Millwood welcomes Mellow Monkey

Sara Hawson sits on a mat in the middle of a beautiful expanse of hardwood floor. Summer sunlight plays around her in a room elegant in its sparse decoration.

It’s not where she expected to be right now, but the look of calm enjoyment on her face says she’s quite pleased with the unexpected turn of events.

To her way of thinking, she says, the universe wants her to be in this space at this time. Who is she to argue?

Hawson opened the Mellow Monkey Yoga Studio at 9017 E. Euclid Ave., in Millwood in June. To her surprise, the new business venture has met with solid success.

“If you had told me that, two months into it, that I’d be able to cover my expenses, I never would have believed it,” she says.

The studio features an array of yoga instruction three days a week. Beginning Sept. 3, the schedule doubles, offering instruction in yoga, tai chi, qigong and pilates. The studio will host an open house Aug. 28.

“We’ve been so welcomed by the people in the area,” she said. “There are a lot of people out there looking for a place like this, where they can come and learn. There are some places here in the Valley that teach a yoga class here and there, but there wasn’t a place dedicated to it – a place where you can always go to study. I believe there’s a need for one.”

Getting to a place in her life where she can teach something she clearly loves, is a case of an old adage coming true. As they say, when the students are ready, the teacher will arrive.

Sara Hawson is that teacher.

It was just a few years ago that Hawson, herself, was a beginning student of the ancient practice of stretching and meditation as a student.

“I was taking classes at the YMCA, and they offered a class for yoga instructors,” she said. “I was curious and took that class and got my certification, but I wasn’t looking to teach at that time. Then one day, our instructor didn’t show up for class and the supervisor from the Y looked at me. ‘Sara, you have your certification, don’t you? Okay. You’re teaching the class.’ From then on, it was my class.”

Looking back, she laughs, it was probably best that her first classroom experience was thrust on her abruptly.

“I was nervous enough as it was,” she smiles. “If I’d had any more time to prepare for it, I would have been a mess.”

An avid student of yoga to begin with, teaching has opened up new pathways of learning.

“I am amazed at how much more I’ve learned about yoga as a teacher,” she said. “I’ve learned so much more by working with other people than I ever would have expected. It’s such a rewarding experience.”

Hawson continued to teach at the YMCA and opened a traveling instruction business. But opening a studio, she thought, was still a few years off.

“Then I saw an ad on craigslist.com for this studio,” she said. “I kept coming back to look at it. Then I decided to drive by and take a look at it. Then I came back and looked at it again.

“Next thing I knew, I was talking to the landlord, and we were moving in.”

Hawson teaches a disciplined method of movement that stretches the body and mind, allowing her students a new way to handle the day-to-day stress of life.

“Everything is connected,” she said. “We all hold stress physically on our bodies. For most of us, it’s in our shoulders. We hunch over, and we breathe shallowly.

“That’s where we start. We start learning how to breathe again. Just learning how to do that makes a big difference in how we deal with life. From there, we go into basic movements that are pretty disciplined, but there’s still flexibility enough so that everyone can find their own pace.”

The studio offers instruction at all levels, from beginning to advanced. Drop-ins are welcome. But Hawson warns that students come both wearing layers of comfortable clothing and prepared to sweat. The only additional equipment a student will need is a yoga mat, and that can be purchased at the studio.

But just where, one wonders, does that name come from?

“I used to tell my husband that I wanted my own business with monkeys,” Hawson laughs. “I didn’t know what they would do, but I wanted monkeys.

“Now I have my monkey business.”