The ancient art of yoga has always been considered to be an activity that relaxes both the mind and the body, with many classes being taught throughout the world. Yet, in the case of the class portrayed in the new comedy web series YOGA PARTNERS, how can anyone relax when they have to deal with a dimwitted instructor and an equally colorful amount of classmates? The series, created by and starring Leah Henoch and Katie Schorr, debuted on June 25th with four episodes having aired so far on its official web site and Youtube channel (see links below). In addition, the show’s Youtube page also features a deleted scene and some bonus content.

YOGA PARTNERS stars Henoch as Leah, a young woman whose life is turned upside down almost as soon as she begins to take her class, when she finds out that her boyfriend has broken up with her. It’s a class led by Quipie (played by Schorr), a teacher who’s in way over her head having to deal with some very quirky students, played by Paul Urcioli, Matt Dellapina, Marguerite Stimpson, Johnathan Fernandez, Geneva Carr, Diana Ruppe, Ray Munoz, and Ashlee Montague. Filmed at an actual yoga studio (Yoga Sole in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn), the series’ was partly inspired by both Henoch and Schorr’s real life experiences attending yoga classes, as well as the many people they met – and shared mats with. “We spent about half a year writing and rewriting episodes, based on an idea Leah had for a class where 2 people shared 1 mat. We initially thought each episode would only include Leah, a new partner each time, and Quipie, the teacher, but we decided we really wanted to build a real world class environment and get to know those other characters,” the show’s creators say.

Finding the show’s cast was also easier than expected. “We were incredibly lucky – we were able to cast our first choices for pretty much every character. We’d reach out to an actor thinking, well, they won’t be able to do it, but we’ll just try, and then, they’d say yes.” Even though filming each episode was, as the creators describe, a “messy and challenging” experience, the end result of that hard work is a hilarious and unique series with storytelling and situations that, as the show’s creators explain, transcend genres. “Unlike some shows but like some others that we love, YOGA PARTNERS is not a straight up comedy or drama, (and) we kind of wanted it to feel closer to real life. (With) that said, we definitely feature some heightened surreal moments that could only happen in the strange and wonderful space that is a partnered yoga class,” they say.

Schorr and Henoch also have bigger and better things in mind for their series. “We’ve loved writing and making this show, so we just want to get to know the yoga partners better and spend more time with them. To do that, we want to adapt it for TV into a half hour show. That’s the dream, and the plan,” they say. YOGA PARTNERS is a comedy that lots of people will enjoy – including those who either love or hate yoga. It’s a show that depicts the often humorous and uncomfortable moments that take place when people try to relax. Says the show’s creators: “The show comes from our own experiences in the yoga studio, ones that we think are relatable and universal and not specific to people who practice yoga. We’d just like to make everybody who’s watching laugh about the odd, awkward, lovely life moments that happen when people are forced to get very close together on a 6×2’ strip of jute and rubber.”

(The series is not closed-captioned, or subtitled for foreign language speaking viewers, at least not yet.)

ON THE WEB: www.yogapartnerswebseries.com

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/yogapartners

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/yogapartners

TWITTER: www.twitter.com/yogapartners

INSTAGRAM: @YogaPartners