with nature, horseback riding, and Hawaiian, Tahitian, Polynesian and Māori dance. Those experiences, the site says, "shaped her deep appreciation for movement, culture, and community."

Leeza holds C-IAYT, E-RYT 500 and YACEP, with "more than 30 years of experience and over 25,000 teaching hours." Her site says she has trained and mentored "hundreds of yoga teachers, wellness professionals, and lifelong students."

Her biography also says her journey began with a meditation experience that "sparked a lifelong passion for yoga" and self-discovery. Humberto, her husband and YogaDen co-founder, also leads meditation sessions alongside Leeza.

Training Corona's next yoga teachers

One of the most special things about YogaDen is that it doesn't just teach yoga. It teaches yoga teachers.

YogaDen Soul School offers Yoga Alliance certified 200 and 300 hour programs, available in person and online. Students study yoga philosophy, anatomy, alignment, meditation, breathwork and teaching methodology. The site says trainees also get six months of unlimited yoga classes at the studio, mentorship and practice teaching.

Leeza's own training shaped the program. According to the website, she was taught from her very first teacher training "that becoming a great teacher comes through experience—learning to observe, assist, adjust, and confidently guide others with presence and authenticity." That idea, the site says, "remains at the heart of YogaDen's Teacher Training today."

The studio also offers a 10 percent tuition discount for military members, seniors, first responders and full-time students, a thoughtful way to welcome neighbors who serve and study. The training page lists upcoming weekends on November 7-8 and 14-15 (check the site for the latest dates).

A studio that feels like family

The kind words on YogaDen's website say a lot about the atmosphere. One student, Diana R., wrote that "everyone that works here treats you like family." Another, Shanti V., called it "so heartfelt and welcoming" and said the studio treats "the community like family."

Our favorite story comes from Rebekah D., who wrote that she and her daughter joined YogaDen in March 2017, both nervous to try yoga. Her daughter later enrolled in the teacher training the summer before her senior year of high school, and Rebekah says the program "was a great way for her to prepare for her move to college." It is a lovely picture of a Corona mom and daughter growing together in their hometown studio.

Another longtime student, Cynthia O., wrote simply: "Me and the Yoga Den go way back like 2008," adding that you'll find "great music sometimes live and amazing teachers every day of the week."

Why YogaDen feels so Corona

Corona has changed a lot since 1996, but YogaDen's story still feels small-town in the best way. Two founders started with borrowed rooms, built a following one class at a time, bought a building of their own, and kept the doors open to everyone. That is the kind of hometown journey Corona Shoutouts loves to celebrate.

If you're looking for a friendly first yoga class, a gift card for someone you love, or a place to train as a teacher, YogaDen is a warm Corona place to start. (The site says gift cards can be used for classes, packages and teacher training.)

Visit YogaDen Health Spa

• Address: 1255 Magnolia Ave, Suite 101, Corona, CA 92879
• Phone: (951) 279-9642
• Email: yogadenhs@gmail.com
• Website: https://yogaden.com/
• Hours: The studio opens 15 minutes before class and stays open 15 minutes after class. See the class schedule on the website. Private sessions can be scheduled by phone or email.

A hometown thank-you

Thank you, Leeza and Humberto, for nearly thirty years of welcoming Corona onto the mat. From community-center classes to Main Street, from Corona Point to Magnolia Avenue, you have built a place where neighbors become friends and students become teachers.

Corona is a more welcoming town because of you.

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