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Amy Lea Hodges recently opened her brick and mortar yoga studio and is excited for a new journey of bettering lives.

The Amy Lea Yoga & Wellness studio in downtown Jefferson City opened officially in early March, but Hodges has been teaching in gyms and at home for nine years.

“I was a psychotherapist for many years and began teaching yoga in graduate school over twenty years ago,” Hodges said. “I continued teaching yoga while practicing and I wasn’t fulfilled with my job and I really felt my calling was to teach yoga so I worked part time and in 2014 I decided to begin teach yoga full time in the area.”

“I worked at Field of Dreams and National Fitness and taught classes there for a long time. During the pandemic when everything shut down I moved into a home that had space for me to have my own studio.”

“I got that space ready and when we were allowed to, I opened up. Some spaces took longer to invite people back, like gyms, but I didn’t need to draw in a large crowd and my business grew at my house.”

After a few years teaching at her home she found that she could no longer accommodate her growing list of students.

“Luckily I outgrew my home studio so I had to find a place quickly and we found our new location in Downtown Jefferson City which is starting to grow and revitalize, which is amazing,” she said.

Her new studio, located at 102 East Old AJ Highway Suite B in Jefferson City allows her to continue to grow and teach her students to heal their bodies.

“I want to help the community heal and teach them to make themselves feel better,” Hodges said. “The movement and the stretching allows us to connect the mind with the body so the mind can understand what the body is saying. The body is medicine and I want people to understand that.”

She teaches several different classes that teaches students to connect the mind to the body.

“I teach a variety of classes and styles of yoga but most of my teachings are rooted in the style of Ashtanga (eight limbs), and it’s an older style of yoga,” Hodges said. “I’m very authentic with what I teach and it leans into slowing down and honoring the body.”

“I want people to learn the importance of restoring before starting to bang it up. You can injure the body before restoring. Your body is your vehicle and I want to teach people to drive it.”

Hodges explained a few different classes she offers at her studio.

“I teach beginner classes which are more foundational classes which teach people the building blocks of yoga and prepare them for the more advanced classes I offer,” she said.

“My best class for people to take to restore their body is my Yen style. That is where we are propped up on bolsters and we relax the body into a pose appropriately so the body will restore itself and reset the central nervous system.”

She explained how the central nervous system can be overworked by everyday life and how yoga can relieve that stress.

“What is wrong with a lot of people is their central nervous system is overloaded with the news, what’s going on in the world and just life in general. The nervous system just gets over worked a lot with life and this style helps eliminate that stress that people feel,” she said.

Hodges highlighted what her classes look like and the support her students give each other.

“There are men and women in all of our class and of all ages. All equipment is provided if you don’t have your own and we are just a welcoming family,” she said. “That’s what I love about my classes; if someone is new to a class the other students in the class surround them and welcome them and make them feel safe in the environment so they have the ability to grow.”

“What people will find after their first is class is where their body has resistance and that is very normal and with a little dedication and discipline your body will begin to open.”

Hodges discussed new member discounts and how to maintain membership with her studio.

“Everyone’s first class is free and their second class is $10 dollars. Then for one-time-only interested participants can buy a package for $50 which will allow them to attend any class during the month,” she said.

“We will custom make packages for people to fit their schedules and interests. We are very flexible here and want to make yoga more accessible for the community.”

“I do not make people sign contracts, and I never want people to feel pressured to come in. I don’t want them to feel harassed with emails or texts about coming in to take a class. We want them to be welcomed.”

As new students join her classes she wants to ensure they take their own pace with her classes.

“I want people to feel safe to start their journey to better health. This is their journey and no one else’s. They can move as slow or as quickly as they like, there is no pressure to move into an advanced class we want people to go at their own pace.”

Hodges explained the importance and usefulness of practicing yoga regularly.

“Yoga has so many benefits. It leads to better physical health, from lower blood pressure, increased hormone balance and the alignment of the spine,” she said. “We have seen a growth in bone density and it also helps with depression and anxiety. If done correctly there is not one aspect of your life that it won’t improve.”

Hodges has many goals for her yoga studio, but overall she wants people to have a better life.

“My goal for the community is that they are able to take at least one thing from my classes to make their life better and happier,” she said. “I want people to take real self-care and truly working on healing and that will make their arms stronger to hold the people that they love.”

“The breath is the lullaby for the mind which calms the body. Then your life calms, your children’s lives calm, your coworker’s lives calm, your neighbor’s lives calm. It’s just as contagious and panic.”

After many years of working in the industry the growth she sees in her students is what keeps her going.

“I love the growth that I see in people and when they come to me and say I don’t wake up in pain anymore or that they don’t respond like the used to is what truly keeps me going,” she said. “They were doing it themselves and they created space in their mind, body and spirit.”

She talked about being nervous when she decided to pursue teaching yoga full time, but in the end her experience has been worthwhile.

“When I first began to teach yoga full time it was a big leap and I thought people would think I was crazy for quitting my job and not using a degree that I went to school for many years to receive, but all those years in school helped me get to where I am now,” she said.

“I love teaching yoga and helping others. I don’t even consider this work. Since I’ve been teaching I never say ‘oh I’m going to work’ I say I’m going to teach a class which is a big difference when you are doing something you love and passionate about.”

“I used to sit back and wait for something bad to happen but I realized you can’t control the future and when you’re doing something you love when the bad times come it’s easier to get through it.”