Veritas is more than just a yoga studio.
It’s a community center.
Co-founders Sydney Strabala and her fiancé Joshua Royse serve as joint CEOs for the studio located in the Malibu Country Mart.
The journey to health and wellness is a winding path, but the Veritas Yoga community preaches that having people to walk with is critical to reaching one’s destination.
“The key to the journey of wellness is community,” Strabala said. “You can go on this journey by yourself, but you’re really going to get far if you’re in community.”
The Malibu and greater Los Angeles communities are facing hardship in the aftermath of the Franklin and Palisades fires. Still, Strabala said the people at Veritas are committed to helping their community in any way they can.
Moving in Community
Strabala and Royse’s bond grew over a shared passion for yoga, which evolved into a dream to start a studio of their own. Strabala said they envisioned a place of sanctuary for individuals of all demographics to come together and move toward their health and wellness goals.
They first opened their doors in June 2024 and since then, their dream has become a reality.
Zach Wagner, an instructor at Veritas, has been with Strabala and Royse since the beginning. He said he loves their emphasis on community.
“Veritas Yoga is a nice community with local people and it’s growing and blossoming into something really special,” Wagner said.
Senior Morgan Baker, a regular at Veritas Yoga, said the studio is focused on fostering relationships rather than monetary gain.
Unlike other studios Baker has attended, she said Veritas’ main goal is to serve the community over trying to grow a business.
Baker said Veritas classes provide a unique experience where every instructor strives to learn each person’s name and make every participant feel welcomed, seen and heard.
“Throughout a class, you just feel connected with everybody and it feels like a family,” Baker said.
Providing Support Through Trauma
Strabala said their practices can serve as a form of healing during times when the community needs it most. The Malibu and greater Los Angeles areas have experienced tremendous trauma since December, with wildfires that left homes destroyed and hearts heavy.
The staff at Veritas was there to provide support however they could.
“We love doing the outreach for all the fire victims,” Strabala said. “So we’ve opened up everything on the schedule, all workshops, all events, all classes, to be complimentary for anyone affected by the fire.”
Strabala said no questions asked, anyone who has been affected by the fires is welcome at Veritas to heal through movement free of charge.
“If we can start to create programs around healing and teach it to the community, I think we can really send ripples of change to a really traumatized, scared and shocked community,” Strabala said.
Strabala and Royse said they also felt the impact of the fire when they had to evacuate.
“We were told that our home burned down three times,” Strabala said.
Strabala said she later found out that their home was spared.
“When you come together in community, there is no other choice but to be of service to each other,” Strabala said. “It fills my cup up and I think that being of service actually heals.”
As an instructor, Wagner encourages the practice of yoga and being immersed in a community in times of shared turmoil.
“People can step out of what’s going on in the outside world and they can develop their internal world,” Wagner said. “And hopefully find a little bit of peace while there’s so much turmoil in their outside world.”
In a time when the community needs it most, Veritas will be there to help for the next few years, Strabala said.
“You never know who’s struggling because the fire reaches out in ways that oftentimes are unseen,” Strabala said. “So compassion, service and community is going to be the most important thing for the next few years.”
The Daily Practices
Veritas offers a wide selection of classes ranging from Vinyasa Yoga to sound baths.
Wagner said he advocates for all to integrate the practice of yoga into their lives.
“Yoga is not just for really wealthy people, it’s for everyone,” Wagner said. “It’s not just a luxury, but a basic human right for all people who want to put energy toward their practice.”
Wagner said his personal journey toward health and wellness involves integrating different yoga practices daily to regulate the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of his being.
Strabala said that these aspects of being come together so everyone can live a spiritual lifestyle.
Veritas’ Vinyasa Flow class, one of the studio’s most popular, entails moving the body through different yoga poses while synchronizing one’s breathwork to allow for a grounded workout.
“I love their Vinyasa Flow classes,” Baker said.
Strabala said from the selection of classes to the outreach work, Veritas Yoga strives to cater to its community.
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