“The yoga studio has really provided almost a kind of community,” Brooks said. “I see people all over The Woodlands that I know that have come and taken a class here.”
The Woodlands Yoga Studio offers 12 classes, including basic yoga, restorative yoga, meditation, gentle classes, senior classes, Core Balance and prenatal yoga.
“The variety [in classes] is there so you can shape the kind of practice that you need,” Brooks said.
The studio employs 25 certified instructors and offers training courses for yoga teachers to receive certifications.
“The philosophy is—when you can train and prepare the body—then the mind and the spirit will follow, and it becomes one,” Brooks said. “They are all connected.”
Benefits of yoga
Brooks said in addition to providing strength and flexibility-building activities, her yoga classes encompass practices for the body, mind and spirit.
“As we age, our body stiffens,” Brooks said. “[Yoga] keeps the body flexible. When the body is flexible and doesn’t have pain, it affects the mind and the spirit. I always say, ‘Happy hips; happy people.’”
Brooks said she works with a variety of students who have physical difficulties, such as knee replacements, hip displacements and scoliosis. She said everyone is welcome to the studio, regardless of age, physical ability or yoga experience.
Community during closure
Brooks said after Gov. Greg Abbott closed gyms at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, she began conducting free virtual classes for the yoga community through Facebook Live. She continues to host about four virtual yoga classes a week through Zoom.
Brooks said a majority of her new students said they are attending classes with the purpose of helping to relieve stress and anxiety associated with the pandemic.
“[Students] are coming for peace to relieve the stress and anxiety. That I find very interesting,” Brooks said. “There is more to yoga than just moving your body.”
The Woodlands Yoga Studio
25126 Grogans Park Drive, The Woodlands
936-271-1485
www.thewoodlandsyogastudio.com
