To studio owner Lisa Cutts, the most important guided expedition to the inner reaches of one’s self is defined by “belonging”. It does not matter if we are not like the images of bodies viewed on popular teaching videos. Real bodies come in all shapes and sizes with ranges in strength and flexibility. At Yoga Pod Tucson, the average Jane or Joe will find an approachable method that will fit into anyone’s lifestyle.

   

Formerly a software executive in private equity, Cutts traveled for her job and visited yoga studios all over the world. In fact, the Yoga Pod Tucson classrooms are named after her most favorite places: Bali and Santorini. While traveling has a luxurious appeal, being an executive has huge responsibility. To relieve stress and calm down, Cutts discovered yoga was a means to rest her mind “while finding what feels good when working out physically.”

  

Once grandchildren entered her life picture, she did not want to travel as much. On a fated visit with her sister in Boulder, Colorado, she was driving by a building when she declared to her sister, “Oh look, a yogurt place,” and asked her sister to check it out. However, Cutts was not wearing her glasses when she realized it was not a place to eat, but a place to retreat. For the remainder of her visit, she enjoyed returning to classes for solace in the quiet spaces of her practice. As the studio was part of a franchise, she was inspired. Cutts returned home to Tucson and whispered to her husband (also known as “Chief of Stuff and Things”), “Let’s build a yoga studio.”

   

With that, Cutts cultivated her heart-mind intention (called a sankulpa), listening to Yoga Nidra. Nightly, before bed, she set out to bring deeper meaning to her life and her community. It has now been two-and-a-half years since she decided to act upon her dream of using her worldly experiences as a template to create an architectural sanctuary. COVID delayed her efforts to keep her doors open three separate times after the grand opening at the beginning of this year. Challenging as it has been, she feels this has been a lesson in patience.

   

The signature of Yoga Pod Tucson is that every student is welcome to find a level of participation that fits their experience and comfort level. Cutts recommends that new students start with podBASICS that introduces postural themes broken down into parts for proper form. This class prepares students for podFLOW, which follows a specific sequence of yoga postures. Additionally, other classes are woven into the schedule for a balanced variety, like the still holds of yin yoga or the Ayurvedic podFLOW that changes with the seasons.

   

Cutts is most excited about how her husband has been “feeling great” since starting yoga earlier this year. “He went from doing nothing to doing something every single day, even throughout the closure,” she enthuses. Clearly, the Chief of Stuff and Things has gained a whole lot more than a boutique, spacious reception, children’s play area, cool light color therapy classroom ambiance, tiled locker room, private water closets and glass doored shower stalls.

   

The journey at Yoga Pod Tucson creates both a physically and energetically clean environment in which a consistent yoga discipline can develop. Like the power of playful dolphins in the clear blue waters of the sea, Yoga Pod Tucson is a perfect place to be in community.