Yoga practitioner opens Cathlamet studio

Cathlamet finally has its very own yoga studio, Rain River Yoga. Sarah Parsons, who spent her summers in Cathlamet on her grandparent's farm, relocated here a few years ago with her own family and now wants to share her love of yoga with the community.

Parsons is the vice-president of customer vender relations for a company in Seattle.

Her job allows her to work from home, though she has to make a trip to Seattle every other week.

This has made it possible for her to make time for her other passions.

"I started practicing yoga in 2005," Parsons said. "I always just loved it, though I stopped for a time and took up running. I was rising in my career and stress levels continued to climb. That's when I rediscovered yoga."

"I started doing Bikram yoga," she continued, "which is super hot, super strict and super disciplined. It felt really good. Something about it really spoke to me. And after I had my son, it became a really nice way to get back into physical activity."

After picking up a book about yoga and learning more about its more mysterious benefits, Parsons began a serious study of the discipline.

"I started a home practice and sometimes traveled to Longview," Parsons said, "but it is really hard when you live here to travel back and forth just to work out. I got this crazy idea that maybe I could jump in and learn a lot more about my own personal practice and about the history and benefits of yoga by becoming a teacher. So I got my certification."

She will be offering a Power Vinyasa class and a foundation class for individuals who want to go a little slower and learn the poses, focusing on alignment and building strength. Some of her classes will be heated, but not all.

"The foundation class might be a good place for beginners to start, but people are welcome to come to the Power Vinyasa class and work at their own pace. You have to be kind to your body and where you are at."

Parsons described the Power Vinyasa style.

"Power is lending itself to the idea that it has very strong, very powerful, vigorous movements. Vinyasa means linking movements with breath. You'll flow a lot with one breath to one movement and link all of your power sequences with that breath."

She is taking a meditation class and will attend a deep stretching and meditiation training in May. She hopes to teach periodically at Hot Yoga for Life in Portland, where she received her certification in order to improve and stay connected to a community where she can continue to learn.

Eventually, she plans on offering a gentle hatha yoga class, which has gentle flowing movements, more stretching and more relaxing.

Rain River Yoga officially opened on Wednesday on Main Street in Cathlamet.

For more information, rates and a class schedule, check out rainriveryoga.com or call 430-8495.

"Everyone is welcome," Parsons said. "I want people to feel like they can try it, give it a shot. There's no judgment."