Yoga Mandiram

Dennis is an excellent teacher. If taking his class for the firs time, have an open heart and enjoy the experience. What a treat to try something new — good for the mind, body and soul. Namaste.

There are exercise gyms posing as yoga studios.
And then there is Dennis’ haven.
His practice includes the quiet meditation that is missing from so many places. The poses include far more about alignment and stretching, with a time for working the sensitive joints. The use of ropes attached to the walls lets us relax into poses and work on breath control in a safe environment.
Harder to explain is the time spent on joints and fascial release. Props are used to release the tightness in our hips, hands, and feet. When I started, each joint was protesting in pain. Of course! Most of my day is spent/​wasted in front of a computer, not what the human body was designed for. After I have been going to Dennis for months, all that threat of carpal tunnel syndrome has dropped away.
I began yoga as therapy for a herniated spinal disc years ago. I now practice for both physical and mental balance and well-​being. Dennis provides a working atmosphere that strips away all the stress of the outside work-​a-​day world.

When I walk into Dennis’ studio, all worries drop away. I know that for the next two hours I will be nurtured along the paths of Yoga with care, skill and love. Dennis’ unique brand of yoga with the assistance of his rope wall has done more to correct my alignment than I ever imagined possible. Come here with one idea in mind: love.

I’ve been practicing yoga for over ten years and this is the most fun and rewarding yoga class I have ever attended.
After injuring my back in the gym I was in so much pain that I was practicing my own unique inversions at home — hanging off my bed, laying on the floor with my feet on my couch and throwing myself over my kitchen for a good stretch. It was the next day that I was invited to Yoga Mandarim to hang off of Dennis Dean’s rope wall. I didn’t even know what mayofascial meant or what a rope wall but I was definitely desperate for relief so I joined my friend for a Tuesday evening class. I’ll be honest — I was a bit concerned that this would be an extra-​earthy crowd adorning dreadlocks, the class would be very serious and the studio would have a slight cannabis smell. Despite being intimidated I showed up with my cheap Target yoga mat in hand and left my shoes, inhibitions and stereo types at the door.
Immediately I was genuinely welcomed by Dennis Dean, the owner of Yoga Mandarim. Dennis showed me around the studio just before we kicked off class with a meditation. Then came the fun part — using ropes (nylon straps) to assist with poses. Dennis very methodically and patiently instructed the class on how to get into the poses and ensured that no one got tangled up in the ropes. He was kind enough to check on how my back was doing and to recommend modifications for various poses. Class was very fun and it was a wonderful group of people. We concluded class with a meditation and as we departed Dennis was kind enough to share his fresh batch of homemade «Green Drink.» When I walked into this studio about two hours before I couldn’t even stand up straight but when I left my pain level had gone from about a 7 to a 2. It was amazing! On the way out of this Cardiff-​based studio I enjoyed the view, a California sunset in the background and the VG’s donut sign in the foreground. What could be better?

I have been going to the Sat morning fusion/​flow yoga class for over four years. Dennis takes a very unique approach to this class. I find the class extremely «body» friendly. He warms the body up with rope wall stretches and myofascial release techniques before venturing into more traditional yoga poses and meditation. He varies the classes weekly to fit the needs of the students-​which I love. Dennis’s sense of humor adds entertainment to the class.

So the website (
) clearly states, «Yoga Mandiram Offers 20% Discounts Off Of Our Class Pricing For Students, Seniors and Military Personnel. (Discounts Only Apply To Purchases Made In Person.) To receive any of the above discounts, valid ID or documentation must be shown at time of purchase at the studio. Students: Student discounts apply to FULL-​TIME students. Seniors: 60 years and above. Military Personnel: Applies to all active military personnel. »
When I got there they were really nice and welcoming, but did not HONOR the 20% discount on their site. Not that the $ 3.40 was allot of money but it was the principal. Also, the teacher did not offer much in way of differentiated instruction for non-​expert yogis.
I am pretty picky about my yoga and don’t think this place was bad, just not for me. The people at the studio were wonderful and positive, but the practice was just different than what I typically prefer.
I think it’s less than forthright that they offer a 20% DISCOUNT on their website but don’t honor it when you come in.

I have been participating in Yoga Mandiram classes for five years and it has deeped my understanding of myself and has greatly improved my physical well being.
Dennis Dean’s Fusion Flow classes merge traditional yoga poses with poses involving straps hooked to the rope walls to place the body into various states of traction as well as myofascial release techniques using foam rollers and Lacrosse balls. The end result is a practice that helps balance out, align, and strengthen your body from head to toe. I am a cyclist, runner, and surfer and have been 100% injury free since starting his classes, in contrast to the regular problems and aches and pains I developed before starting up yoga. In fact, just recently I had to miss a few weeks of classes and started to develop some tension and discomfort in my hip flexors that was cured by two days of his classes.
I always walk out of the class feeling longer and more balanced than when I walked in. I think the fusion flow class is perfect for athletes and I have referred quite a few friends to the classes over the years.
His Fire up Flow classes are vinyasa-​style classes following his own series, which seems to have been influenced by the Ashtanga yoga primary series, but adapted to reduce the risk of injury and ot expand it to a wider audience. It involves a vigorous series of poses that flow from one to the other and is meant for regular practitioners. I have found it to improve my strength, balance, and flexibility.
All of his classes include some degree of meditation at the end as well as a longer-​than-​usual savasana rest period.
The studio is beautiful, with a nice hardwood floor and hand made hardwood walls with recessed attachments for the strap-​based exercises. The studio also benefits from a full ocean view that makes for inspiring sunset classes. All in all the facility has a nice vibe that compliments the various practices.
The combination of well thought-​out routines in a great environment with a little bit of meditation and relaxation at the end has been great for my stress level and my approach to daily living. I would recommend this studio to anyone and think that the Fusion Flow and Introductory classes are the best ones for new participants.
–Marc
PS: I was suprised to hear about prior reviewer Carina’s negative experience with the Friday afternoon class that had been cancelled and replaced with a workshop. It’s too bad that Dennis could not let her participate in the workshop for free, but I can add that since Dennis was not teaching the workshop himself, he might not have been in the position to invite others to participate without paying. I imagine a larger studio like Bikram might have more latitude, but in those larger environments you lose the intimacy and quality that is provided by Yoga Mandiram.

It’s not in my nature to review a yoga studio. I feel that yoga is such a personal experience and what is sub-​par for one may be the perfect practice for another. However, I recently had a terrible experience at the Yoga Mandiram. Excited about diving into their restorative yoga class, I brought my out of town guest to their quaint studio in Cardiff.
When we walked in the owner informed us that the class had been canceled and he hadn’t gotten around to putting it on the website (the information was only distributed through his email list, which obviously as new patrons, we weren’t on.) In its place was a special workshop from a guest instructor. Ready to leave and try our luck somewhere else, the owner beckoned us to stay. «You’re welcome to stay for this class. This is a phenomenal yogi.»
We agreed and sat down for fifty minutes as the guest teacher explained his yoga ideology and talked about his recently released DVD. Just as he instructed us to roll out our mats and prepare for practice, the owner of the studio called us over. «You can’t stay,» he said. «I wanted to include you but it wouldn’t be fair for the other students who paid a very high rate to be here. It will be 40 dollars if you want to stay for the practice, otherwise I have to ask you to leave.»
We had sat through fifty minutes of mumbo-​jumbo only to be told we had to leave or spend an arm and a leg because he had forgotten to update his website.
Poor business practices. Miserable experience. Look to the many other studios in North County for a positive, fair, non-​gimmicky practice.