Woman returns home to start yoga ‘community’
Thursday, 28 Mar, 2024

Woman returns home to start yoga ‘community’

Sharron Pinheiro owns more than one yoga mat in Mount Clemens. She described it as a yoga “community”.

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MOUNT CLEMENS – Sharron Pinheiro says it’s more than just yoga. It is a “community”.

More Than a Mat Yoga was opened in mid-September. It is located at 101 Church St. in Mount Clemens, behind Mount Clemens Middle / High School.

“More Than a Mat Yoga is a community that creates a space free of judgment for all ages, sizes, shapes and colors,” said Pinheiro.

The company offers yoga classes, workshops, and retreats, and guides people on their yoga journey, from beginners to advanced yogis. It offers body positive yoga courses, deep dive series and workshops as well as private yoga lessons, yoga therapy and massage for full body wellness.

“Part of our mission is to support your path to positive change,” said Pinheiro. “That means our teaching is not what most people take to be ‘practice’. Although most yoga has a practice facet, our courses are holistic as teachers also guide students to look inward and think about how they can make their own changes to benefit themselves positively. “

Up to 18 people can be in each class. In the first month of business, around five people took each course.

Pinheiro, 55, from Ray Township, owns the store, which is located in a 1,100-square-meter building. The building had been empty for two years. Before that, it was a candy store and a barber shop.

She grew up in Clinton Township, moved to California for five years, and then moved back to Michigan. Prior to opening the yoga studio, Pinheiro owned a skin care business on 21 Mile Road and Gratiot Avenue for 12 years.

“This is my home,” said Pinheiro. “I had a great childhood here.”

The courses offered include Aging with Balance, Slow Flow, Mixed Level and Candlelight courses. It offers 20 courses per week with a dozen teachers.

“We have everything from beginner yoga to vinyasa,” said Pinheiro. “We’re doing Yoga 101, a four-week course that starts with basic philosophy and basic poses.”

Pinheiro said she handpicked the instructors, each with their own personality.

Connecting the Mount Clemens neighborhood with yoga, Pinheiro said, is vital.

“We sat down here on purpose,” she said. “Half of our people go to class on foot. We want to involve the local people. “

Mount Clemens Mayoress Laura Kropp said the opening of the studio signals that Mount Clemens has seen a pretty significant resurgence in businesses coming to town and that the wellness industry is regaining strength.

“Everything we do for economic development works,” she said. “We have added nine new stores.”

As for the wellness industry, Kropp noted that the town was once home to mineral baths.

“Now we seem to be the wellness capital of Macomb County,” said the mayor. “We have naturopaths, yoga teachers, and several wellness-oriented companies in downtown Mount Clemens.”

Kropp believes that Mount Clemens will become known as a health and natural healing center.

After taking yoga classes for about five years, Pinheiro thought it would be great for people to support a yoga company that had a little of what they liked about other studios.

“We have to do something where people can come and not be ashamed,” she said.

The company was one of the providers at the holistic Mount Clemens trade fair in September.

Monthly memberships and class packages are available.

The studio is open for half an hour before and after each course. The opening times depend on the day. To learn more, visit morethanamatyoga.com.

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Woman returns home to start yoga ‘community’