We opened our brick and mortar at 78 South Main Street, Newtown in 2017. We were so fortunate to have landed there especially not knowing a global pandemic was coming. We had this big gorgeous lawn that we could practice safely outside that would not have been possible if we had been in a strip mall as originally planned! We had a total of 4 floods from 2021 to 2024 and although devastating and disrupting it put our yoga and community to the test. In 2024 we had the worst of the floods August 18th when 12 inches of rain drowned the studio and destroyed everything. We had the option to close and walk away and the community rallied starting a GoFundMe and coming together to keep the doors open. While 78 was being renovated we needed space to practice and a wonderful local shop owner in downtown Sandy Hook had a “storage closet” she wasn’t using and offered to rent it by the hour. It turned out to be a dream come true yoga space and the community asked it we could stay. We signed a lease in December 2024 and kept 78 South Main once it was renovated because it’s perfect for our family and children’s programs, private sessions and small focus group classes and special events. Those are the cliff notes, but all of the miracles that came from such tragedy was possible because of this very special community. And… although not the way I would have picked to expand, we were able to grow and evolve to serve more of the community!

78 South Main Street was originally build by Mckenzie Engineering to hold giant machines William McKenzie had created that could easily remove excess material from small machined parts. In our downstairs space you’ll see white painted concrete ceilings and steel beams. The building is solid and made of cinder blocks. John Klopfenstein bought the building from McKenzie Engineering and is the current guardian and steward of the property. It is a well maintained historic space, outfitted to look like a barn and now has a beautiful stone patio and retaining wall leading to the Yoga Center which protects us from any future flooding.

6 Glen Road has an amazing history, an original home with records dating back to 1790 and 1840. Back then it was called Glovers Hall named after the Glover family who were pioneers in building up Newtown. The dance hall where we are was a place of celebration and festivities. In 1938 the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company took it over until 1977 when they had a new bigger building built on Riverside Road. At one point the Sandy Hook Free Public Library had a room in there until the fire company needed the room and they needed to find their own space in 1952.

Super fun fact. After SHVC sold the building, two owners later, Kathryn and James McGuire purchased it and turned it into offices for what would be J.P. McGuire, a disaster restoration company that - after he sold it - would end up helping us at 78 South Main St for all four floods! It is now owned by a fantastic designer and builder who has renovated the entire building back to its original glory and even better!

There are more synchronicities from there, to be continued!

Originally we were and always will be The Newtown Yoga Center. The name came to me in 2016 after branching out on my own in 2016. Direct, simple, to the point and easy to recognize! When we opened up our location in Sandy Hook I wanted to recognize that and still have it be part of what we affectionally called “N.Y.C.” but it also was getting confusing with gps so it became The Sandy Hook Yoga Center, under the Newtown Yoga Center’s umbrella. And for marketing purposes and ease of communication we’ve bunched them into “The Yoga Centers”, and who knows.. we may open up more along the way, the intention is to expand without the push of a natural disaster!

Everyone has an amazing lived history and professional background outside of teaching yoga. We have teachers that are social workers and therapists, retired lawyers, educators, corporate consultants, artists, health bar managers and so many other interesting work experiences! What everyone has in common is their love of yoga and teaching it practically to the average person with the intention to empower those in classes with the same inspiration that Yoga sparked within them along the way.

The original motto for the studio was “ Creating a thousand years of peace one breath at a time. “ This was a nod to the entrance to the Golden Age that could be within our grasp if we could teach others that peace is possible and starts with yourself, literally one breath at a time. We pride ourselves in making the practice of Yoga, which in some circles can be exclusive and elitist, accessible, adaptable and relatable to the general public. It’s not about handstands here, its about heart. It’s about cultivating a resilient nervous system that learns how to offload stress and cultivate kindness in it’s place. The entire point of Yoga (in our humble opinion) is to keep your body and mind healthy and your heart full so you can be the best version of yourself and love and care for the people around you. If you become enlightened along the way let us know how you got there, we are all still trying to figure that part out! LOL!