GREAT ESCAPE: Peace Yoga

Peace and quiet can at times be elusive for mothers with kids of any age. Lucky for us, Peace Yoga is a great escape that's just an exhale away.

Peace Yoga, on Main Street in Bel Air, is true to the centuries-old practice it teaches. ‘Yoga’ is a word derived from the Sanskrit root “yuj” which means to connect, join or balance.

Since the studio’s opening in January, owner Heather Gallant Gagnon says, it has been a place for yoga practitioners in Harford County to connect with one another as well as a place for those new to yoga to join a community of believers in the relaxing properties of yoga practice.

The health benefits alone—flexibility, strength, better posture and benefits to heart health to name only a few—make yoga worth considering for the busy mom. As a yoga novice, I have always admired the outwardly zen (and seemingly lean) persona of yoga devotees. Now, as a mother of two who seeks more calm in her life (as well as a shapelier figure), it seems yoga may be just the cure I need—especially since there is now a studio devoted exclusively to the practice in Harford County.

Peace Yoga’s owner, also a mom of two, believes yoga “can help mothers mentally” and that taking time to recharge our batteries can result in more “patience and calm” in our roles as caregivers to the entire family. That said, what ultimately may begin as a great escape has the potential to benefit your whole family.

Address: 122 South Main St., Bel Air, Maryland 21082

Phone Number: (410) 937-5026

Website: www.peaceyogabelair.com

Email: info@peaceyogabelair.com

Before You Go: Experienced yoga practitioners will find a great variety of classes to add to their repertoire at the studio as well as instructors with several different areas of expertise and instruction. For beginners, Heather says, taking the first step “is the scariest part.” To remedy the fear of falling over in the midst of sun salutation, a common yoga pose, Peace Yoga offers several basic and introductory level classes and workshops.  The studio also offers expectant mothers a prenatal workshop that teaches modifications to yoga poses.