Online Community Yoga Studio
ref·uge
noun
a place of shelter, sanctuary, or safety;
a place one returns to for rest, belonging, and renewal.
A place to come home to.
Have a look around

The Studio
Roll out your mat and join live classes, meditations, and workshops with our community, wherever you are.

The Lounge
Keep the conversation flowing outside of class with ideas, resources, short lives, and little moments of practice.

The Library
Explore on-demand classes, meditations, and teachings whenever you need them, wherever you are.
A living practice, a living community
What is The Refuge?
The Refuge is an online community yoga studio. It’s a place to practice, to belong, to come home to yourself, each other, and the sacredness of this wild and wonderful world.
Come practice
Come explore
Come gather
Come connect
Come home
Come reflect
Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. It doesn’t matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times. Come, yet again, come.
Ways to join
The Lounge
$5 a month
- The Lounge, our community forum
- The monthly theme and its conversation
- Monday Meditation with Meg
On-Demand Library
$40 a month
- The full on-demand library, yours to practice with any time
- The Lounge and the monthly theme
- Monday Meditation with Meg
Recommended
Founding Studio
$75 a month
- Your monthly rate, locked for as long as your membership stays active
- In straight away, before the studio opens to everyone on January 1
- Founding member badge in the Lounge
- Five guest passes to share
- Founding members' classes and gatherings
- 16 live classes each week
- Everything in the on-demand library
- The Lounge and the monthly theme
- Gatherings, workshops and celebrations
- Monthly journal prompts
Founding Teacher's Circle
$99 a month
- Your monthly rate, locked for as long as your membership stays active
- In straight away, before the studio opens to everyone on January 1
- Founding member badge in the Lounge
- Five guest passes to share
- Founding members' classes and gatherings
- Everything in Studio, live classes and the full library included
- The Art of Teaching, a live session each month on the craft of teaching
- The Business of Teaching Yoga, a live session each month on building a sustainable teaching life
- The Teacher Channel, ongoing conversation and monthly office hours
- The Teacher Resource Library: the Sequence & Theme Library, business resources, recordings, playlists, poetry and writings
- The Incubator, and the community bulletin board for your own offerings
Upcoming classes and events in the Studio
The heart of The Refuge
Meet your teachers

Meg McCraken
Founder and creative heart of The Refuge, Meg has spent more than 25 years teaching yoga, meditation, and the wisdom traditions that inform them, through classes, teacher trainings, festivals and retreats around the world. She built The Refuge on one question: how do we each embody these teachings to live authentic, connected, vital and meaningful lives?
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Founder and creative heart behind The Refuge, Meg has spent more than 25 years teaching yoga, meditation, and the wisdom traditions that inform them. Her work has taken her around the world through classes, workshops, festivals, teacher trainings, retreats, and communities, where she has witnessed firsthand the profound healing that happens when people practice, learn, and gather together.
She created The Refuge from a deep belief in the power of community and connection, rooted in one simple question: how do we each embody these teachings to live authentic, connected, vital and meaningful lives?

Crystal Bailey
For more than two decades, Crystal has walked the path of yoga as a student, teacher, and lifelong seeker. An E-RYT 500 who guided True North Yoga Studio in Paducah for ten years, she weaves mindfulness, embodiment, and soulful inquiry into practice that guides students home to the truth of who they are.
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For more than two decades, Crystal has walked the path of yoga, as a student, teacher, and lifelong seeker. Her journey began as an act of personal healing and has blossomed into a devotion to share yoga’s transformative power with others. Through classes, workshops, yoga teacher trainings, and yoga retreats around the world, she invites students to rediscover their innate wholeness and to live from a place of deep connection.
Crystal completed her 200-hour teacher training with Wanderlust Studios in Austin, Texas, and Olympic Valley, California. She is an E-RYT 500 and a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (YACEP). She was the guiding heart of True North Yoga Studio in Paducah, Kentucky for ten years.
Her teachings weave together mindfulness, embodiment, and soulful inquiry. Crystal holds sacred space for students to soften, awaken, and listen for the quiet wisdom that lives within. She believes that yoga is a practice of remembrance, guiding us home to gratitude, compassion, and the truth of who we are.
As a mother, grandmother, and community nurturer, Crystal carries the essence of yoga into every aspect of her life, honoring it as both a practice on the mat and a way of being in the world.

