Studio Spotlight: Tula Yoga & Wellness

Tula Yoga and Wellness is located in the Merriam Park East neighborhood on Snelling Avenue. Celebrating their tenth year in business, owners Ann and Dan Blackburn are both Certified Yoga Therapists through the IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapists), as well as faculty and teachers of the Yoga North SomaYoga Teaching Training, often hosted in their studio. The goal of Tula Yoga is to make yoga accessible to everyone, because the Blackburns know just how life-changing yoga can be.

Ann found yoga when she was 19 and in a difficult life season. “I felt so much better that I just kept practicing,” she says. Receiving her first teacher certification in 2009, Ann fell in love with teaching and never looked back. While Dan discovered yoga in the early 90s, it wasn’t until he met Ann that yoga became a huge part of his life, and ultimately their business. “Once I started teaching, I realized that [yoga] wasn’t accessible to everyone,” Ann explains. “Whether that was physical or financial. The only way I could offer yoga at a flexible price was to open our own studio.” To create a yoga studio centered around accessibility, the Blackburns focused on yoga therapy, moving their classes beyond the Western-focused “push through the pain” exercise mentality.

At the foundation of the Blackburn’s yoga therapy is SomaYoga – a system created by Ann Maxwell and Molly McManus of North Yoga. The key to somatics focuses on slow, gentle exercises that re-train the nervous system and bring healing by allowing tight muscles to release.  The Greek word Soma refers to the entire body being perceived from within; in Sanskrit, soma is the name of a Hindu moon god that radiates kindness and gentleness. 

Ann describes their approach as taking the tools of yoga and ayurveda, and blending in somatics and breath science. “We use those tools to design practices for individuals in a holistic way: through meditation, mindfulness and philosophy, movement, breath, and ayurvedic self-care practices.” By using a holistic method, the entire person is addressed in their classes – the physical and energetic body, as well as the mind and emotions. “Yoga therapy is about creating awareness in the body,” Dan adds. This therapy is vital to the executive coaching they provide for organizations across the country. “Understanding who you are, being aware of what your body is feeling under stress… really does help. If we can calm the nervous system down, we can make clearer decisions and be less reactive in relationships.”

To provide a fully accessible practice approachable for any person, Tula Yoga teachers provide variations during class so students can find what feels good for them as individuals. “We teach [students] how to find support so they can find strength instead of just pushing through,” explains Ann. “Pushing through creates more pain and strain as people compensate in their bodies. We teach people first to release tension in the body so that they can find their deep strength and stability within.” Their philosophy finds importance in slowly building strength a little at a time, versus overdoing it and causing more strain on the body. “We meet people where they’re at,” notes Dan, “so that it’s nourishing rather than depleting. There is no ‘gain with pain’ in my class.” 

Vital to the practice of accessibility for the Blackburns is being trauma-conscious. “When people come in,” Ann explains, “we ask them if it’s okay to come into their space to support with props or to help them find the best variation of the movement for them.” In a unique part of their class, Ann and Dan ask students beforehand if they struggle with anything or have an area of the body they want to be extra-cautious of. “We ask them right when they come in so that we can tailor [the class] to the group and individual,” says Dan. Providing stabilizing elements, a key component throughout the class, creates extra support using yoga blocks, bolsters, or a chair if needed. “It’s really important for the whole nervous system,” Ann explains. “We invite them to let their body guide them and only do what feels good – or to do less than they think they should. People know that when they come in, they’re going to be cared for.” 

Beyond running the studio with private and group classes, the Blackburns also host yoga trainings through Yoga North, as well as retreats around the world that paused during the peak of Covid-19.  While the studio went completely virtual during the pandemic, the sense of community continued to thrive, even through computer screens. “Now, more than ever, it’s about connection!” says Ann. The silver lining for them was learning how to operate virtually, and now they offer all hybrid (in-person and online) classes so their online students are not left behind. “We’re working on bringing yoga into communities that would never have access to yoga,” Dan explains. “We really like to bring the training to the world, because it’s good stuff!” he says. “It’s healing. There isn’t any other training like it.”

Tula Yoga goes much deeper than encouraging flexible people to hold poses. Through the process of releasing tight muscles with intentional breathing, the Blackburns help their students become mobile and strong, lengthening their muscles instead of forcing their bodies to fit a pose. Ann emphasizes, “We’re creating a space where they feel comfortable.” 

And this is only the beginning. After celebrating the studio’s ten-year anniversary this past March with an open house (“And a high-five!” Dan adds), the Blackburns are eager to continue creating more spaces welcoming to all people. “We are just getting started on bringing accessible yoga to the Twin Cities and beyond,” Ann says with a smile.

Reeve Klatt is a creative living in North Minneapolis. When she’s not writing, you can find Reeve playing with her cats, teaching yoga, or digging in her garden.