Yoga Center of Steamboat : Steamboat Springs | By Mary Gavin

That new hardwood floor, though; it’s the talk of the “Boat.” Hand-laid by studio owner Cheryl Anders’s husband, Ross, and his father, the new flooring at the Yoga Center of Steamboat is just the start of the space’s rejuvenation. Copious amounts of heart, soul, sweat and thought are being poured into the longest standing yoga studio in downtown Steamboat. In June of 2017, Cheryl Anders took over as the new owner of the Yoga Center of Steamboat.

Cheryl has been warmly welcomed back to the community after years of searching out a home base with her husband and two fur children, Debbie and Levi. Their official search began in Stagecoach, just outside of Steamboat in 2014, and continued on with stints in Vail, Fort Collins and Park City. After spending over 10 years in Summit and Eagle counties, they were looking for something a bit more stability, somewhere to raise a family someday. There’s just something about Colorado, and Steamboat in particular, that felt like home for the pair and ultimately brought them back to where they began years ago. “Same same but different,” one might say.

As a student there I experienced deep shifts in creating a more sustainable practice for myself, which inspired me to complete my 500-hour training in Ayurvedic Yoga Instruction at Kripalu.

“I was immediately drawn to the Yoga Center,” Cheryl fondly recalls. “As a student there I experienced deep shifts in creating a more sustainable practice for myself, which inspired me to complete my 500-hour training in Ayurvedic Yoga Instruction at Kripalu.”

When the opportunity arose to buy the studio, Cheryl says felt like a no-brainer. Having experienced the space so powerfully in her own practice, she was excited to contribute to the vision of the Yoga Center in her new role as studio owner.

Cheryl weaves her knowledge of Ayurvedic practices into her teaching and lifestyle while remaining authentic to the Yoga Center’s original mission: “To provide a sacred space for education and practices that promote a life in balance: a healthy body, peaceful mind and joyful heart.”

The space itself offers abundant natural lighting with floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing the beautifully serene Yampa River. Bountiful trees just outside the massive windows offer subtle shading perfect for relaxing deeply into savasana. It’s an indoor-outdoor feel that nurtures our connection to the natural cycles of the seasons.

“Slowing down does not come naturally for me,” Cheryl admits. “I live a very active lifestyle skiing, mountain biking, hiking, doing, doing, doing. My yoga practice has evolved into my daily soul food. It’s what I turn to for balance. I envision the Yoga Center as a sanctuary, a safe space for everyone who enters our doors.”

Following in the footsteps of previous owners who remain beloved teachers at the Yoga Center, Cheryl is on point in terms of creativity and growth of offerings at the studio.

Students still enjoy crowd-favorites such as summer outdoor yoga, Focus & Flow, Yinfusion and Yoga for Parkinson’s. Specialty classes and workshops are consistently being added to the schedule. Visit the Yoga Center’s website to keep up with the latest offerings such as Reiki & Restorative and monthly meditation offerings.

MARY GAVIN is an experience-junkie creative type, a world traveler, yoga teacher and Reiki healer. Her passion for healing has led her down various paths of inquiry and exploration. She naturally gravitates toward subtle body energetics and the undeniable relationship between the mind, body and spirit. She aspires to be as “Zen” as her dog, Sammie, someday, and hopes to inspire the world by sharing bits of her soul through writing. www.marygavinholistichealing.com