Yoga Mountain Shadows offers a sense of home to many people in Colorado Springs. High ceilings and natural light are not the only things that make this studio so enticing; its mission to get people moving, while offering a sense of community, is what makes this studio so unique.
Many of the studio’s students are either newer to yoga or are slightly older and looking to maintain an active lifestyle. Because of this, Yoga Mountain Shadows is committed to being a judgment-free zone.
“When you come in, don’t worry about what other people are doing. Just relax, listen to the cues and let your body move,” says owner and director, Elsbeth Micklewright.
Yoga Mountain Shadows offers heated and non-heated classes. Some of the most popular offerings include a non-traditional Vinyasa, Warm + Gentle, Yin and Ashtanga.
“We don’t have a specific type of class where we follow certain ideologies; it is a general mix,” Micklewright explains. “When students have questions about other classes, it’s nice to tell them that they have already done most postures in other classes they’ve attended. It allows them to step out of their comfort zone and try something new.”
Additionally, she adds that her teachers have a fair amount of autonomy when it comes to teaching. It provides a variety of choices for students where they can find what they like, and it allows the teachers to teach what they are feeling and get creative.
Everyone at Yoga Mountain Shadows has a unified goal of moving their body. This commonality creates a sense of community that truly differentiates them from other studios.
Even as COVID-19 forced the studio to go remote at first, their community remained intact.
“Although our students had any studio in the world at their fingertips with online platforms, we still meant enough to them to stick with us. It was a good way to connect with people,” shares Micklewright.
Although the studio still offers one online class and one hybrid class, Micklewright explains that they currently cater more to face-to-face connection.
Micklewright hopes everything about the studio radiates the feeling of a home. “The space makes us what we are for sure,” she says. Whether it is the coffee bar in the lobby, wall decor from people in the community, free yoga mat rentals or essential oil towels after hot yoga, “It’s those small things that we didn’t necessarily plan on doing that we like to do as it strengthens relationships,” she adds.
As for the future, Micklewright says she’s sticking to her goal of getting people to move and have options. “It is kind of a funky time balancing what we might put out there versus what we might get taken away [due to the virus],” she explains. “But having that community and relationship no matter what business it is, really does go a long way.”
4663 Centennial Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO
719.799.6697
Photos courtesy of Yoga Mountain Shadows.
Emme Fredericks was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She moved to Boulder, Colorado to study advertising and business and she fell in love with the mountains. She loves all things outdoors, anything creative and has a passion for health and wellness. She is currently interning at Jaunt Media Collective, the publishing company behind Spoke+Blossom and YOGA + Life magazines.
Originally published in the Winter + Spring 2021-22 issue.
