By Shannon K. Jones
Staff Reporter
As trends promoting a healthier lifestyle take shape across the country, yoga has found a home in Sault Ste. Marie at Fitness by Design Yoga Studio.
Well-known resident and Certified Personal Trainer Maxine Anderson opened the studio earlier this month, recognizing a need for an alternative to a traditional workout. The studio offers yoga, personal training and lifestyle coaching for all fitness levels.
Yoga first became popular in the U.S. in the 1960s. Currently, more than five million people in the U.S. actively practice yoga for fitness, stress reduction and relaxation. Fitness by Design hopes to encourage fitness in Chippewa County by offering Anusara Yoga and Active Stretching-Yoga Style. The benefits of yoga include physical fitness, stress reduction and increased flexibility.
Anusara Yoga, taught by Lee Carlson, is a system of blending spirit with biomechanics and alignment. Anusara is a method of slow stretching and movements which provide increased flexibility, balance and relaxation. This method is ideal for people interested in becoming more physically fit without a strenuous, high-impact workout.
Carlson moved from Marquette two years ago and has been teaching and practicing yoga since 1972. She teamed up with Anderson while teaching at the Big Bear Arena.
Anderson teaches Active Stretching and offers personal training sessions by appointment. Her class offers a more physical approach to yoga.
The idea to open her own studio stemmed from a desire to teach in a peaceful environment.
“While teaching at the Big Bear, the loud noise and hectic atmosphere was hard to ignore,² she said. Fit by Design, located at 822 Ashmun, is secluded and quiet — ideal for teaching yoga.
Physicians have recognized the whole-body approach of yoga, crediting it for easing the effects of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and multiple sclerosis. Yoga can be practiced by people of all ages and fitness levels.
Fit by Design offers four classes per week in addition to offering personal training by appointment.
