I go to Eddie Ellner’s Yoga Soup on a daily basis. Over the last few years, studios have popped up in every corner of Santa Barbara, but I still argue that there is nothing like "The Soup." Ellner describes it best, calling his studio “a vibrant, serious, and lighthearted space for self-observation and transformation.” Personally speaking, I visit to exercise, to relax, and to see my friends. But there’s also the community of the place; Ellner’s yoga nest has comfy couches and music and something to nosh on. And there’s always laughter reverberating throughout the building.
Ellner’s classes are also extraordinary. There is a lot of self-reflection and physical workout, but there’s also so much mirth. I’ve never met anyone quite like Ellner — a man so self-deprecating and enlightened at the same time. He’s part Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and part Groucho Marx.
Here, Ellner takes the Proust Questionnaire.