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Sound mind and sound body at Kaya Wellness and Yoga

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An old axiom says,"If you look good, you'll feel good."

At Kaya Wellness and Yoga, a new wellness center in Rehoboth Beach, the emphasis on feeling good is just as important as the looking good.

Kaya Wellness' goal is to foster physical, psychological and spiritual well-being, and the center has many tools available to help achieve it.

Kaya, 306 Rehoboth Ave. in the Shoppes at the Pearl, offers yoga classes for all experience levels and age groups, including kids, moms and moms-to-be. The center incorporates massage, body healing and relaxation therapy with yoga and working out.

Owner and instructor Heather Shafer said,"We're really targeting it to be a space of peace. It's not a gym atmosphere. It's something that is this sacred space, a separate space for people that we are trying to create."

Yoga classes vary in technique but all lead to the same goal of a sound mind and sound body. De-stress and detox classes focus on range of motion and working with the breath to create peace of mind.

"You're cleansing with the body. You're working with the breath a lot to create cleansing in the body to get those toxins out, but also working with the movement, working through the postures to create that de-stress and detox," Shafer said.

Fundamentals is a beginner's yoga class, while weight-loss incorporates cardiovascular work and stationary bike riding. Shafer said the weight-loss program provides dietary tips and attempts to help participants to lead a healthier lifestyle.

For early risers, Kaya offers rise and shine yoga classes, starting at 6 a.m. Shafer said this class is perfect for runners who want to get loosened up before going on their morning jog.

For people feeling a bit more

adventurous, Kaya offers aerial yoga classes, using traditional yoga poses, but with a twist: supportive fabric is hung from the ceiling and is used like a trapeze to support the body as it moves through yoga poses.

"It originated from Cirque Du Soliel," Shafer said. "Ours is not crazy; it's for the average person. It's something that you can get in there, you're going to be challenged, and you're going to have fun. There's going to be things that are a little bit scary, but working through that is why it's so fun," Shafer said.

While the first-timer may feel a bit of fear dangling upside down on a piece of fabric, the fear is overcome by breathing and relaxing.

A pre-natal class for expectant mothers is generally recommended for mothers in their second or third trimesters, Shafer said.

In addition to yoga, Kaya also

offers spin classes, which are basically stationary-bike riding but incorporating breathing practices used in a standard yoga class.

"It's really an efficient way to work out. You're working up that sweat without injury to the body," Shafer said. "It's a great workout that uses the yoga

breathwork to bring you into your mind. There's a lot of different exercises that are done with the breath."

Fit Teaze is a fitness class intended to be fun. Kaya also has community socials, which combine all of the different things the center offers - yoga, fitness and massage.

"It's a different thing each first Friday of the month, and that's just to build a community, because we really want to be not just a place that's here for tourists dropping in; we want to have our own community here and build that," Shafer said.

If it's a massage you're looking for, Kaya offers plenty of options there too. The center has myofascial, Swedish, hot stone and deep-tissue massage, as well as reflexology and relaxation therapyShafer said the classes are always expanding, adding new things. She said a class that will soon be offered is a yoga class

geared towards people in the restaurant business.

"Right there in the middle of the day, at 1:30 p.m. so they can do their workout and have time, if they want to sleep in before the long night," Shafer said.

She said Kaya would continue to offer morning classes in the summer, so folks won't have to worry about feeding the parking meters.

And for those wondering whether yoga will work for them in this high-stress world, look no further than the owner.

"I was actually a high-strung professional businesswoman," Shafer said. "When I moved to Delaware about six years ago, I decided I need to try yoga. It was all about flexibility for me. That's why I started," Shafer said. "My whole life has changed, and I have been able to keep that calm in my life. It's really about incorporating that peace into everything and just chilling out."

For class schedules and other information, visit wwwkayawell-nesscenter.com or call 302-227-3450.





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