Yoga Happy Hour

Yoga is hot. Over the years it has gone from being granola crunchy to mainstream. While it still has the faint scent of patchouli about it, you can find a Yoga studio in almost every small town, city or neighborhood anywhere in the country. If not a studio, you will find a class in a church, home or workshop somewhere.

Studio 11 is one of two places I know of to do yoga in Tremont, the other being Pilgrim Church. Ohio City used to have the West Side Y, which closed, but teacher Joan McGuire still teaches at the Franklin Circle Church and at Buck Harris' studio, 'No Place Like Om' in Detroit Shoreway; and classes are held at MorrisonDance studios in Ohio City. I am sure there are others, but those are ones that I have personally attended.

Last week, as part of my efforts to get to know the Tremont business owners a bit better, I volunteered to work at the Friday Karma Yoga 'Happy Hour' that Studio 11 sponsors, very popular during Art Walks. This evening would be special, because the class would be led by husband and wife team Tammi and Terry Singley, followed by a potluck dinner (including treats from 'Take A Bite' owners Tom and Joy Harlor) and poetry reading. What more could I ask for?

As the 'Karma Yogi' (volunteer) for the evening, I arrived at 5:00 pm to help set up. Tiiu Gennert, who with Kate Murch is a founder/owner of Studio 11, met me at the door with her infectious enthusiasm radiating. She is one of those overachievers who could be really irritating if she weren't so dang nice (yoga teacher, Pilates instructor, Thai massage practitioner - not to mention lawyer, theater person, sports enthusiast). And yes, Tiiu is her given name, and Eastern European rather than Sanskrit as I had assumed. We ran around and lit incense, arranged yoga blankets, prepared artichoke dip, and hauled stuff from the upstairs yoga studio to the downstairs Pilates area, site of the potluck and poetry reading.

Studio 11 is in the triangular shaped entrance to Lemko Hall. The Lemkos were Eastern Europeans with a fascinating history (see the website: http://lemko.org/genealogy/buryk.html). The hall is famous for being featured in the 1970s classic movie 'The Deer Hunter.' The Studio 11 space is a wide, welcoming, room, with candles, incense and a springy Pergo floor, perfect for yoga. Years ago a friend of mine had a studio here when she was a student at the Cleveland Institute of Art - she made an enormous American flag made out of woven lead fabric on the floor; I remember several other artists rented the space before Tremont was hot. Architect Bob Vayda updated the space when he bought it, leasing it to a gallery for a number of years before he created a yoga studio, Prava, which he subsequently sold to Tiiu and Kate.

Kate looks like a 1930s movie star, tall and elegant. Together she and Tiiu embody what makes Tremont special - young, enterprising, and fun. They laugh a lot, and seem not to take themselves or anything too seriously - except in their desire to have a great yoga studio.

Just before 6:oo pm people start to arrive - an older guy, a mom with her pre-teen daughter, established professional women, 20-somethings, a couple, an older woman who is trying yoga for the first time - eventually 40 people fill the room. My job is to collect the $5 donation for tonight's special class, make sure they sign in and that new people fill out the health survey. It's a daunting task to keep up, and I try to project a yoga-appropriate air of calm and serenity.

Tammi and Terry are charismatic and skillful leaders. They tag team on leading yoga and adjusting postures. There is a great feeling in the room, as there usually is during a yoga class. There's a lot of laughter in between poses - Terry especially, is funny, and has kind of a 'yoga tough guy' thing going on. He's an expert with a group. His wife is quieter, focused and keeps things rolling. Before you know it, we are in final relaxation pose. I try not to feel ridiculous, as I have been pushed out to the entry way by the capacity crowd; my yoga moves are visible in the doorway to anyone who is sitting at Civilization or Studio Le Beau. But I have a good yoga buzz on so what do I care? Tiiu instructs me how to sweep the floor 'McDonald's Style' (a continuous zig zag) and we're done.

The potluck that follows is a surprise - about half the attendees stay on, and eat delicious food. The poetry reading is limited to two performers - one, a lawyer who became a yoga practitioner without realizing his connections to Tiiu - they worked at the same law firm at one time. He read his rhyming couplets to much laughter as Tom and Joy's children raced about and people lounged on yoga blankets finishing their tea or beer. The other reader had been the first to arrive that evening, he recited a heartfelt poem that he had not written but had enjoyed and wanted to share. People lingered for longer than I expected, and it made for a perfect evening.

I am so glad there is a yoga studio in Tremont. Kate told me: "I feel like the energy in Tremont has just been building and building for 20 years or more, and now we are a part of it." I think she's right.

The Studio 11 website can be found at: http://www.studio11tremont.com/index.htm