DETROIT, MI - The most recent addition to the retail space beneath Dan Gilbert's 535,000-square-foot behemoth "The Z" parking garage on Library Street in downtown Detroit will have the city bending, stretching and breathing through a workout.

Royal Oak-based Citizen Yoga opened up its second metro Detroit location at 1224 Library Street Monday.

Due to opening incentives like two weeks of free yoga, or specially-priced opening offers, owner Kacee Must said the 2,300-square-foot studio has been packed.

But that just means Must, 30, can teach yoga to more people, so a packed studio is OK with her.

"I grew up on yoga," Must said. "To me it's a family tradition."

Must started practicing yoga when she was 10-years-old.

After studying Vedic Yoga in India from July 2009 to November 2012, Must came back to Michigan and decided to open up a yoga studio of her own.

Life is about experiences, she said, and the best experiences for her came from being on the yoga mat.

With seven to eight sessions per day, the classes offered at Citizen Yoga range from basic classes, which introduce students to Must's own blend of "alignment-based power yoga", to Vinyasa yoga classes.

Must's methodology, pairing a slower-tempo yoga with popular, but sometimes sloppy, power yoga is unique, she said.

"I haven't been to studios that have done this," she said.

At the root of it all, Must said she wants her students to feel a sense of family and togetherness at Citizen Yoga.

"I know almost every student by name," she said, which helps bolster her message: "Infuse your life with purpose."

The 24,000 sq. ft. restaurant and bar Punch Bowl Social features 4 bars, 8 bowling lanes, ping pong tables, private karaoke rooms, retro video games and more. Punch Bowl Social is set to open Wednesday Dec. 10 in Downtown Detroit in the Z's Garage retail space on Broadway St. (Tanya Moutzalias | MLive Detroit)

Fitting into the downtown puzzle

It's Must's mission that made her a good fit to fill one of the last open retail spaces in "The Z", according to Dan Mullen, vice president of leasing and development at Gilbert's real estate arm Bedrock Real Estate Services.

"(Citizen Yoga) adds to the sense of community that's already started down there," Mullen said. "Yoga's one of those things...that brings a community together."

Cutting on a zigzag from the corner of Broadway and East Grand River to the corner of Library and Gratiot in downtown Detroit, The Z is already home to a handful of unique retailers and art spaces as well as the massive Punch Bowl Social restaurant that spans Broadway.

The hand-picked feel inside The Z retail spaces directly reflects what Mullen said was a conscious effort to bring something special to that area of downtown.

"We definitely had a vision," he said.

"The Z development speaks volumes to that."

Mullen said The Z is intended to function as "the nucleus of that community." Working with the Library Street Collective to fill "The Belt" with artwork from local and national artists, The Z offers a sort of cultural boost to the stretch of downtown between the entertainment district and Greektown.

Related: "The Z Garage" gets international attention

To Z Garage naysayers and those who accuse Bedrock of gearing downtown Detroit to a younger, wealthier, white audience and consequentially pushing out the poor, Mullen said that's simply untrue.

"We're all Detroiters," Mullen said. "That just makes no sense to me."

Bringing Detroit together

Citizen Yoga aims to knit the downtown -- and greater Detroit -- community closer together.

"Through the community there is growth," Must said.

The studio (kept at 90 degrees, which Must said she feels is the ideal temperature for yoga) can fit around 55 people per class, though Must and her employees are working to nail an exact number down.

Citizen Yoga offers private showers, storage space and even a spot to charge phones, all in effort to make students feel as comfortable as possible.

"This should feel like your home," Must said.

Must and 10 other of her hand-picked yoga teachers want to work to help Detroit create its own identity during a time when many feel the city is seeing a resurgence of sorts.

Citizen Yoga will help Detroit become more of a "lifestyle city," Must said.

After the success of Royal Oak's Citizen Yoga, a Detroit location just ended up making sense.

"I feel like it's just my obligation to continue going," Must said. "If you're doing something good, why would you stop?"

As for the future of The Z, Mullen said there are plans in the works to fill the last few retail spaces.

"(We want) to finalize the block with a nice bang," Mullen said.

Though he couldn't provide any specifics, Mullen said the last big name to nestle under The Z would probably be a restaurant, which would help tie the block together.

For now, he said Bedrock is excited to have Citizen Yoga opened and operating.

"We're excited to add her (Must) to our collection," he said.

Citizen Yoga is open six days a week, offering classes throughout the day Monday through Friday. Saturdays, for now, have classes running until noon, according to the website.

Anything from, weekly, month-to-month or annual memberships are available.

Click here for a Citizen Yoga schedule.

Pricing and membership deals can be found here

Ian Thibodeau is the entertainment and business reporter for MLive Detroit. He can be reached at ithibode@mlive.com, or follow him on Twitter.