Clare Churchill
For more than twenty years, Clare has led Hatha classes that weave somatic movement, alignment-based asana, flow, pranayama, and meditation, along with Yin, Restorative, and Yoga Nidra. An E-RYT 500 and YACEP, she loves the creativity of sequencing, so students end their practice feeling enlivened, peaceful, and uplifted.
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Clare has been leading yoga classes for the past twenty plus years. The gift of teaching yoga has taught her that learning, growing and evolving informs not only her teaching style, but also this precious life.
Clare enjoys the creativity of sequencing, incorporating her Hatha style yoga classes with somatic movement, alignment based asana, flow, pranayama and meditation. She also offers Yin and Restorative poses as well as Yoga Nidra. She loves to bring these elements together with the goal that students end their practice feeling enlivened, peaceful and uplifted.
Off the mat Clare enjoys gardening, hiking, swimming, traveling and spending time with family and friends. Being in nature is paramount to her wellbeing, and she is a strong advocate for protecting and conserving our precious resources. She is an E-RYT 500 registered yoga teacher and a YACEP through Yoga Alliance.

Crystal Richter
Raised in a spiritual household in small-town Montana, and a tennis and basketball player through childhood and college, Crystal found in yoga a way to merge her physical background with her spirituality. She aims to live each day by the wisdom of Ecclesiastes: eat good food, drink good wine, enjoy good company, and love God.
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Crystal grew up in a small town in Montana. She played tennis and basketball throughout childhood and college. She grew up in a spiritual household, and yoga was a way to merge her physical background with her spirituality.
Crystal aims to engage daily with the wisdom of Ecclesiastes, loosely quoting: eat good food, drink good wine, enjoy good company, and love God.

Jennifer Shields
Jen weaves more than 20 years of yogic and somatic practice, psychological study, and the performance arts into an invitation to honor the power within. A somatically oriented psychotherapist steeped for ten years in the Sri Vidya tradition, she offers the space and tools to ground, embrace, and enliven all the layers of our human experience.
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Jen’s skill and passion weaves an invitation through 20+ years of yogic and somatic practices, psychological study and the performance arts, to honor the power within and celebrate your unique connection with life.
For the past 10 years, Jen has been steeped in the Sri Vidya tradition, where she is supported by her teacher Meg McCraken and that lineage.
Jen is currently practicing as a somatically oriented associate psychotherapist. She loves all things expressive movement, writing, nature, and the power and beauty of the human spirit. She is inspired and excited to offer the space and tools to ground, digest, embrace and enliven all the layers of our human experience, so we may live more connected and free.
500 hour RYT, R-DMT, APCC, MA in clinical counseling and Dance Movement Therapy.

Jeymi Ballesteros
Jeymi guides Yoga Nidra, meditation, and gentle, accessible asana that support the mind, mood, and nervous system, a path that began in 2008 while she was healing from lower back pain. She loves to discuss non-dual yoga philosophy with anyone who wants to join, and above everything else, she loves movies. All movies.
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Jeymi loves sharing the practices of Yoga Nidra and meditation, and loves to discuss non-dual yoga philosophy with anyone who wants to join. She also guides gentle, accessible asana practices that support the mind, mood, nervous system, and subtle body.
Her own journey with yoga began in 2008, while healing from lower back pain. It became a path of deep transformation, study, practice, and service that continues to unfold.
Jeymi is deeply grateful to all of her teachers (Uma Sergeant, Gaby Zermeño, Rod Stryker and Meg McCraken) and honored for the opportunity to share these practices and teachings, so others can explore, experience, and discover them for themselves.
She is deeply sensitive to life and beauty, whether it is nature, art, poetry, or the simple wonder of watching life continually emerge in her garden terrace. Above everything else, she loves movies. All movies.

