Experiencing yoga for the first time in an actual studio dedicated to the practice, to me was “everything and a bag of chips,” in other words, it was all that I expected, and more.
At Transparent Heart Yoga, Courtney Sabbagh, the business owner, beautifully expressed her favorite thing about yoga after a nice session of stretching and breathing.
“It is something we can do for the rest of our lives,” she says.
Sabbagh says she wants people to “spend the time we have here feeling good.”
Feeling good daily is important to our health, mentally and physically, so finding empowering things to bridge it all together helps with the everyday hustle and bustle of life.
With 10 years of experience in teaching yoga, Sabbagh decided and felt impelled through meditation to open a facility where individuals would “open up their hearts and be transparent, which in turn allows everyone to feel stronger and more connected to each other and the universe.”
So, exactly a year ago on Sept. 2, the opportunity presented itself and with just a little hesitation, Sabbagh took over the lease from the previous business owner at the yoga studio at the corner of Lytle and Barker (Yoga on the Square) and opened up Transparent Heart Yoga. Her refreshed energy and ambition was to keep serving the community and she further expanded her clientele.
Now, Courtney started in Hatha yoga, which can be defined as “a yoga system of physical exercises and breathing control,” and generally requires poses to be held for several breaths. Because yoga can be practiced sitting, breathing, standing or moving in different positions, Sabbagh truly feels and believes “it is a healing practice.” And that’s important to many. So many sports and exercises are tailored for a certain age or gender and overexertion can often cause complications in your back, shoulders, hips or knees without following a qualified fitness trainer, proper nutrition, and having a general knowledge of the body structure.
Those who are serious about staying healthy continually stay up to date with relevant information and that’s exactly what Courtney accomplished when she explored and embraced Ayurveda, which is the sister science of yoga. Its concentration is geared toward making healthy food and life choices that fuel and balance the body, mind and spirit and incorporate the vibe of yoga into everyday living. Currently, she has been studying almost four years with Ayurveda practitioner Katie Silcox, author of Happy Healthy Sexy.
Primarily now she enjoys teaching Tantric Hatha yoga which “is about how you feel with your body and breath, along with living in this world,” so it more about the energetics and of course using the practice to connect to the world, and to other people.
Sabbagh says she believes in continually learning new ways of expanding her knowledge and wants to cultivate “a community of like-minded individuals who lift one another up.”
Currently, Transparent Heart hosts a variety of local yoga instructors, and classes from beginner to advanced, including deep stretch, strength and stability, meditative yoga, feel-good yoga and Pilates—even private classes, lifestyle coaching and bachelorette parties and much more are offered at the only designated yoga studio in the Murfreesboro area. The studio has plenty of mats, yoga blocks, sandbags and all of the props, and its ambiance really sets it apart. Yoga is huge and is still growing in the Murfreesboro area and all around the world.
If you haven’t tried a yoga class, or haven’t yet found a style that fits you, please look up Courtney at transparentheartyoga.com and choose from the extensive list of classes. You may be surprised and appreciative!
Courtney says “come with an open mind, and if you don’t like it try another class!”
Going in, I initially thought I liked power yoga because I am working on my flexibility and strength, until I went to her class and did Feel-Good Yoga where at one point I could barely feel my heart beating I had become so relaxed.
Transparent Heart is located is 423B W Lytle St., Murfreesboro.
