Building a community within a community

Shannon LeClair
Times Reporter

 

Since opening their doors in 2012 Pranava Yoga studio has worked to build a community of like-minded people.
Each month that passes more people join the studio, but owner Becky Stone is always looking to see more and more people walk through the doors and learn about a new way of life.
“Yes we are a yoga studio, we offer yoga classes, but we have this wonderful group of instructors that are individually building communities within their classes, but then as a whole our studio is building this wonderful group of people that are seeking health, balance, lifestyle wellness,” said Stone.
“So in that we’re finding that we’re branching out a little, in terms of offering programs that follow the same principles that a yoga practice has, but in another way.”
One example is workshops are now being offered on Qi Gong, which is Chinese in its origins. Stone said that Tai Chi is a form of Qi Gong, which is the martial arts form for creating power and energy in your body.
“The Qi Gong that we’re offering is medically based, so it’s about creating health and wellness within the life forces of your body,” said Stone.
Another program the studio wants to offer is the mindful walk program that incorporates walking with yoga. Walking can cause discomfort and pain in the body, despite being meant to ease those things.
“If it is causing you issues, come to this mindful walk program, take a yoga class that builds the body awareness, realigns body patterns, create true range of motion, and learn how to walk, and then incorporate that with a meditation done while walking,” said Stone.
Being part of the mindful walk is something that you can also take with you through the week and into other programs.
Another successful way the studio has been creating communities is with the Pranava Teen girls program. Stone said they are seeing success with it, and it’s a way they are helping teens create a healthy and balanced life as they come in to adulthood.
Stone said she and her fellow instructors are in love with the community of Strathmore and the community as a whole, and cannot wait to see the growth that’s yet to come.
The studio’s drop-in schedule offers over 20 classes per week, programs that incorporate kids, teens, seniors, people living in chronic pain and for people looking for other tools for health and wellness that may not necessarily be yoga.
There is also a line of different products made by Strathmore community members, from soy candles with essential scents, to handmade sunscreens and deodorants, available to purchase and support local entrepreneurs.