After a debilitating car accident at age 19, Monica Cummins found yoga as a way to heal her back injuries and lessen the stresses in her life.
A yoga teacher since 2005 and a regular instructor at the Hope rec centre, Cummins is now offering classes at her new studio The Space.
“My goal is to give people techniques and tools to help them feel better, like someone did for me,” Cummins said.
Having tossed around the idea of opening a yoga studio for well over a decade, a personal loss this summer led her to turn the idea into a plan.
“A really close person to me died unexpectedly this summer and I kind of went, hmm, I need to do what I love to be doing,” she said.
Cummins started offering classes in November. Since then she has begun slowly building a base of regular yogis.
The Space offers hatha and yin yoga, pilates and “savasanahh!,” a class solely for the art of relaxation, at 222A Commission St.
She offers classes Monday through Saturday with Sundays reserved for workshops and courses.
An introduction to shamanism and shamanic journeying is happening Jan. 13 and more is in the works for the spring.
“It takes time to build anything up but I’m just totally patient,” Cummins said.
She envisions it as a space not only for yoga, but also healing and visual arts.
A back room will serve as a therapy space. Cummins has yet to decide what will be offered, but massage or other healing arts are options.
The Space already has pieces by three Hope artists on the walls and is inviting others to hold their own shows in the space.
“Somewhere for people to go on a Saturday night that’s not a bar or a movie. Come and chat with some local people, check out some art,” Cummins said.
She wants to remove some of the up-front costs that artists and people in the healing field face, offering to take commissions instead of charging rent.
Schedule and updates will be posted on The Space Facebook page.