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From little things, big vines grow

It took two women with a love of yoga and an understanding of busy, time- poor people to sprout a flourishing wellness oasis in the heart of the Perth Central Business District.

Donna Buchanan and Kate Taylor started with a pop-up yoga studio in the heart of the city and, blown away by its popularity, found a permanent space and established The Yoga Vine where inner-city workers can take a break from their day and refresh.

“We were both continually amazed that there was no dedicated yoga studio in the centre of Perth and in early 2013 we noticed a lot of pop-up businesses setting up around the city — from there we had the idea of setting up a pop-up yoga studio,” Ms Buchanan explains.

The Yoga Vine places importance on making yoga convenient, particularly for inner-city workers.

“For so many people, getting to a 90-minute yoga class before or after work is really difficult,” Ms Taylor says.

“We started with a timetable of 45-minute lunchtime classes Monday to Friday, thinking this would be realistic for city workers to access yoga in the middle of their day.”

The pair say their personal experiences with yoga have influenced their belief in its physical and mental benefits.

“I came to yoga to help fix a bad back 12 years ago — I had to deconstruct and construct my body in a new way for it to feel good again,” Ms Buchanan says.

“I’m still pulling apart my body and mind all the time — it’s always changing and I love that yoga helps me continually find a better way to feel.”

Behind The Yoga Vine is a drive to grow with the sense of change and freshness Ms Buchanan and Ms Taylor see in Perth.

“Perth CBD is changing so fast — it’s becoming a really dynamic and vibrant place that people don’t just go to work in, it’s a place to live and shop, and is a great evening and weekend destination,” Ms Buchanan says.

“Our studio is really dedicated to embodying that — we want people to feel excited to be there and to offer something new,” Ms Taylor adds.

In the future, the owners say they’d like The Yoga Vine to continue to reflect what people are looking for in a yoga studio.

“Yoga is a vast science for our body and mind and really does have something for everyone — it gives us tools to have a stronger connection with ourselves,” Ms Taylor says.

“There’s an awesome yoga community in Perth and you see people enjoying and feeling a part of that, too.”



TAKE YOUR PICK

A diverse timetable: The Yoga Vine has dynamic and strength-building classes, as well as restorative and relaxing sessions.

Lots of time options: The studio runs up to seven classes a day, seven days a week.

Pilates: '''' The pair believe Pilates offers a great complementary exercise to yoga and include it in their offerings.

Yoga retreats: '''' The Yoga Vine is offering a SNOWGA retreat in Falls Creek this September. Next year in July they plan to take a group to Costa Rica.


The Yoga Vine is at Ashton Chambers, lower ground floor, 187 St Georges Terrace. Visit theyogavine.com.au.