Studio offering virtual yoga classes over Zoom
Whether it’s to get your sweat on, to calm down after a stressful day or just to feel a sense of community, many Davis students turn to practicing yoga at Barefoot Yoga Studio, located downtown at 1015 Olive Dr. The studio offers an array of classes including vinyasa and gentle flows, as well as basic yoga classes and even kids yoga.
The studio, founded by Robert Boswell in 2005, is a staple of the Davis community, with 47.4% of Best of Davis voters choosing Barefoot as their favorite studio. And the appreciation goes both ways: Boswell said the atmosphere that college students bring to Davis and to Barefoot makes the community what it is.
“Yoga perpetuates the idea that you are always a student, and I think having college students around adds to the energy [of yoga] that comes out in that age group, which is open and receptive,” he said.
The studio aims to make the practice of yoga accessible and to share the message that Boswell has found through yoga with Davis students, as well as the whole Davis community. Boswell, who found yoga after an injury that ended his running career, said the studio is brought to life by the diversity of Davis.
“The discipline of yoga brings a sense of happiness and freedom, which we try to encourage,” Boswell said. “We want a heart-felt, community based studio, and that’s what I like about college town studios — it brings diversity”
Nisha Marwaha, a recent UC Davis graduate who interned at Barefoot Yoga during her time at the university, said the community is what makes Barefoot such a special studio to practice at.
“It’s just kind of like a family there,” Marwaha said. “The community and the teachers […] were just a kind of family that I had in Davis when you’re in college and your family is far away. Just knowing that I always had their support and they watched me grow […] was just a wonderful opportunity.”
Shannon Mayhew, another Davis graduate and loyal Barefoot yogi who also previously interned at the studio, agreed that the people and the atmosphere at the studio make it a special place.
“It’s kind of in a funky location, right across the street from In-n-Out, and it’s super hidden, but once you enter it’s kind of like a secret garden,” Mayhew said. “There’s plants and tapestries and posters and it smells amazing and you walk in and see all these smiling faces. In the community, everyone gets to know each other, and that’s what really kept me — that I was in the community with the fellow yogis as well as the teachers because they were so open.”
For those interested in supporting Barefoot Yoga Studio during the current COVID-19 crisis, patrons are able to practice with instructors and fellow yogis via their virtual zoom classes, available on their website.
Written by: Katie DeBenedetti — features@theaggie.org
