Founded in Bridgeville, PA, Bend the Bridge Yoga is a space that offers tranquility, balance, strength and community.

Bend the Bridge Yoga was born on an idea of passion between yoga, human connection, and maintaining a long term healthy physical and mental lifestyle.  Our outer and inner bodies are constantly shifting.  Bend the Bridge will be a place that can bridge the gaps between body, breath and mind.  It takes a village no matter what circumstance you are in and Bend the Bridge is here to hold a loving space for you to build your bridge.  

The Perfect Gift

Give the gift of YOGA! Gift Certificates from Bend the Bridge Yoga make wonderful stocking stuffers for co-workers, friends, family, and yourself...shhh, we won't tell. 

Vinyasa Foundations

In Vinyasa Foundations we will break down the fundamental postures of the Vinyasa flow practice.  A great opportunity to learn how to build a Vinyasa flow practice or refine your current practice to get the most out of it.  All levels are welcome

beginner's series - In Studio (Limited to 15) New session March 20, 2024 **NEW START DATE

A perfect opportunity to start from the ground up with yoga! Our beginner's series will cover the basics of yoga including breath, alignment of basic poses, and modifications to fit each individual.  Once you have signed up for the series you will be with the same group once a week for 5 weeks, encouraging a more comfortable environment for those who are not sure where to start.  At the end of the 5 week series, you will find yourself more focused, grounded and stronger...mind, body and spirit.  

Vinyasa Flow

A regular flow class, connecting the breath with each movement and cultivating heat in the body throughout the flow. Modifications and amplifications are offered during the class so that one can tailor the practice to their needs. 

Slow Flow

A slower paced Vinyasa flow that will warm and strengthen the body.  A perfect next step from our Vinyasa Foundations and Beginner's Series classes.

Warm Vinyasa Flow

A Vinyasa flow practice in a room that is heated between 86-90 degrees.  A purifying and detoxifying way to start or finish your day.  

Restorative/Gentle

In these classes, we will use props and blankets to modify traditional yoga poses.  The supportive postures gently open the body to deep relaxation.  Restorative/Gentle yoga is a perfect way to slow down and find stillness, especially during stressful times.  Postures are held for extended times with the support of props..

Prenatal Yoga

Our prenatal yoga classes are designed especially for the pregnant woman's needs.  You will learn effective breathing techniques, pelvic floor exercises, fetal positioning for labor, as well as postures to release tension in the neck, shoulders and back.  Classes also provide a a supportive and caring community among expectant mothers.  No previous yoga experience is necessary. 

Candlelight Qi Gong + Stretch and Restore

This class begins with 15 minutes of Qi Gong, followed by gentle stretching and supported restorative poses and ending with a blissful śavāsana. Qi Gong is a gentle standing movement meditation practice. This is a wonderful practice to unwind in the evening and prepare for the weekend ahead. The experience of Inner Peace benefits you and everyone you encounter. This is a gentle, all level class. No prior experience needed.

BTB StRETCH

A Yoga inspired series of stretches, BTB (Bend The Bridge) Stretch is a perfect compliment to any existing fitness regimen or anyone looking to get a good stretch in.  Runners, athletes, and anyone looking to ease back into healing or movement, this class is sure to help you open up and find flexibility in a very replenishing way!  

Yoga with Mindfulness 

An holistic all levels class. Naina has breathed a new texture to this class and has been teaching it for 2+ years. The class typically begins with a mindful/meditative component to help you begin class from a place of deep relaxation. Pranayama – yoga breath exercises are often included to bolster the immune system and balance your yin and yang. Core strengthening, flow, stretching, and balance poses are also often part of the mix. You will end the class with a deep relaxation guided release. Students often comment on how balanced the class is and how much it helps them relax when they walk out. 

Elisabeth Sawich

Owner/Instructor

Yoga has been a part of Elisabeth's life for 10 years now.  Her practice has helped her grow stronger, more flexible and fearless both on and off the mat.  Yoga inspires her to live each moment mindfully and to be gentler with herself and her surroundings.  She is so grateful to be able to teach something that she is so passionate about.  To be able to guide people into a place of peace, a place of no judgments or expectations, and to watch them come alive in class with energy and strength is incredible.  In her classes, she loves to combine creative sequencing, a spirit of playfulness, and provide an atmosphere that will allow students to challenge themselves as much as they would like to.  Her hope is that you step off your mat feeling refreshed and balanced.  Most importantly, she hopes you leave feeling stronger in all aspects...mind, body, and spirit. "Do what you love, love what you do". - Namaste

 TRACEY HEINLEIN

 ANITA MINAHAN

If you ever practice with Anita you’ll notice that she smiles a lot.  It’s because she feels the practice in her soul, and she wants others to experience the same thing.  Her teaching style is athletic and strong, but also focuses on your individual timing, meditation and cleansing breaths.   She strives for a clear, awake mind, and living a purposeful life both on and off the mat!  Her aim as a yoga teacher is to challenge you physically, to help you to be present in yourself, to feel whatever comes up and be okay with who you are, on and off the mat, and maybe laugh a little.  

She has 200+ RYT hours of yoga training with Yoga Fit and continues to study from as many teachers as she can. She is also certified in Pilates Levels I and II.   She takes training courses as much as possible so that she can become a better teacher and share her knowledge.   Her newest ventures are acro-yoga and balance board yoga.  It's a work in progress, for sure, but she knows that after she practices, she feels stronger, healthier, happier and better suited to take care of the needs of her loved ones.  Namaste.

Emily Babyak

Fall 2022 marks Emily’s 20-year yoga-versary. After taking her first class as a college freshman, she was hooked. Upon finishing college and moving to Pittsburgh, Emily was introduced to energetic heated flow classes by a coworker, and soon realized it was the balance she needed to manage her life off the mat. After a small post-vacation-induced existential crisis over her career in the banking industry, she completed teacher training in 2014 and has been teaching steadily since then.

Emily’s teaching styles focuses on building poses with form and foundation in mind, while providing challenge and creativity. Her seemingly-endless supply of bad jokes will make you forget you’re holding a Warrior II for what feels like eternity.

Outside of the studio, Emily works in risk management for a financial technology company and lives in Crafton with her husband and their 2 dogs and 4 cats. Emily enjoys all manner of outdoors activities, cooking, foraging, sewing and knitting, traveling, and reading. She is (probably) the only person you know who once fostered a quail in a spare bedroom of her house.

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