Lauri Glenn
Lauri has practiced and taught yoga and meditation since 1999, with roots in Iyengar yoga and studies in therapeutic yoga, yin yoga, and mindfulness meditation. She offers a sustainable, accessible approach to wellbeing, and off the mat she is trail running in the mountains, where nature is her greatest joy, teacher, healer, and refuge.
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Lauri is devoted to offering a sustainable and accessible approach to wellbeing through yoga, meditation, and bodywork. Life-affirming philosophy and mindful living guide her daily life and her teaching.
She has been practicing and teaching yoga and meditation since 1999, and focused her studies initially in Iyengar yoga and then therapeutic yoga, yin yoga and mindfulness meditation. She deeply honors her past and present teachers for their wisdom and guidance: Meg McCraken, Uma Sergeant, Josh Summers, Eric Rubin, Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach.
As an outdoor enthusiast, in her off-time you will find her trail running, hiking the mountains, exploring the wilderness, and fawning over every dog she sees. Lauri has lived most of her years in the mountains, and nature has always been and continues to be her greatest joy, teacher, healer, and refuge.

Mike Lane
Dr. Mike Lane’s passion is guiding people into their bodies, so they can take care of themselves intelligently and effectively. A chiropractor, orthopedic massage therapist, and anatomy teacher, he also teaches Foundation Training and founded AnatomySense, his dynamic approach to teaching anatomy in yoga teacher trainings.
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Dr. Mike Lane’s passion is guiding people into their bodies, so they feel empowered to take care of themselves intelligently and effectively. He is a chiropractor, orthopedic massage therapist and anatomy teacher.
He also teaches Foundation Training, a performance and postural program designed to optimize health through movement and awareness. Dr. Mike is the founder of AnatomySense, a dynamic approach to teaching anatomy in yoga teacher trainings that inspires the avid student’s quest to understand themselves and their students.

