Hello Homegrown Yogis!
As I write this letter, Homegrown Yoga has been open for 6 weeks. Through our website and Facebook page, you have gotten to know what we do and how we do it. We are a full-service yoga studio dedicated to bringing high quality yoga to the Warner Robins area. We do so by offering 18 classes each week led by teachers who are highly qualified, knowledgeable, and passionate about the practice. Through free events such as our upcoming Open House on March 12th and our special Rooftop Yoga class on March 20th we truly make yoga accessible for all.
But the ‘what we do’ and ‘how we do it’ is only a part of our story. What I want to share with you in this letter is why we do it. I found myself on a yoga mat for the first time 8 years ago. What I thought would be a good physical workout turned into a journey that changed my life. Through yoga I transformed my relationship with myself, my friends and my family, and I saw how this practice did the same for others. It was this experience that inspired me to teach yoga; and although that is my story, you will hear many of our teachers tell a similar one. We teach yoga because we know how transformative this practice can be.
The ‘why’ behind Homegrown Yoga began 2.5 years ago with the opening of my first studio, Hometown Yoga in Macon. Similar to starting yoga, I opened Hometown Yoga with Ashley Dunwody for practical reasons. Both Ashley and I were teaching throughout Macon and wanted a central space to practice and teach. Within months, however, I realized that what we had was not a space but rather a community. Yes, it was a place for us to practice yoga but it was also somewhere that people came to feel safe, supported, encouraged and empowered. This sense of connection only grew stronger as we took yoga out of the studio and into the community.
So why Homegrown Yoga? Because to me, nothing is more important than connection: connection to ourselves, connection to others, and connection to our community. The practice of yoga and the mission of Homegrown Yoga is exactly this: to create a sense of connection within ourselves and between one another.
For those of who have come to the studio since we opened, I am beyond grateful to each of you. For those who have not yet visited, please consider this your invitation to the Homegrown community.
With love,
Rachel