Page 123 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2019

FINANCE & FITNESS namasté
New Studio for the New Year
OWNER Sandi Anderson
Sandi Anderson is starting 2019 in a relocated, state- of-the-art yoga studio. Her studio, The Yoga Barre, originally opened in June 2017, but has
recently moved to Sweetwater Square in Gulfport.
The new studio includes flooring
that is easy on the joints and barres that adjust in height to accommodate different body lengths. “The variation in barre height also allows for greater implementation of modifications when needed,” Anderson said.
The studio is equipped with LED ceiling lighting that can be dimmed to soft illumination for yoga and made brighter for barre.
At The Yoga Barre, students will find classes for all ages and fitness levels. The most popular classes include vinyasa flow yoga, barre intensity and yoga barre fusion, which mixes both
story by Alexis Williams
photos by Katherine Swetman and courtesy of The Yoga Barre
disciplines. Other classes include pi-
yo flow, which combines pilates and yoga, and gentle flow yoga. In 2019, Anderson plans to offer more classes and begin a six-week yoga basics series.
“Everyone can do yoga and barre,” says Anderson, who has been practicing yoga for 10 years. She enrolled in teacher training not to become a yoga teacher but to deepen her practice and enhance her knowledge and skills. She was soon substituting for teachers and then started teaching twice a week.
“After several years of teaching yoga, I felt I needed to supplement my own practice with ‘something,’ but I didn’t’ know what that ‘something’ was,”
she says. “At that time, barre was
not offered on the Coast. Whenever
I traveled, I took as many yoga and barre classes as I could find. When I discovered barre intensity, I knew I had found the ‘something’ I was looking for.”
Anderson began adding barre intensity to her practice and her classes. “I knew it was the best combination for my body and mind,” she said. “The two complement one another so well.”
She says yoga and barre classes have many physical and mental benefits. She has seen her students have significant changes in their bodies throughout her years of teaching. “They are stronger, leaner, feel better overall and sleep better. Once these changes begin, improvement in diet follows. Both
yoga and barre emphasize a mind-body connection. Once your mind and body are connected, everything else naturally falls into place.”
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NEW STUDIO on Cowan Road in Gulfport.
The Yoga Barre
1107 Cowan Road, Ste E Gulfport 228.731.3570 www.theyogabarre.net