New Energy: Amazing Yoga on Ellsworth Ave

The soft snow falling against the cold gray skies heralds February 14 th , the most romantic night of the year.   But over on Ellsworth Avenue, Sean Conley, proprietor of Amazing Yoga looks around his packed studio in disbelief.   "Don't any of you have dates?"   Sean asks.

The studio, abuzz with the chatter of more than thirty people who line up mat to mat eager to begin the night's practice, offers up no response, and instead, a moment later, the room quiets as Sean directs everyone into "child's   pose."      Power Vinyasa class is underway.    More appetizing than a box of chocolates, more tantalizing than Zinfandel, and far less expensive than a dozen red roses, Amazing Yoga is romancing everyone.  

In October Sean and Karen Conley boomeranged back from Seattle to open the Shadyside yoga studio.   The response has been overwhelming. Karen and Sean's inviting and charismatic teaching style is a refreshing and obviously much-needed alternative in   the Pittsburgh fitness scene.  

Based on the principles   and inspiration of Baron Baptiste, a teacher based in Boston who counts football MVP Tom Brady as a student,   the Power Vinysa style of yoga emphasizes its physical nature:    "We demystify yoga without losing respect for the traditions that inform this practice.   We try to bridge the gap between East and West," Karen explains.   "The yoga we teach is for everyone --all ages, all body types. We focus on the positive. And the positive always comes from within."  

More athletic than some other forms of yoga practices, the Baptiste style is a real workout.   The room is overheated to 90 degrees and there are stretching, strengthening, and cardio workouts built into the routine.   Every part of the body gets attention.

Karen, a former aerobic and kickboxing instructor,   says she knew she had found something unique when she took Baron Baptiste's workshop in Boston one weekend.   From there she enrolled in one of his Mexican   boot camps - an intensive week of teacher training where yoga is practiced 6-7 hours a day. Baptiste believes that balancing your emotions, mastering your diet, and strong physical workouts will produce a body that has limitless potential. Sean says he was drawn to this kind of yoga because it seemed geared to guys like him who lifted weights four or five times a week.   "I read Baron Baptiste's book Journey Into Power and was impressed with the fact that he trained the Philadelphia Eagles."    Sean, former NFL player, traded his gym pass for yoga classes and feels that he's never been in better shape.   "I never go to the weight room now.   I don't have to. This is so much better for my body.   I can actually feel my abs now."  

Gregarious and energetic, Karen and Sean and their equally talented instructors teach morning and afternoon classes seven days a week.   Their enthusiasm is infectious; they embrace the adage that you are what you teach.   "It's wonderful," says Karen as she opens a new shipment to restock the shelves in her small boutique.   She sells yoga apparel, jewelry, books, and CDs. Before she has time to put the pants on a hanger a young woman asks to try them on and a moment later, the pants are sold.   "We're so happy to be here. We came back to Pittsburgh because of the opportunity to open studio and share what we love with others."   Karen says.  

Her husband couldn't agree more.   "It's a gift to be able to do what we're doing. Yoga has changed our lives.   We're so much more focused on what's important in our lives because of our yoga practices."   Right now they're running   "40 Days to a Personal Revolution" - a program that combines   yoga classes, meditation, and a sensible diet   to change their students' bodies and awaken the sacred within their soul.

While other Valentine's couples are savoring filet mignon and toasting their love with Veuve Cliquot , Sean's students are posed for ten breaths while he tells the tale of two frogs - one who lives in a bucket of water and the other who lives in the ocean - a metaphor that encourages the students to accept their own limitations. Judging by the enthusiasm when he finishes, Amazing Yoga is much more seductive than Cupid's winged arrow.  

Sharon Dilworth

Squirrel Hill Magazine, Spring/Summer 2005