The plaza of sea-foam painted businesses nestled between the south side city staples of Walmart and Sonic are a break from suburbia and give off a beach-like, island feel to a passing car or gazing shopper. In this cluster of commerce is one new addition to Plant City: The Koa Yoga studio.
The studio, owned by Hawaiian native Imani Woomera, opened for classes May 18.
Woomera, 33, requires patrons to be shoeless when entering the studio.
She effortlessly sits in the middle of the room offering Aztec-patterned blankets for patrons to sit on. Even without a class going on, a visitor can feel the tranquil mood that hums with the ceiling fan.
The artwork and layout of the room captures an exotic radiance. It reflects a little of Woomera’s background.
Woomera moved from Hawaii to Kenya with her father, a doctor of plants and soil with the United Nations. She lived in Kenya for 18 years before moving to Florida.
She is more than just the legal owner of the studio — she is a seasoned instructor who fell in love with yoga 20 years ago.
“I discovered yoga from watching a VHS tape when I was only 13,” Woomera said. “There was no Google, and no one that I knew understood what it was, but I continued matching the same poses every morning.”
After jetting across the ocean, Woomera settled in the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World. She wanted to open a studio where she lived and hopes to spread the budding culture of yoga through a place where she believes it is missing.
The Koa Yoga studio offers classes for beginners, kids and even pregnant women. The prenatal classes are led by an expecting, yet still flexible, Woomera. She is six months pregnant with her second child, and she still breezily lifts her leg into her favorite pose, compass. She demonstrates the way one can accelerate physically through classes and guidance.
“We cater to the beginner for sure,” Woomera said. “If you can breathe, you can do yoga.”
No one at The Koa Yoga Studio is going to be expected to break into a split after two classes. It is about gradual knowledge and the mental awareness of your being.
In the tree of yoga, there are eight limbs. Two are more widely practiced in the Western world: asana (posture) and pranayama (breathing). If you can use both together, they can make you a calmer and more centered person, she said.
Woomera’s studio is simplistic and relaxing. It is clear it is nothing like a gym. There are no pumping exercise bikes or intimating weightlifters. It is more than a place to visit twice a week or after a pizza indulgence.
Yoga is about physically helping your body, but it is also a lifestyle change that focuses on personal happiness.
If you have time to stop, you have time to do yoga, the studio’s instructors said.
“If you want to become better at anything you do, a better mom, more compassionate, an improved person, then you cannot afford to not do yoga,” Woomera said.
Woomera encourages Plant City residents of all ages and walks of life to attend the studio’s first open house at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 27. Attendees will be able to partake in a free class, enjoy mimosas and receive a free class pass.
IF YOU GO
Where: 2806 James L. Redman Parkway
When: Open House 10 a.m. Saturday, June 27; other classes posted online each week.
Website: TheKoaYoga.com
Contact: (813) 716-5086 or info@thekoayoga.com
Abby Baker is a senior at Plant City High School and a contributing writer.