By Mitchell A. Skurzewski
REPORTER
Kathy Johnson has always dreamed of having her own yoga studio. Now, she has that with a storefront in downtown Merrill.
Johnson moved to the area in 2014, but with some family health issues couldn’t run a studio until now. Now she is just days away from opening Rosebud Yoga Studio LLC, located at 804 E. First St.
The grand opening for Rosebud Yoga Studio was May 4 with an open house from noon to 2:30 p.m. and three free classes starting at 8a.m., 10a.m. & 3 p.m.
Kathy and her husband James Johnson decided to move to the area after visiting Kathy’s parents farm in Schley for over 15 years.
The family wasn’t going to move to the area until retirement. James, however, asked if the family could move to Merrill sooner and things fell into place for the Johnsons to make that a reality.
The couple has a special needs son, Michael (Knight), 29 and on one of the visits to Schley they discovered Kindhearted Home Care in Merrill.
“That was a huge reason for moving also,” Kathy said. “With Michael having special needs, this community embraced Michael before we even bought a home here.”
Johnson has taught yoga since 2002 in Illinois and was teaching at Riverside Athletic Club, but she said “the dream was always to have my own studio.”
“It was the perfect price and big enough to accommodate a class of 20 or so,” she said.
Not only having a storefront, but the location being by downtown snack and coffee options – 808 Studio 808 and First Street Coffee Station – was also a factor, Kathy said.
“Ice cream, coffee…it’s a yoga trifecta,” Johnson said.
James helped Kathy put in new carpeting and paint the studio. Johnson says anyone 18 years old and up can come and take a class.
“If you can get to the floor, you can come to class,” she said.
Johnson teaches Svaroopa Yoga after she became an avid supporter of it after taking a trip to Mexico. She was in a car accident in 1998 and had difficulty getting around. After just five days of practicing Svaroppa she had near full mobility in her hip and was climbing stairs.
Since then she knew she wanted to teach the practice.
Svaroopa Yoga reaches deeply to create inner opening and a release of tension held in the body and mind. Classes from May 4-9 will be free.
Morning classes from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 8 to 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. Evening classes Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Costs for class is $10 for walk-ins, $28 for four classes and $50 for 10 classes. For more information call Kathy Johnson at 847-421-8580.