Sprout Wellness, Pleasantville
In a fitness culture often dominated by grueling workout regimens, yoga can be a welcome choice for those interested in gaining additional flexibility, relief from stress and an overall feeling of well-being.
Harper Dion, the owner of Sprout Wellness in Pleasantville, said the launch of her yoga studio in April was a dream come true.
Dion, a professional aerialist who was born in Taiwan and grew up in California, said her studio is family-focused, offering classes for all ages, including infants and toddlers. It is also a community learning space intended to enrich lives by providing support and education, offering well-rounded classes for everyone.
“I truly believe that as a good yoga teacher you should be able to meet your students where they are,” she said.
Classes are taught by Dion and six other instructors, ranging from adult sessions that include open level yoga; express yoga for those with less time; restorative and gentle yoga for people unable to do many of the physical movements in the open level class; a strictly beginners class; and community yoga by donation, designed to accommodate beginner and advanced students who are encouraged to pay what they can afford.
Dion, the mother of a 15-month-old who is a familiar sight at the studio, offers yoga classes for expectant mothers to help them support their changing bodies and prepare them for birth.
“Pregnant women need their muscles to be strong, which is especially important during childbirth,” Dion said. “And there are certain yoga moves that are good for that.”
New mothers can sign up for Baby and Me yoga, ideal for babies in the infant and crawling stages. The 60-minute class focuses on postpartum healing and encourages baby-parent bonding. The class emphasizes yoga and infant movement, Dion explained.
Sprout Wellness introduces young children to the benefits of yoga. Rather than the more instructional aspects of adult yoga, Dion said the children’s classes are more about integrating fun into the class. This includes physical movement and also teaches children to be more self-aware, to concentrate and even regulate their emotions and listen to others while being physically active.
Classes for children include Yoga with Kiddos, which concentrates on yoga, dance and music and is suitable for children who are old enough to walk until four years old, and a Baby Art and Movement class for children 4 to 18 months designed to spark creativity. The latter class allows children to explore sensory play, develop fine motor skills, sing songs and even make crafts.
Dion, who is also a trained postpartum doula, offers a weekly one-hour Playtime for Babies meetup, which gives children under two years old the chance to explore and socialize with other children. It provides young mothers the chance to interact with other parents in the community.
One of her goals is for her students to feel comfortable by reducing, if not eliminating, negative body image.
“We’re here to help people explore their own body movements and become aware of what their bodies can actually do,” Dion said.
Upcoming fall classes include strength and flexibility for teens and adults 16 and up; yoga for teens 12 to 16 years old; and family yoga for children 7 to 11 years old, who are accompanied by a parent. Pre-registration is required for all classes.
An Oct. 29 labor and delivery workshop for expectant parents is also scheduled. The three-hour class is $95 per couple and will be taught by a childbirth educator, lactation counselor, a prenatal yoga teacher and a doula.
Sprout Wellness is located at 25 Broadway in Pleasantville. For more information, call 914-801-7876 or visit www.sproutwellnessny.com.
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