A New Chapter for The Practice Space

Today is a big day and I'm excited to announce for the first time publicly something I have been working on for a few months now. Before I get to the big news, here is a little backstory for reference. As many of you know, The Practice Space was born from the merger of two independent studios: Cascadia Pilates and Yoga Bhoga. Bringing those communities together allowed us to create something meaningful, unique, and stronger than either could have been alone.

The pandemic, however, changed that vision in unexpected ways. As a result, we lost two beloved spaces, our original Water Avenue studio and our newly adopted Williams location (formerly Yoga Shala). As a result, two thriving communities and two distinct movement traditions have shared a single mat room at Belmont ever since. While we've made it work, the limitations have become increasingly apparent, particularly for workshops, teacher trainings, specialty series, and community events.

Then, earlier this summer, something unexpected happened.

The owner of Elk Rock Yoga, located at SE 52nd Avenue and Woodstock Boulevard, sent a brave email. She was looking for someone to continue stewarding the studio while preserving the Woodstock yoga community she had spent years cultivating.

Just out of curiousity, I went to take a class to experience the space and chat with her about the request. the experience of taking class in this sweet space left me with a surprising feeling. It brought back vivid memories of our original Yoga Bhoga studio on Water Avenue. There is something profoundly special about a dedicated, single-room yoga sanctuary. A small space with local support behind it. Belmont has become an incredible home for our community, but because of its shape and scale, the diversity of offerings, and bus 15, it has never quite recreated that feeling of walking into a space devoted to this profoundly powerful and historic practice. Experiencing Elk Rock reminded me just how formative that small neighborhood studio environment was for my own journey.

But even after that wonderful class, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hesitant.

Operating a second location is a significant responsibility and always comes with risk. But as our conversations continued, it became clear that this wasn't simply an opportunity to grow. It was an opportunity to preserve a beautiful neighborhood practice space while solving one of the biggest challenges we've experienced since the merger: the need for more dedicated space to learn, gather, and practice.

I'm happy to reassure everyone that very little, if anything, will change at Belmont. We see the Woodstock studio as an extension of our existing home, almost like adding a second mat room to The Practice Space just ten minutes up the road.

Here's the part that excites me the most.

The Woodstock schedule will remain primarily yoga-focused, complemented by a handful of Pilates and movement classes designed to support a dedicated yoga practice. For the first time since before the pandemic, remarkable teachers like Meghan Maris and Allegra Chabay will have the space to fully spread their yoga wings and create the classes, workshops, and educational experiences they've been eager to share.

I suppose I'm a bit of an enabler 😊

When I meet a teacher who genuinely cares, who has deep experiential wisdom, and who burns with the desire to keep learning and sharing, I want to remove every barrier I can for them to be able to share that wisdom with the world. My favorite part of this work has never been operating a business. It's creating the conditions where extraordinary teachers can do what they were meant to do.

My hope is that, for the first time since Scott and I closed the doors to our Water Avenue studio in 2021, our yoga community will feel that same sense of possibility again. We never disappeared. We simply contracted. During that quieter season we learned, we adapted, and we prepared.

Now, through a serendipitous transition, it feels like it's time to grow again.

So get ready. We have a lot planned, and I can't wait to share it with you.

With gratitude,

Krista

This photo was taken during one of Meghan Maris's Hatha yoga classes at our original Yoga Bhoga studio on Water Avenue in 2017