By Lia Glover
While it may be taking a while for the weather to warm up, things are pretty hot in the Upper Dyke area thanks to a new addition called The Yoga Barn.
The Valley’s one and only hot yoga studio, the Yoga Barn sits on the property owner Jenny Sinclair shares with her husband, Dr. Mike Sinclair, and their four young boys.
Sinclair, who has a soft spot for old things, couldn’t bear the thought of tearing down an old barn on the property. That’s when Mike suggested they do something “really cool” with it, “like build a yoga studio.”
Sinclair is quick to add that her husband of 11 years is always supportive, always encouraging her to do what she loves,
“It was so busy the first few days I opened, Mike was even directing traffic on our front lawn.” laughs Sinclair.
The heat in hot yoga comes from the infrared cedar heat panels (infrared meaning just below red light rays), which Sinclair ordered from a small family-run business in British Columbia. There are 26 panels in all and when combined with the moving, breathing bodies in the studio, things heat up pretty quick, starting at 90 degrees and rising to 110 degrees.
Through all this, Sinclair has been busy juggling motherhood and all the day-to-day tasks and extra-curricular activities that go along with raising four boys. She admits it is a bit hectic right now and at some point she will find her ebb and flow.
“Yoga has become a lifestyle to me. It is not just an outer body thing as was the focus in my twenties,” she said.
“I try to use yoga in every part of my day, from the way I speak to my kids and my husband to how I stay present in what is going on in my life. Yoga has taught me that each day is special and we are lucky to have each and every moment! Each breathe allows the next and so on.”
