Participants take part in a gentle Thursday morning class.[/caption]
In a slow, soft voice, Salena Quilan-Shults tells her class participants to feel the heaviness in their eyes, to breathe in and out, and to rest in the moment. The lights are dimmed as calming music sets the tone for the session.
The participants gradually move from one position to the next throughout the class—child’s pose, downward dog, warrior pose. All the while, Quilan-Shults maintains her peaceful disposition as she leads the class.
Quilan-Shults guides a class through stretches.[/caption]
Quilan-Shults opened Yoga on Main in February 2009 after spending years in corporate America. She said teaching yoga was something she had wanted to do for most of her life.
“My husband, who was my fiancé at the time, knew how much I hated corporate America,” Quilan-Shults said. “He said, ‘Quit your job, and do it. If that’s what you want to do, do it.’ So that’s how it started, just following your passion.”
The studio is located in old downtown Frisco. Quilan-Shults said she wanted a location with history and an eclectic feel.
Yoga on Main’s classes range in intensity from gentle beginners’ classes to sweat-inducing power classes. All of the classes are vinyasa based, which means that one position flows into another.
Some of the specialty classes include prenatal yoga and Zen Kids Yoga. Zen Kids Yoga is designed for children age 4 and older. The class incorporates fitness and calming mental exercises. Quilan-Shults said the instructor works a lot with children who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to help them focus.
“Especially for the kids, it’s great for that monkey-mind, that business, that self-esteem,” she said. The instructor “does a little meditation with them, she talks about breath work with them which, really, we could all use that.”
Quilan-Shults said a lot of people start yoga with very narrow expectations about the practice.
“We get a lot of people who come in thinking, ‘I’m coming into this practice because I want to be stronger or more flexible,’” she said. “And then they find out that, ‘This is like a total package. Not only am I getting strength and flexibility, but I’m also getting this great sense of peace of mind, this Zen that comes with it.’”
Yoga on Main 6726 Main St., Ste. 310, Frisco 214-407-8337 Hours: Mon.-Sun., hours vary www.yogaonmainst.com
