Welcome to my Home Yoga Studio!!
Let's take the tour!
It would be easy to assume that I transformed an extra bedroom into a yoga studio during the pandemic in 2020. Haha! Many did! However, during that year, my small business was actually incredibly successful that year as I created macrame decor and accessories for my customers. This room was my office for my business I'd created and loved for 10 years. However, in 2021, I began to feel a pull into a different direction, a direction that included giving a healing space for a community that needed it, and needed me.
In 2021, when schools reopened and my two children had resumed their usual school days, I dove into my yoga practice that had been hibernating for a few years as my business flourished. After a few months of listening and being open to change, during my daily practice 4-5 times a week at my local studio, I knew that I wanted to become a yoga instructor! I felt an incredible longing and yearning to absorb yoga philosophy, and give the life lessons I've learned after loss, to as many women & men as I could, to live a more fulfilling life and not rush through it. I began to shift the frequency at which I was posting to my biz's instagram page, and when the order amount lightened, I began my 200HR RYT Yoga instructor training. I had not loved being immersed into something in such a long time! I knew I had to close up shop, and retire my business. And so, during Christmas break, I cleared out my office, packed up supplies, to make a blank slate for my yoga studio & meditation room! Something both me and my husband needed as his work stress increased, and my motherhood days became overwhelming at times. This room became a safe haven, a retreat for our souls.
First thing on the list, was rather than fill millions of nail holes and repaint walls, I found beautiful tapestries to keep the space feeling super cozy! Plus I was on a time limit. I'm always wanting to bring the outside indoors, and the forest is a huge healing space for me, so I knew I wanted a realistic appearing scene, and what I found was perfect! Also, being a live plant lover, I moved my bigger floor plants into this space. My fiddle leaf fig, peace lily, and Chinese evergreen are perfect in here, lots of natural indirect light! Beautiful cushions that hint to Indian design, also, I'm wanting to add Moroccan cushions, were essential to add for meditations and reading time. My handwoven Mexican blanket I used during my yoga training for classes like Nidra & Yin, is available in a beautiful woven basket on chilly days. And, this mandala rug is so soft and beautiful to add fun energy to the floor space!
This is essentially a dresser with 6 drawers, full of things like incense, additional decor I didn't know where to put yet, pens, notebooks, etc. I had this Irish blanket for years and years, and it's perfect to hide the drawers! The tapestry behind it is important to me because it depicts both the sun and moon, both light and dark! We have to be willing to sit comfortably in the dark to truly thrive in the light when it does arrive, hence the name of my yoga teaching name, "And then, the light poured in." It's a beautiful tapestry! My fiddle leaf fig is thriving in the corner, and one day, I'll add a pathos and another plant to my hanging plant holders in the corner! And my proud, recent addition, a framed certificate of my 200HR RYT completion!
The table is full of a few of my favorite things! A vintage globe, a nod to my passion for humankind and worldwide cultures & my minor in anthropology. A handmade dragon sculpture collected when I was in high school from the Renaissance Festival in Atlanta, GA, my hometown! When incense is placed underneath her, the smoke flows out her nose! I love her! A wooden sculpture of one of my absolute favorite poses, Mermaid pose. A candle gifted to me during my 200HR RYT graduation ceremony, and of course my AirPods for class!
This incense sculpture of a fisherman caught my eye recently, and I just had to have him! As the incense cone burns, the smoke bellows downward and fills the bottom as if water is filling a pond. So unique! And, a bronze sculpture of another favorite pose, Dancer, sits next to my singing bowl!
I am a writer, and lifelong lover of words, so mini calendars with inspiring words about mindfulness were a must in this room, so much so, I have two! My pink bluetooth speaker is perfect as I meditate to different tracks on my Insight Timer app, and run through classes while creating & listening to my Spotify playlists! The puppy guru (lovingly named Iroh) was an obvious choice for this dog-obsessed girl as well!
I love this corner so much!! I can't wait to add more plants!!
An incredibly proud moment in my life, earning this teaching certificate!!
The salt lamp cleanses the air, and boosts mood, improves sleep, eases allergies, and emits the warmest, nourishing glow. I made the mosaic table in my early 20s, and inside the house sits essential oil blends for each of the 7 Chakras! There is also a smudge kit for cleansing the energy in the room after chakras have been balanced! The essential oil blends can be found at essentialwellbeings.com.
These copper hanging lamps were so beautiful I had to have them, and are solar powered! And, my hanging macrame holder is waiting for a plant as well. I have some shopping to do! HA! On the wall are the first two limbs of the 8 Limbs of Yoga as written by Patanjali, tools for transforming one's life! The Yamas and the Niyamas are framed for constant reminding toward a more beautiful life.
- Yamas:
Ahimsa: Non-violence
Satya: Truthfulness
Asteya: Non-stealing
Brahmacharya: Moderation
Aparigraha: Letting go
- Niyamas:
Saucha: Purity
Santosha: Contentment
Tapas: Zeal, Self-discipline
Svadhyaya: Self-Study
Isvara Pranidhana: Devotion to higher power
Hanging plants (when I buy some) and handmade, wooden moon phases, yes please!!
A beautiful corner full of impactful words, thriving plants, wonderful decor, and my own handmade macrame banner gracing the double window! The light in this room is glorious!
You may be wondering who the heck this dude is…He is Java man! My husband's grandfather was a pilot and in the early 1930's traveled extensively throughout the South Pacific, a region of the world I'm very drawn to see in person one day! He brought back many things, including Java man, who my husband has had his entire life. I love him! Next to him is my perfect little bookshelf that is so unique in shape to fit right into the corner! So much shelving space for wooden yoga figures, and essential reads like The Body Keeps Score, Untethered Soul, Waling The Tiger, Meditations from the Mat, The Dalai Lama's Book of Joy, and Light on Yoga by BKS Iyengar. See my full Wishlist on my Pinterest board here -> https://pin.it/2FPV3uZ
Japan is another country I am dying to see, and this little zen garden is the perfect addition to this bookshelf! Reiki healing, a practice I incorporate into every class I teach, is originated from Japan as well! So it’s all connected!
This rack is the coolest thing! The shelf at the top holds blocks, decor, and my mat cleaning spray! Two mats are rolled up below, and a bolster below that! Hooks underneath hold straps, carrying bags, and yoga wheels sit underneath. When the door opens to the room, this rack is behind the door, so all the other walls can have decor. The closet doors hold the mini calendar's messages that have resonated with me the most, so I can come back to them throughout the year!
This chakra banner is a beautiful final addition to the room! I love it so much, as it reminds me what is blocking my chakras, and how opening them can lead to a more balanced, free, peaceful mind, body, and soul!
Thank you for taking this tour with me!! Everything can be found on my Pinterest board here-> https://pin.it/5nmRMkv I always shop small first, so I found pieces on Etsy, and then if I couldn't find it there, ventured to Amazon, and to the store, World Market.
Thanks for comin’ along for the tour!
