In an age where even yoga centers are pressed to flash a cliquey social scene, high design interiors and celebrity testimonials, Yoga Shala refreshingly offers the antithesis: just—surprise!—plain old yoga.

Here, two unembellished rooms with white walls and wooden floors suffice. Shala’s premises are extremely reduced—not out of a fervent minimalist aesthetic statement, but rather for its sheer simplicity. Where better to focus completely on the intensive practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga for two hours?

Yogis Axel and Manfred are dedicated, inspiring and competent, yet shy away from the dogmatism found in other yoga practices. Shala’s location in a courtyard off of the hectic Mariahilferstrasse serves as an appropriate metaphor for the establishment: a quiet oasis conducive to reviving inner development and physical well-being in this busy, clattering world.