Our Story

I happened upon yoga at age fifty after I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis. I was searching for a practice that would still challenge me but not give me cause to worry given my new limitations. Yoga was game changer for me, but I had to travel outside of my South Shore community for classes. “Why,” I thought, “can’t we have a yoga studio right here in the neighborhood?” Thus, my mission started, my “”why” became clear, and Studio Yogi was born. Studio Yogi offers women, men, and non-binary members of the community an opportunity to experience yoga on their terms, feel welcomed regardless of their identities, and not be self-conscious about their beautiful, strong, curvaceous, voluptuous, sculptural, and picturesque bodies. Studio Yogi is a place for people to come to as they are, where they are, and how they are.

I have encountered so many people who believe yoga is only for those folks who are already agile and possess an innate sense of movement—those who can glide into Crow (Bakasana) posture (Asana), ease into a bound-angle pose (Baddha Konsana), or walk into a handstand (Adho Mudkha Vrksasana) as easily as opening a door. But I know for sure that that isn’t true. I am always modifying poses. I struggle with many postures due to my physical challenges. What is important to understand is that Yoga embraces the fact that no one body is the same: no one body possesses the same range of motion, no one body is without some type of limitation, no one body feels the same every single day. I want people who come to the Studio Yogi to not be focused on the aesthetics of yoga, but rather on the functionality of yoga, because I know that yoga can help make bodies stronger, healthier, and more limber, wherever they fall on the spectrum. I want people to see the meditative benefits that yoga has to offer, as well as the loving relationship that yoga allows people to cultivate with their bodies. I want to build a yoga community that inspires, encourages, and enables people to have fun, socialize, and, if possible, rejuvenate their spirits.

My “why” is clear, and I welcome all to come out and experience yoga at Studio Yogi on their own terms. I look forward to seeing you!

Julia Perkins