Om, Sweet Om
Yogadurango celebrates a decade of bringing Durango to the mat

Come into a seated position. Inhale deeply, bringing awareness into the body. Now exhale, letting go of anything that’s not serving you in this moment: your neglected nails, what’s for dinner, the election. Welcome to yoga’s Rule No. 1: breathe.

According to the Yoga Alliance, the nation’s largest nonprofit yoga advocacy group, 37 million people are doing just that in the United States this year. That is, one in 10 people who helped spend an astonishing $16.8 billion on yoga classes, clothing and equipment.

Why? Well, it’s a mega stress reliever for a super stressed-out nation. Also, yoga’s scientifically proven to be good for your back, your brain and your love life. The question should be, why the hell not?

“People that don’t want to do yoga think it will hurt or that it’s all these Indian shenanigans and mantra and religious stuff,” local yogini and living goddess, Beth Jones, says. “But if you can just look at how it will serve you and your body, then you’ll see that yoga allows you the grace to start serving the world around you.”

This weekend, Nov. 4-6, everyone from diehards to newbies will have a chance to tap into that inner grace as Yogadurango marks its 10-year anniversary. To celebrate, Yogadurango is offering over a dozen free sessions on Saturday and Sunday and “Yoga Conversations” on Friday night with practitioners hailing from The Sweaty Buddha in Durango as well as studios in Pagosa Springs and Cortez.

Sheryl McGourty, co-owner of Yogadurango, says it’s not just about celebrating the decade milestone, but celebrating the important role yoga can play in people’s everyday lives. “There’s some misperception in the public eye about what yoga is,”

she says. “Social media shows people doing really intense, sexy poses. But that’s just not what it is. It’s about building a better relationship to the self.”

Yogadurango started in 2006 when McGourty, a former dancer, teamed up with New Jersey native Michele Lawrence, who had just moved to Durango. After 10 years of working in the corporate world, Lawrence was ready to shift her energy to building the ancient discipline of meditation, breathing and movement into a viable business.

I come from a business background and never planned on becoming a yoga teacher as a profession,” says Lawrence, who earned her MBA at the University of Denver. “But after running the studio and teaching, I realized that this was my passion and path.”

With Lawrence new to town and McGourty holding a newborn baby boy, the duo planted roots in a windowless room on 15th Street on the other side of the tracks. In January 2008, the blossoming studio left the dungeon and sought some sunshine, opening its top-floor space on Florida Road. A year and a half later, Yogadurango also branched out to a downtown studio at 1140 Main Ave. Today, between its two locations, Yogadurango boasts 15 instructors and 40 classes serving some 200 people each week.

“It’s not a small feat to survive as a business in Durango,” says McGourty. “And it’s not just surviving but thriving, thanks to our instructors and the community.” Adding to the excitement are not only McGourty’s now-10-year-old son, but also Lawrence’s 2-year-old twins, who showed up as a nice surprise in 2014. Besides being mothers and running other businesses on the side, both McGourty and Lawrence see Yogadurango as so much more than a place for a physical practice.

“It’s become a community center,” says McGourty.

Jones, who joined the Yogadurango family in 2013, is drawn to this all-inclusive approach. “Sheryl and Michele are really focused, guiding lights,” says Jones. “With them, it’s not a preachy thing. They have their own consistent practices that they share with whoever shows up.”

Jones’ husband, Steve, gifted her Yogadurango’s first yoga teacher training class. This was right before he was diagnosed with cancer, which would take his life way too early a year later.

“I took the training not to be a teacher but to learn about yoga,” says Jones. “It was before Steve was ill, so this was totally about me. I had to change some ways I was operating in my life.”

These days, Jones takes four or five classes a week at Yogadurango. She has an affinity for twists and forward bends.

“It helps you go in and look around,” says Jones. “But you can’t say that anything is a favorite pose because they’re all so integral. They all lead to things.”

The biggest motivator for Jones, a 64-year-old blonde bombshell, is the priceless benefit of yoga for fighting the onslaught of unknowns to an aging body.

“As we age, a regular yoga practice is probably one of the best gifts we can give to ourselves,” says Yogadurango teacher Lynn Wickersham, whose favorite pose is the tricky balancing half moon.

“It was hard for a long time, but there was this one day where all of the alignment just came together,” recalls Wickersham of learning the pose. “It’s an awkward place to find balance, but it teaches you how to stay calm in a strange position.”

And balance found from increased flexibility and strength, as we know, is critical for not only combating age but also for bodies in constant motion.

“Whether you’re a biker or a climber, yoga’s going to make your athletics that much better,” Rush Linhart, a devoted yogi and climber, says. “It takes you to a whole ‘nother level.” A student of yoga long be- fore Yogadurango came to town, Linhart admits he was initially drawn into a class by the allure of a cute teacher.

“I was always the only guy, surrounded by 20 beautiful women,” laughs Linhart. “I kept thinking, ‘Why am I the only guy that knows about this?’”

He got a few dates out of those classes, but the whole “meeting cute women at yoga” thing is so cliche?. His practice eventually moved into a more “spiritual, holistic lifestyle.” As well, more guys started showing up to classes, according to the Yoga Alliance. Nowadays, 28 percent of practitioners are male, and they’re not going to yoga to pick up girls either, but rather for the same things chicks are seeking: strength, flexibility, athletic prowess, stress release and overall well-being.

“I got super challenged,” says Linhart. “I thought I was really strong, but it’s such a different kind of strength.”

Handstands have always been his favorite.

“I like the power of it,” says Linhart. “It’s McGourty, adding that our society is way more comfortable “moving and doing.”

“We don’t want to sit still or hold a pose for a whole minute ... are you f****** kidding me?” says Madame Jones. “But to be able to sit with yourself creates a space for you to see the world in a different way.”

Only a few #blessed yogis can transcend restlessness and whole-heartedly embrace being still. No one is a better example of this Zen-like peace than McGourty’s rescue shepherd mix, Dee, who joins McGourty in most of her classes.

“She’s really good at yoga,” says McGourty. “She knows the routine: she does shavasana the whole time. And she’s good at giving love; she doesn’t discriminate with the people that come to class.”

And perhaps that’s the biggest contribution yoga can make: it helps spread a little more love especially in a loaded week like this of Nov. 8, 2016.

“It certainly has not saved my ass, and it’s not cured me of any ills, but yoga has given me the grace and the space to maneuver in some very difficult times,” says Jones. “I think if you can start by stepping on your mat, it allows you to be a better person in the world around, God willing and the creek don’t rise.”

And when you step onto your mat, keep in mind yoga’s Rule No. 2: stay on your mat. Don’t get upset about the music selection, your neighbor’s better pose, cuter yoga pants or fart noises. Don’t let your mind wander to work, wine or winning candidates. Just stay on your mat, honoring the light within. Namaste.