YOGA ROOM CONSIDERATIONS Many Yoga instructors have opinions on the environment of the Yoga room. Although our group has spoken to three different instructors, in three different cities, their opinions on what qualities are important have a remarkable similarity. Recounting the basis and roots of Yoga seem to have been a particularly important theme. The following is a synopsis and synthesis of their comments. Temperature The practice of Yoga is generally most productive and rewarding when the tendons, ligaments, and muscles of the individual are warmer rather than cooler. This basically lends Yoga to rooms that are warm, or at the least, not very cool. For example, Bikram Yoga is often performed in rooms that are upwards of 95 degrees. All Yoga rooms need not be this warm. A minimum air temperature should be around seventy degrees. Air Movement should generally be still or very slight. Drafts and breezes can be distracting and can bring the concentration away from the activity. They can also have temperature effects on the individual. Sound Yoga is an inherently quiet activity. A low level of sound allows for a productive session and can facilitate learning and improvement of the activities. For this reason, the quieter the room, the better. Echoes and reverberation can cause confusion when students are attempting to listen to their instructor and his or her remarks. Sound from adjacent rooms or hallways can inhibit the level of concentration required. Dull noises from high and low pressure sodium lamps, air conditioners, and other mechanical building devices can create an environment that is not conducive to the practice of Yoga. Light The effect of light on the individual's ability to do an activity is powerful. Yoga is certainly no exception. The most ideal location for Yoga is the outdoors. For centuries, it was performed just before sunrise and just after sunset on some sort of outdoor veranda or platform. The connection to the outside was an intricate component of the experience. The need to light these places of Yoga was non-existent, daylight provided everything. Today, in the United States, Yoga is taught and performed almost exclusively within buildings of all types. Daylight is the most preferable form of lighting for Yoga. Skylights, and other windows, where possible, should attempt to provide a large amount of the lighting requirements. Since this is not only possible, electric lighting is usually necessary. When using electric lighting, the gentlest form of lighting should be used. Incandescent lighting is generally the most effective way to achieve this. Unfortunately, they are among the least efficient of all lighting sources. There are several new fixtures for fluorescent lamps that create a much calmer and easier light quality than is usually put forth from these types of lamps. High and low pressure sodium can create harsh light that is much too strong for the practice of Yoga. Certain Metal Halide lamps and luminaries can be effective, but many are much too strong. The general idea when choosing any electric lighting lamps or luminaries is to try to find the most gentle, easy, and soothing light possible. There should be nothing too bright, nothing with a strong glare, and nothing that flickers or has variation. Materials Natural Materials that lend themselves to evoking the true nature of Yoga are best. These include, but are not limited to - wood, stone, glass, and fabric. When using colors, ones that are soft and muted seem to be the most appropriate. They cause less distraction and create less glare or absorption than really bright or really dark colors. Form Many Yoga instructors insist that high ceilings are a wonderful addition to any Yoga classroom. They allow a full outreach in both spirit and body. The downfall is that if they are not properly built, the high ceiling can create problems with acoustics, heating, and lighting. The general idea within any Yoga room is to avoid extremes of any kind. Warmth, softness, complacency, and peace are all relatively subjective terms within an architectural context. They do however have authentic and real manifestations in terms of lighting, material, color, and texture. Natural daylight, natural materials, natural colors, and other reminders of the world outside are always positive additions to the design of a Yoga studio.

MEASUREMENTS All measurements were done in daytime on two different conditions: electric lights on and electric lights off. The illuminance of the gym floor was taken by using Minolta Illuminance meter on several different positions. The luminance of the gym floor and walls were taken by using Minolta Luminance meter also on several different positions. Below is a 3D model of the existing room. Click on the walls and the floor to get the lighting measurement of the specific area.

pic. 3D Model of Existing Room

LIGHTING MODEL In order to show how changes will affect the room's condition, we built a scaled lighting model. We made the model so that it resembles the existing room condition. Later on we used this model to manipulate the conditions that will be caused by design changes/proposals. Click on the buttons below to see the design changes that we've made.

PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE EXISTING ROOM AND THE LIGHTING MODEL