Laura Culberg’s previous career was as a social worker with adolescent girls, and she believes strongly in the benefits yoga offers children and people of all ages. At SweatBox Yoga, Laura builds community by teaching yoga in a supportive environment that welcomes yogis of all abilities.

Story
Laura Culberg has been a positive force in the Capitol Hill community for over a decade co-founding two respective non-profits, Powerful Voices and CHEW, now SEW (Seattle Entrepreneurial Women). After experiencing non-profit burnout and needing a shift in her life, Laura opened The SweatBox yoga studio in 2001. The SweatBox offers a variety of classes from experienced, compassionate teachers. All classes incorporate a heat component, from 105 degree traditional hot yoga to 90 degree vinyasa and yin classes.
Laura fell in love with hot yoga while she was in graduate school. “I was an athlete, so it felt really satisfying to me,” she says. Once she started practicing, she kept wanting more, and finally took the step to open The SweatBox. The SweatBox is proud of their community and staying power, with students who have been practicing there for over 12 years. Laura culls her teachers carefully, and prioritizes hiring teachers who have been students and members of the SweatBox community for a long time. Cell phones are off before you walk in the door to the lobby, and teachers learn students’ names by handling the checking in for each class. “Self esteem is about feeling seen and heard,” says Laura, “I want everyone to feel seen in some way when they come here.”
Laura says one of the things she’s most proud of is that in the midst of the immense growth in the yoga industry in Seattle, and the rapid change on Capitol Hill, SweatBox has kept its doors open and remained a community hub. She’s also proud of the diversity she sees in her classes, acknowledging that that’s not always true in yoga classes in Seattle. “We strive to make people’s worlds feel safe. What will make this more your community?”
Fun Fact
The SweatBox does lots of local collaborations. Hot yoga and Frankie & Jo’s ice cream combo? Yes please!

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