By Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Rain may have delayed the official signage from being installed at Lotus Yoga on Friday, but all signs pointed to a new studio opening on Stockton Street on Friday.
Yoga instructors Bonnie Murdoch, Bethany Crawley and Lee Anne McDade welcomed friends and customers to the new studio on the second floor at 869 Stockton St. Friday. Renovations began in June and were recently completed. The sign for the studio was supposed to be one of the finishing touches scheduled to be done by the opening on Friday, but rain delayed its installation.
“We found out it’s a lot harder to build an empty space,” said Murdoch. “It has turned out great though.”
The upstairs space was unoccupied and used for storage, so it had to be cleaned out and prepared for the new business. Crawley was told about the available space by her husband Scott, who operates Focus Physical Therapy on the first floor.
Bethany had mentioned to Scott that she would like to have some space to teach private lessons. Scott found out the space was available, but it was too big for what Bethany had in mind. She had started taking yoga classes and learning how to teach with Murdoch, so she asked Murdoch to join her in opening a studio in the new space.
“The athletic side of it drew me in,” said Murdoch, a former triathlete and long-distance runner. “Then I found out about a lot of great things about teaching that I wasn’t looking for. There are so many overwhelming benefits to this way of life.”
Crawley also became hooked on teaching.
“We try to teach yoga for everyone,” said Crawley. “Not just athletes, but also for those who have limited range of motion.”
She teaches yoga to seniors and the studio plans to offer yoga for kids as well. The studio is open seven days a week with classes starting at 9 a.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturday. One class is offered at 4:45 on Sunday. For more information contact Lotus Yoga at 704-3298 or 891-6537.
356-2466