CANARYVILLE — It's been three months since Meg Shaughnessy opened the doors to Southside OM — a yoga studio she hopes blooms into a neighborhood fixture of health and wellness.
If the number of students that show up to the studio at 743 W. 43rd St. every week is any indication, her dream may come true.
“It’s been awesome,” said Shaughnessy, a 41-year-old Canaryville native who graduated from Maria High School. "I’m really pleased and really excited to see so many people from the neighborhood coming in here."
Southside OM is open seven days a week — from 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays and 8:30-11 a.m. on weekends. Classes cost between $10 and $15 per session, depending on which package a student chooses.
The studio provides yoga mats to students — often called "yogis."
Shaughnessy decided to open a yoga studio not long after taking her first yoga class a decade ago. Her experience on the yoga mat was transformative, she said, and that was a feeling she wanted to share in her neighborhood.
"It’s amazing, the thoughts that come to you," she said, describing what it's like to stretch the body in any of the many poses taught during a typical yoga session.
Not long after moving back to Canaryville five years ago, she found her future studio. The property looked bright and welcoming, but there was only one problem: A transport company had already rented it.
Then a truck drove through the shop's front window, and the tenants moved.
“I thought, 'This is a sign!'" Shaughnessy said.
The shop opened to the public on April 3.
Rates to attend Southside OM:
• 1-Week Unlimited Yoga Pass for New Students: $25
• 5-Class Pass: $70 ($14 per class). No expiration
• 10-Class Pass: $120 ($12 per class). No expiration
• 20-Class Pass: $200 ($10 per class). No expiration
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