February marks the six-year anniversary for Medford Square business, Borealis Community Yoga. They recently moved into a newly renovated, two-story on High Street and have big plans for the future. We sat down with owner, Emilie Reid.
What are some benefits of practicing yoga?
Some people come to it because they want peace of mind, or at least some mental break from whatever their daily life is. I think some people want to feel healthier and more connected to their bodies, but don't necessarily feel attracted to a weight room or a gym situation. A group yoga class can offer that opportunity to strengthen and stretch and relax and also connect with the body.
What do you offer at Borealis?
Mostly we offer group yoga classes, which are a great way to connect with yourself and your body, but also connect with others. We offer one-on-one wellness sessions, which include private yoga with one of our instructors, Reiki (a technique of relaxation by channeling energy), massage, and pre-natal massage. We also offer Thai yoga bodywork, also called "lazy man’s yoga." It's similar to a massage in that it's a one-on-one session. It's very relaxing, you and the instructor are kind of moving through yoga postures together. It's one of those things that's not offered everywhere, so we're excited to have it here.
How can someone not familiar with yoga, who might feel apprehensive, get started?
Well, one recommendation I have is to give us a call because we can recommend a specific class based on what you’re looking for in terms of strength or relaxation. We offer everything on the spectrum in terms of movement, strength, and speed. Almost all of our classes are really geared so that the first timer and the long timer can enjoy them. That's one of the things that I think makes our team unique.
Do you offer any classes geared toward specific needs?
We offer chair yoga, which is a specialized kind of class where you have the option of using a chair, either to sit in, or to balance yourself on. It’s really great for someone dealing with an injury. It can benefit an older population a lot, helping them to regain balance and strength. Pregnant women also really enjoy it because at some point, when they get large enough, they don't feel comfortable moving so quickly up and down off the floor.
We're really excited that this space – with the lift – offers the opportunity for people to actually get to class. Instead of just offering a class that is accessible, the space is accessible too.
Tell us more about your plans for this space.
The plan is to add a cafe focused on tea and chai and grain bowls. Seasonable and mostly vegetables. For example, maybe a grain bowl with sautéed greens and white beans topped with beets and sweet potatoes, maybe a tahini dressing, and pumpkin seeds.
Any idea on when the cafe might happen?
The build out has taken 2 years, just to get into this space. So we’ve been focused on getting the yoga up and running. We’ve been running a lot of workshops. I’m leading a retreat to Mexico. So there's a lot of other yoga and yoga related activities that we’re involved in.
Emilie adds, Right now we're focused on getting people moving. And then we’ll feed them.
Borealis offers new customers a one-week trial of unlimited classes for $35.
Borealis Community Yoga
28 High Street, Medford MA
(781) 350-4299
Classes daily, check website for hours.
Check out our other Medford Spotlight posts.
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