Updated Studio Photos Coming Soon!
For many of us in the Coachella Valley the journey began more than 20 years ago, when Bikram Yoga Palm Desert was located upstairs above Keedy’s on Highway 111. We recall ascending the narrow stairs next to Keedy’s, a locals’ favorite breakfast spot, to practice in the heat. The core students would roll out their mats shoulder-to-shoulder, and during savasana catch the unmistakable scent of bacon cooking downstairs.
It was simple.
It was honest.
And it was unforgettable.
Yet within that humble room something powerful was happening.
A Community was forming around the discipline of practice.
For many practitioners across the valley, that upstairs studio was where it all began.
The El Paseo Studio
Shortly after, the practice found a new and enduring home at the El Paseo location many students know today.
Under the guidance of founding teacher Denise Abraham and her husband Damon, the studio became a place of remarkable dedication to the Bikram Yoga method. Denise cultivated a strong and focused community of practitioners who showed up day after day to explore the transformative power of the practice.
For many, this studio is forever our hOMe Studio: where it all began.
Our Story
Some Yoga Studios become far more than a location.
Over time they become a hOMe Sanctuary for practice, a place where thousands of Hearts, Minds, Spines and Lives Truly ‘SEE’ themselves in the mirror, likely for the very first time; A hOMe where thousands of breaths, postures, and quiet yet deep transformations abide.
For many throughout the Coachella Valley, what we now call hOMe Studio El Paseo has long been such a place.
For some of us directly, and thousands of others indirectly, the location is literally where it all began.
Where It All Began
The roots of this community stretch back more than two decades.
Students, some of whom would eventually become Teachers;
Teachers, some of whom would eventually become Studio Owners; and Studio Owners, who cared enough to set the Tone for an entire community have collectively cultivated their practice of yoga here from as early as 2002, creating a vibrant and dedicated yoga culture that continues to flourish today.
Updated Studio Photos Coming Soon!
Continuing the Lineage
In 2012, stewardship of the El Paseo studio passed to Ann Marie Palma, who guided the studio forward for the next fourteen years.
Under Ann Marie’s leadership the studio continued to serve generations of students who came to sweat, practice, and grow together in the discipline of the room.
Her dedication helped preserve the continuity of the space and the spirit of community that has always defined this studio.
We honor Ann Marie’s commitment from 2012 through 2026, and her role in sustaining the living tradition of yoga that has flourished here.
One Yoga Family
Over time, the paths of many teachers and studios throughout the valley have gently intertwined.
As life unfolds, paths shift. Chapters close, new ones begin, and the threads of different teachers, spaces, and communities continue to cross and reconnect—again and again.
And now, in a way that feels both unexpected and beautifully aligned, the spirit of those early beginnings finds its way back to El Paseo.
Today, hOMe Studio El Paseo carries that lineage forward into a new chapter—honoring the past while creating space for what is yet to unfold.
Looking back, what becomes clear is something both simple and profound:
Despite different rooms, locations, teachers, and chapters,
we have always been one yoga family.
United by a shared devotion to the practice—
and through it, the quiet knowing of all that can be.
A Full Circle Moment
Occasionally, the Universe moves in ways that feel unmistakably Synchronistic — moments when the path subtly and somewhat effortlessly circles back toward its origin.
The opportunity to return to the El Paseo studio arrived in exactly that way.
Today, Steve McIlroy and Juliana Simmons return to the space where it all began, in an Ecstatic partnership rooted in love of practice and love of community. With a steady and grounded vision, we step into stewardship of the space with care, respect, and a deep sense of responsibility to what has come before. Together, we bring complementary strengths—devotion to the discipline, and a thoughtful approach to building a sustainable and welcoming environment for all who enter. We deeply value continuity and quiet evolution: an honoring of tradition, alongside an openness to what is unfolding.
Together we join to honor the lineage of teachers and students who built this community, while allowing the practice to continue evolving for the next generation, we all return to the space where it all began. Together we will share the sacred responsibility of stewarding the next chapter of this beloved studio.
Why We Call It hOMe ?
The name hOMe Studio El Paseo reflects the deeper meaning of this place.
At the center of the word sits OM, the One Note Sung, the universal vibration that reminds us of the unity between All Beings. For some, this studio will be where their journey begins.
For others, it may be the place where they find their way back.
Either way, the room remains what it has always been:
A place to Breathe. A place to Practice. A place to Grow. A place to Cultivate the Qualities of Mind: Self-Control, Determination, Patience, Faith, and Concentration. Most Importantly, A Place in which exists a Field of Trust, the Absence of Judgment where You have the right to Be Exactly as you are, in the moment in which you stand with everything that has been and can ever be known by you.
A place that countless practitioners across the valley recognize or will come to recognize as hOMe.
The Practice Continues
To care for this studio now expresses less as ownership and more like stewardship.
It is a sacred privilege to guide the next iteration of a space that has already held so much transformation.
We move forward with gratitude for every teacher who has taught here, every student who has practiced here, and every person who helped shape the yoga community of the Coachella Valley.
For those arriving for the first time...
And for those returning after years away...
Our Hearts and The doors are Wide Open to You.
Because for many of us, this will always be the place
where it all began and where it will begin…again.
Blessings to hOMe Studio El Paseo and All.
The Proprietors
Steve Mcilroy & Juliana Simmons
We’ve joined forces to bring you the Highest Level of Practice and Teaching Worldwide in a pristine environment, which supports total health on every level of being.