Trei Battle
Trei, creator of The Seal of Peace, centers his offerings on meditation, breathwork, and dharma practices that build our capacity for presence in everyday life. A Virginia native in Los Angeles with a 300-hour certification, he creates spaces where wisdom, laughter, and freedom of expression flow naturally.
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Trei is a Virginia native now located in Los Angeles, and creator of The Seal of Peace. His philosophical approach to life is simply to be mindful of how he leaves people and places. He loves to create spaces in which wisdom, laughter and freedom of expression flow naturally.
His offerings center around meditation, breathwork and dharma. No matter how faint, the pulse of the teachings is alive in each and every living thing in nature, and he loves to help others remember that pulse. Trei sees the practices as little workouts that increase our capacity for presence in the throes of everyday life.
His journey has supported him in being more present when creating and recording music. His guiding intent is to help others create the space within themselves that enhances their capacity to create, all from a place of wholeness.
A few of his favorite things include acoustic strings, classic R&B, capturing the perfect melody, hearing the perfect harmony, deep belly laughs with friends, landing a ball on the green, sports, and his home state of Virginia. Trei believes the teachings are ever present, here before he was born and remaining long after he is gone. He has a 300 hour yoga certification.
Here at The Refuge, we believe the practice is only half of the medicine. The other half is belonging.
Is The Refuge for you?
If you are longing for a rich, practical yoga practice steeped in ancient wisdom… The Refuge is for you.
If you want yoga to be something you live, explore, question and embody, far beyond what happens on your mat… The Refuge is for you.
If you believe community is part of the way forward in this world… The Refuge is for you.
If you are hungry for meaningful conversation, thoughtful teaching, laughter, poetry, movement, meditation, ritual, curiosity and connection… The Refuge is for you.
If you want teachers who know you and a community where your presence matters… The Refuge is for you.
If you love the convenience of practicing from home, but worry that an online studio might feel impersonal or disconnected… The Refuge is for you.
We have designed this community around real relationship. Our teachers will know your name. There will be time to connect before and after class. Conversations will continue in the community between practices. We’ll gather for celebrations, discussions, poetry, meditation, workshops, and simply to spend time together. We believe meaningful connection can happen across a room, across a screen, and across the world.
If technology sometimes feels intimidating, overwhelming, or simply like one more thing you have to figure out… The Refuge is for you.
We are building The Refuge to be simple and easy to navigate, and there will be real people here to help you find your way. You don’t need to be “good at technology” to belong here. We’ll help you get settled so you can spend your time practicing and connecting, rather than figuring out how everything works.
If you have been looking for a place to truly belong…
Welcome home.
A personal invitation
From Meg and Crystal
We have been dreaming about this community for years.
Through studios and teacher trainings, retreats and immersions, online classes and countless conversations with students, we keep returning to the same thing: the practices from the great wisdom traditions, shared in whole-hearted community, will help us all to create the more beautiful world we long to live into.
We need places where we can keep showing up for the practice and for one another. Places spacious enough for ancient wisdom and real life. For serious practice and laughter. For questions we don’t have answers to yet. For seasons when we are growing and seasons when we simply need somewhere to land.
That is the home we are building. And after carrying this vision for so long, it feels incredibly meaningful to finally be opening the doors.
Come be part of the beginning.
Come help us build The Refuge.
Come home.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I really have an engaging, meaningful, connected experience in a virtual yoga studio?
Yes. Absolutely. In fact, The Refuge has been intentionally designed around connection.
Your teacher will open the virtual studio 15 minutes before every class, giving you time to arrive, say hello, settle in, connect with your teacher and other members, and get help with any technical questions before practice begins. After class, your teacher will stay for an optional 15-minute conversation.
And the connection continues between classes. The Lounge, our community forum, is a living part of The Refuge, with ongoing conversations around our monthly themes, teachings, practices, questions, and the lives we are actually living. Our teachers participate there too, so the relationship doesn’t end when you leave the virtual classroom.
While The Refuge is new, this kind of online community is not new to us. For years, we have watched people meet through our programs and become lifelong friends, traveling across the country to visit one another, supporting each other through the changing seasons of their lives.
We believe meaningful connection can happen across a room, across a screen, and across the world. That is exactly the kind of community we are building at The Refuge.
How do I navigate the technology without stress?
The Refuge is being designed with simplicity and ease of use at the forefront. Our hope is that it feels less like navigating a dashboard and more like entering a place where you quickly learn your way around. And you won’t have to figure it out on your own.
Every week, we’ll offer a live New Member Orientation where you can meet other people who have recently joined and one of us will walk you step-by-step through The Refuge. We’ll make sure everything is working properly for you before you leave, and if technology feels especially challenging, we’re happy to offer additional one-on-one support.
