The Lab at Commune Topanga Attracts Yogis for a Weekend of Fun & Frivolity

Schuyler, who grew up on a commune in Sonoma County, is a certified yoga instructor with more than 25 years of teaching experience. She is also the founder of the Kula Yoga Project, which owns and operates two yoga studios in New York City.

Jeff and Schuyler are also cofounders of Wanderlust, a series of large-scale events combining yoga and wellness with the arts. (The couple has since sold their interest.) The summer festival  has become a global wellness platform, with events in 20 countries. Jeff is the author of Wanderlust: A Modern Yogi’s Guide to Discovering Your Best Self and the cookbook Find Your True Fork, as well as the host of the “Commune” podcast, in which he interviews health and wellness experts.

“He’s like a 52-year-old business guy who fooled around with his own system, lost 40 pounds and is feeling better than he did in his 20s,” says Schuyler. “He’s a fantastic translator of some really dense information.”

In 2018 Jeff founded Commune Media, an online learning platform that offers classes from wellness experts from all over the world. The members-only site offers thousands of classes—from yoga classes (some of which are taught by Schuyler) to meditation to inspirational courses led by wellness gurus such as Deepak Chopra and Dr. Zach Bush.

While the couple lives in Laurel Canyon with their three kids, the platform’s hub is a sprawling 10-acre Topanga Canyon property. All of Commune’s instructional videos are shot there, and a few times each month some of the wellness experts, along with Schuyler and Jeff, lead on-site lectures and weekend retreats called The Lab at Commune Topanga.

“It is a setting where you can slow down and shift your brain to long-wave thoughts,” says Schuyler. “It is a place to practice, plant, and cook. But most of all, Commune Topanga is designed to foster deep levels of connection between people, face-to-face.”

Some of the retreats are yoga-centric—some specifically aimed at serious yogis. Others are geared more toward health and wellness, like one coming up in November with physician Sara Gottfried, author of The Hormone Cure.

The serene sanctuary offers a number of guest accommodations that range from A-frame cabins to rooms inside the main house, a Spanish built in the 1920s. There is also a sauna, a cold plunge, veggie gardens and a chicken coop.

Don’t expect calorie deprivation here—all chef-prepared meals are locally sourced, with vegan and gluten-free options available. And attendees can unwind in the community room with a glass of wine after wrapping up a full day of learning and self-care.

“That’s always kind of been our style,” Schuyler says. “Intensive study and fun time. The theme of these weekends is balance.”

To learn more visit onecommune.com.