Stepping into the heated yoga room at PURE Yoga Texas, you feel it immediately: not just the warmth, but the energy. The kind that pushes you, holds you, and ultimately, transforms you.
Hot yoga can feel intense. But at PURE, it’s not about being bendy or perfect. It’s about showing up, sweating through something hard, and walking out changed.
And for founders Mardy and Jeff Chen, that transformation isn’t just physical, it’s deeply personal.
Running had been Mardy’s go-to for years, until she discovered yoga in 1998. Hot yoga not only provided relief for her anxiety and depression, it also helped reverse her chronic thyroid condition. After the devastation of 9/11, Mardy left her corporate job in New York to pursue yoga teacher training in Los Angeles, and opened her first studio in Austin, TX just two years later.
When Jeff stepped into the yoga space, it was a big shift from the high-intensity pace of his earlier career in NYC finance. But he quickly saw the impact this practice had on people; how it met them exactly where they were and helped them move forward. That clarity drove his full commitment to growing the PURE community.
Together, they’ve built more than just studios. They’ve created a space where practice becomes a tool for healing.
The Science Behind the Heat
PURE is rooted in the Original Hot Yoga (Bikram) system, a 26-posture sequence practiced in a heated room. The heat isn’t just about intensity. It’s an essential part of the method.
Practicing in a heated room can help improve flexibility, support recovery, and encourage deeper focus. The warmth allows muscles to soften and move with more ease. It also elevates the heart rate in a way that mimics moderate cardio exercise, without high-impact movement.
Scientific studies support what many students feel after class. One showed that practicing Bikram yoga just three times per week helped improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in older adults (PubMed). Another found that regular hot yoga reduced perceived stress and enhanced mood, mindfulness, and emotional well-being over six weeks (PMC).
Hot yoga is not only about what you sweat out, it's also about what you walk away with.
The PURE Experience
Every class at PURE Yoga is structured to be beginner-friendly and accessible, whether you’re brand new or deep into your yoga journey.
The studio culture emphasizes effort over perfection. Whether you’re an athlete, a student, or someone walking into a yoga studio for the first time, you’re encouraged to go at your own pace and find progress in simply showing up.
The result is a community that’s diverse, encouraging, and consistent. People come for the practice, but they stay because they feel supported. As Jeff shares, there is a collective attitude that “we are in this together!”
Healing Beyond the Mat
PURE extends the practice beyond the postures. The studio offers trauma-informed workshops and recovery-focused sessions that give students space to process and rebuild.
This commitment to healing also lives on through the PURE Yoga Institute, which trains new teachers and shares the deeper foundations of hot yoga. With a team of teachers that averages over a decade of experience each, the instruction across studios is both steady and deeply rooted.
Meet the Founders
Mardy Chen began her yoga journey in 1998 and opened PURE’s first location in Austin in 2003. Her focus is on creating studio spaces that feel calming, clean, and supportive; spaces where students can transform.
Jeff Chen joined PURE in 2008, bringing business strategy and a passion for community. He believes what makes PURE special isn’t just the practice, it’s the people who walk in, grow, and carry that strength into their lives.
Join the Movement
PURE Yoga has three locations in downtown Austin, North Austin, and Dallas, Texas. Find them online at pureyogatexas.com and follow them on Instagram @pureyogatexas.
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