Go with the flow: Greenwood yoga studio connects mind, body, spirit

The ground-to-ceiling home windows inside One Self Yoga supply a birds-eye view of the bustle and exercise via the guts of downtown Greenwood.

However contained in the revamped historic area, proprietor Rachel Higareda has created an oasis for the thoughts, physique and spirit. The din of visitors exterior melts away within the ethereal and naturally lit area. Aside from some shelving for mats and cushions, and a set of lockers alongside the again wall, nothing fills the room to distract from the deal with pose and type.

“There was a realization that I wished to increase to others, that inherent peace and freedom. That’s what this area is all about — past even yoga postures,” she stated. “My objective isn’t the bodily facet; the items of the bodily are available and are an added bonus to the observe.”

One Self Yoga opened to the general public Jan. 17 on the second ground of the historic former Van Valer constructing in Outdated City Greenwood. Providing lessons to satisfy folks of all physique sorts and ability ranges, the emphasis is on assembly folks the place they’re, versus slotting shoppers into a selected type or class.

“The main focus is actually making it attainable for everybody,” “I’ve heard so many occasions via my years of instructing, ‘I can’t do yoga, I’m not versatile sufficient, I don’t have stability.’ So I don’t have class ranges or conditions.

“My entire objective is to indicate and embody that the locations the place the magic actually occurs (with yoga) is in a spot of complete acceptance and welcome, and never forcing your self.”

Higareda began training yoga in 2016, and it introduced a lot interior peace to her personal life, a lot in order that she wished to increase her data of it. She began doing trainer coaching, largely to complement yoga in her personal life, versus beginning her personal lessons.

However the extra she discovered, the extra she realized she may assist others profit from the observe.

“The eagerness simply grew from there,” she stated. “I went via my first trainer coaching in 2016, and began instructing from that time.”

As Higareda honed her personal expertise, she additionally turned more proficient at instructing others. She began instructing at studios all through the Greenwood group, up till the pandemic hit in 2020.

“Even previous to that, studios the place I used to be working at had been closing,” she stated. “I made a decision I’d take a bit of break from instructing, simply to get myself recalibrated. I had a lot of my identification wrapped into instructing, I used to be at a loss.”

Higareda continued her personal private coaching, working on-line with instructors all through the pandemic. Reevaluating her personal targets, she determined that instructing was an vital a part of her life, and she or he wished to do it in an area of her personal.

“I wished to increase this discovery that I felt, with is that we’re all inherently peaceable. Typically it’s simply clouded with our expertise, and we develop into so wrapped up with issues that occur to us in every day life,” she stated.

However Higareda wasn’t going to pressure her imaginative and prescient into actuality. She wished to seek out the proper place to deal with her yoga studio.

After discussing what she was on the lookout for together with her husband, she steered that they search for a possible location for her studio.

“It needed to be simply the proper area. And it might be so cool if it was in downtown Greenwood,” she stated. “I’m a Greenwood resident, and I’ve all the time been drawn to this space. However I didn’t wish to pressure it. If something was meant to be, it might be the proper time.”

Their looking out didn’t yield any success initially, and that was OK with Higareda. However the subsequent morning, driving down Essential Road in Outdated City Greenwood, she noticed an enormous yellow “for lease” signal within the window of the Van Valer constructing.

She fell in love with the room.

“We noticed the area, and I had all of the feels that this was it,” she stated.

Work began turning the unit right into a sanctuary for yoga. Partitions had been painted, although the uncovered brick was left untouched, a testomony to the historic nature of the constructing. They put in new flooring appropriate for yoga observe, and employed artist Carl Leck to color a protracted wall to seem like distressed, with brick exhibiting via it.

“My husband stunned me with it, and I really feel prefer it was such a stupendous, unimaginable contact,” Higareda stated.

Beginning out with, One Self Yoga gives a wide range of lessons to cater to a wide range of practitioners. The Mild session focuses on useful motion, equivalent to touchdown and resting in a pose, after which returning to a impartial, beginning place. Vinyasa lessons include artistic methods to circulation from one pose to a different, whereas maintaining issues light-hearted and enjoyable.

Restorative circulation gives a time to recharge, asking members to carry passive postures for longer intervals of time with a view to attain the deep connective tissues, releasing any stress saved within the physique.

“I’m very intentional with the actions,” Higareda stated. “It’s not about even a lot with making an attempt to have an finish objective in thoughts. All people makes a special form. So I prefer to make time in my instructing to get right into a posture, breathe within the posture, earlier than transitioning to the following.”

Curiosity has been constructing amongst potential shoppers as Higareda ready to open, and she or he has obtained a heat reception from different companies within the downtown Greenwood space.

“Everybody has simply been extremely welcoming, and the assist and curiosity that has been proven by the group is overwhelming,” she stated. “I’m moved and stuffed with a lot gratitude to be right here and be a part of this superb group much more.”