Triangle Yoga

As they gaze through floor-to-ceiling windows at the wooded landscape, guests at Triangle Yoga find it easy to believe that they're floating above the treetops. This daydream holds especially true for aerial yoga and dance students—who are indeed floating with the aid of suspended fabric slings—but the studio strives to imbue all of its visitors with that serene feeling of weightlessness, subtracting stress with specialized classes for all ages and abilities.

The studio’s certified instructors hold at least four classes each day, seven days a week, filling the loft-like space with several varieties of Hatha yoga. Their emphasis is on accessibility; aside from leading a long list of beginner's and advanced offerings, they welcome seniors to Yoga Over 50 sessions, pre- and postnatal moms to baby-centric series, and children to playful workshops. With free classes every month and a work-trade program, which exchanges class time for help around the office, they steer around many patrons' financial difficulties.

Though the studio has earned the 2011 Best of Chapel Hill Award in Yoga Instruction from the U.S. Commerce Association, it summons peace in myriad ways besides posing. Certified massage therapist Natalie Sablina imbues all of her kneads with reiki or other energy work, such as aromatherapy scents culled from the dreams of candlemakers. Kirtan call-and-response chanting assemblies collect donations for children in need, and artists sketch renditions of live models during meetings of the woman's art co-op.