Yoga
Jane Mekik
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Wanda Koch
WRITTEN BY
in the Queen City
I
I think we can all finally agree that
yoga is not a passing trend, yes? I
know we’ve also moved on from the
notion that it’s a bunch of hippygranola-unshaven-youths sitting
around in strange positions while they
breathe and chant their way towards
who knows what. The perception of
yoga, what it is, and who does it, has
radically shifted in recent years (thanks
Madonna & Gwyneth). In fact, if you
don’t already practice it yourself, you
probably have a co-worker, friend,
sister-in-law, or hair stylist who does. To
better understand how this once exotic
form of movement morphed from
fringe to fad to a fundamental daily
practice for more than 15 million Americans, we’ve tapped a handful of our
favorite instructors in the Charlotte area
to fill us in on why they do what they do.
122
PEACHY
In our humble opinion, no conversation of yoga in the Queen City can be
had without mention of the lovely
Grace Morales. Ask any teacher in
town (and we asked a lot of them), and
they likely will credit her for inspiring
their love of the mat. Founder and former owner of Charlotte Yoga, the city’s
first Power Yoga studio, Grace pioneered the shift in public perception
of the practice as ‘easy,’ or ‘boring,’ to
‘challenging,’ and ‘exhilarating.’ Her
classes were set to a soundtrack of
upbeat tunes with positive messages.
She would deftly weave through her
own personal experiences, somehow
making each student feel connected
and understood. And all the while,
your body was being stretched, toned,
rinsed and relaxed. Sound amazing? It
was, and still is! While she’s no longer