Inside The Den, Normal Heights' New Community-First Yoga Studio

On a busy stretch of Adams Avenue in Normal Heights, there's a new kind of wellness space quietly taking root. It's called The Den by Wolf + Lion, and while it may technically be a yoga studio, that label only tells part of the story.

Step inside, and the contrast is immediate. The noise of Adams Ave fades. The lighting softens. The space feels less like a boutique studio designed for mirrors and more like someone’s well-loved living room. This is the point. The Den isn’t chasing the glossy aesthetic that dominates much of the current boutique wellness world. It’s built for something else entirely: presence, connection, and community.

At the heart of Wolf + Lion is Elyssa Swann, a familiar name in San Diego’s yoga scene and a longtime community builder who has spent the past five years redefining what yoga spaces can look and feel like.

Swann’s path to opening The Den hasn’t followed the traditional studio-owner trajectory. Her first brick-and-mortar experiment came during the height of the pandemic in January 2021, when she opened Awarewolf, a yoga studio perched on a rooftop above the Spin Nightclub near Mission Hills. At a time when gathering felt uncertain, and sometimes impossible, this inventive wellness space offered fresh air, movement, and a sense of togetherness when people needed it most.

When that chapter closed in 2023, Swann didn’t disappear. Instead, she doubled down on community-driven offerings across the city under the Wolf + Lion brand. Most notably, she became known for hosting free Sunday Reset Yoga flows at The Quartyard in East Village, welcoming anyone who wanted to move, connect, or simply show up as they were. That throughline of accessibility, authenticity, and gathering without pretense has been carried directly into The Den.

“I call it more of a movement and social club,” Swann says. “Yes, we do yoga. But my number one [focus] is community.”

Swann describes The Den as a response to the increasing disconnect she sees in modern life, where digital interaction often replaces real, physical presence.

“As someone who’s creating a business that’s aiming to cultivate community, I feel like more and more we’re seeing people pull away from physical engagement,” states Swann. “Being with a group of people where you’re seen, heard, respected, and you feel safe — that feels more important than anything right now.”

That philosophy is woven into every element of the studio. The Den is designed to feel lived-in rather than staged and is a place where showing up “as you are” is highly encouraged.

"Life is not always going to be perfect and beautiful,” says Swann. “The Den represents how we can come back to ourselves and be okay with the parts of us that are raw, and the parts of us that aren’t perfect."

The Den’s current class lineup includes Vinyasa, Power, Yin, and Slow Flow, with plans to expand offerings after the first of the year. But even within familiar formats, the emphasis is less about pushing extremes and more about embodied awareness.

Classes like Yoga Fit blend mobility drills, functional movement, and strength work for a grounded, athletic approach to yoga. Flow Into Stillness, a 75-minute practice, pairs a long, clearing flow with extended meditation, which is designed to help students recalibrate both physically and mentally. Yin classes offer a slower, more introspective counterbalance to the pace of daily life.

Upcoming offerings include breathwork, mat Pilates, creative hybrid classes developed by instructors, and Radiance Reboot, a holistic face yoga experience focused on gentle, non-invasive self-care.

But what sets The Den apart isn’t just what happens on the mat: it’s everything around it.

From the beginning, Swann envisioned Wolf + Lion as something that “thrives beyond four walls.” At The Den, that vision comes to life through community clubs and gatherings that invite connection without pressure.

There’s a Tuesday morning Walking Club, open to members and non-members exploring the neighborhoods of Normal Heights and Kensington together. There’s also the newly launched Coffee Lovers Club, a book-club–style meetup with no books at all. Instead, participants gather monthly at local coffee shops around San Diego, guided by a loose conversation topic that often evolves organically.

Hiking meetups, workshops, pop-ups, markets, and community hangs are all part of the larger ecosystem Swann is building.

“Following your dreams doesn’t always mean it’s going to look the way you imagined,” she reflects. “But I’m here. I’m in my own studio. And I’m cultivating community the way I want to.”

As Adams Avenue buzzes just outside, The Den offers a place to pause and a safe space to return to yourself, together with others. Not flashy. Not perfect. Just real.