Our teachers will also be in the virtual classroom 15 minutes before every class, so if you ever need a little help getting situated, there will be a real person there to help.
You don’t need to arrive knowing how everything works. We’ll help you find your way around.
How can I make sure I’m finding the best alignment for my body?
Every body brings its own history, proportions, strengths, limitations, injuries, and possibilities to the practice. Our goal is to help you understand the postures more deeply and discover alignment that feels stable, spacious, sustainable, and appropriate for your body.
During live classes, our teachers will offer clear alignment cues, variations, and ways to use props. Because your teachers are available before and after class, you can ask questions about something you’re experiencing in your practice, a pose you’re curious about, or an adjustment that might help.
We’ll also regularly offer Pose Labs, where we slow things down, break apart individual postures and families of poses, and give you plenty of space to ask questions and experiment.
We want you to become increasingly knowledgeable, curious, and confident in your own body and your own practice, because ultimately, the most useful alignment is the one that helps you practice with greater awareness, stability, freedom, and ease.
What if I can’t make the live classes?
Life is full, and we know you won’t always be able to make it to class at a particular time. Our live classes will be recorded and added to the On-Demand Library, so you can return to them whenever it works for you.
As The Refuge grows, so will the library, with practices ranging from 30 minutes to 60 and 90 minutes, as well as longer two-hour experiences. We’ll even share micro-practices of five minutes or less in the Lounge for those moments when a little bit of practice is exactly what fits into your life.
Is The Refuge right for me if I’m new to yoga? What if I’ve been practicing for years?
Yes to both. You don’t need to arrive with a certain level of experience, flexibility, strength, or knowledge of yoga philosophy. Our teachers will offer variations, choices, and support so you can explore the practices in ways that are appropriate for you. Curiosity and a willingness to learn are enough.
And if yoga has been part of your life for years, there is plenty of room to deepen. Our classes draw from the rich philosophical and contemplative traditions of yoga and weave together movement, meditation, breathwork, and inquiry.
And because we practice in community, we also get to learn from one another. Someone else’s experience may illuminate something you hadn’t considered, or invite you to see a familiar teaching in an entirely new way.
Wherever you are in your practice, there is somewhere to begin, something to discover, and something we can learn from one another.
What if I join and don’t know anyone?
You won’t be the only one. Every week, new members will have an opportunity to meet one another during our New Member Orientation. From there, you’ll begin seeing familiar faces in classes, gatherings, conversations, and throughout the Lounge.
Our teachers will know your name. There is no pressure to jump in all at once or to be particularly outgoing. Come as you are. Participate in the ways that feel natural to you. Relationships have a way of growing through the simple act of returning.
We’ve already watched this happen. People who met through our Refuge programs have become dear friends, traveled across the country to visit one another, and stayed connected long after the program that originally brought them together ended.
You may arrive without knowing anyone. We don’t think it will stay that way for long.
How much do I need to participate? Will I fall behind?
There is nothing to keep up with. How you participate will naturally change with the seasons of your life. Some weeks you may come to several classes, join a gathering, and find yourself in the middle of a great conversation in the Lounge. Other weeks, you might roll out your mat for one on-demand practice or spend five minutes with a micro-practice.
There are no attendance requirements, no homework, and no expectation that you experience everything we offer. Our monthly themes give us something meaningful to explore together, but you can enter the conversation wherever you are.
Come when you can. Take what nourishes you. Return when you’re ready. There will always be a place for you here.
What makes The Refuge different from other online yoga memberships?
The Refuge is a living studio and community. Of course, you’ll have access to wonderful yoga classes and an ever-growing On-Demand Library. But the heart of The Refuge is what happens when we practice, learn, and gather together.
You’ll practice with teachers who know you. You’ll see familiar faces. We’ll explore meaningful teachings together, ask questions, continue conversations after class, gather for special events, and learn from one another. Between classes, the community continues in the Lounge.
Each month, we’ll explore a shared theme rooted in the wisdom and philosophy of yoga and discover together how these ancient teachings can illuminate the lives we are living today.
Here at The Refuge, we believe the practice is only half of the medicine. The other half is belonging.
When am I charged?
Each membership’s monthly price is shown under Ways to join. A membership bought before the studio opens is first charged on the date shown at checkout, so nothing is taken before then. After that, it renews each month.
Can I cancel, or change my membership?
Yes. You can cancel at any time from your billing page; you keep access until the end of the month you have paid for, and you are not charged again. You can also move to a different membership at any time: moving up starts straight away, and moving down starts with your next month.
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Questions, or not ready yet?
Let’s stay connected.
If you have questions before joining, or you’re not ready to enroll but want to hear from us as The Refuge opens, we would love to stay in touch.