The Yoga Joint on 6131 N. Federal Highway is spreading its zen vibes down south. A second studio location, The Yoga Joint South, will open in the Portside Center on SE 17th Street Causeway near the Broward Convention Center. The doors open Thursday and the first set of classes will be offered on Saturday.

The new 7,000-square-foot studio will feature all the amenities of the original studio which currently has about 250 students a day but in a larger space. There will be a bigger classroom, men's and women's changing rooms, on-site babysitting, and a retail area.

Unlike the Federal Highway location, the new studio also will offer teacher training workshops.

"This is about getting to know what the community wants and needs," said Paige Held, who is the owner of The Yoga Joint and co-owns The Yoga Joint South with Kelly Green.

Communities certainly seen to want yoga, which has grown by 32 percent in the U.S. since 2008, with more than 16 million people participating, according to the Yoga Journal.

Florida itself is also a hotbed for yoga, journal publisher Bill Harper said.

Harper has noticed an uptick in the number of regional chains, like Green Monkey in Miami, but said that for the majority of studios, it is only feasible to have one location.

"[Being able to expand] is about offering the right kind of programs and having a full offering of other services," he said.

For Steven Hudson, the president and CEO of Fort Lauderdale -based Hudson Capital Group, The Yoga Joint had that potential.

Hudson is a partner of The Yoga Joint South now, but first he was a client. A few years ago, his wife had to drag him to his first yoga class. Despite his intial reluctance, he quickly fell in love with the practice.

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Yoga Joint opens second location near convention center