“Moms are so marginalized in the yoga world,” said Tara Powers, owner of now-under-construction Tribe Yoga at 5029 Olentangy River Rd. “There’s the time thing and then getting childcare and with everything, a simple drop-in class can cost $50!” This and many other issues are what Powers will be reworking at Tribe Yoga.
Located in the Olentangy Plaza of Bethel Road near Gallo’s and beside Bates & Brown, on the Microcenter side of Taylor House, Tribe Yoga fulfills a dream Powers has had since 1997 to make her own yoga space in Columbus.
“Let me give you the share-the-dream tour,” Powers said as we walked over a rough floor strewn with construction paper lined with drawings from her daughters. “We are going to have a nice lobby here for gathering and chit-chatting. Retail will be here and feature all those fun things a yoga studio should have. Special items you can take home and have a nice memory with later.” The ground-floor studio space is very roomy and also has natural light coming from the west.
Powers’ classes show a broad and evolving understanding of yoga asana and philosophy. Inspired by Jonny Kest, Sadie Nardini, and David Regelin, Powers was a student of yoga on Long Island, NY long before moving to Columbus, OH. She put the work into a Yoga Alliance E-RYT200 program, and slowly she became a teacher of teachers. Among other things, she created the Constant Yoga Teacher Training at House of AUM in Yellow Springs.
Now that she is making her own studio, Powers is enthusiastic about possibilities.
“I want it to be a place for empowering and allowing eccentricity … it should be a supportive community which is why I chose the name Tribe Yoga,” she said. “In a tribe, all the members count … and it will be fun like that house the ‘cool mom’ has.”
Besides yoga, Powers plans to hold workshops featuring spirituality and creativity.
“We could have a short thing on making your own smudge sticks; that would be so fun to do,” Powers said.
Knowing the busy schedules of modern moms, she hopes to make a kid-friendly space for mothers to do yoga while kids are otherwise occupied. “Lots to work on!” Powers said with a big smile.
For more information on Tribe Yoga at 5029 Olentangy River Rd. (near Bates & Brown) visit tribe614.com.
