“If we can help just one person become more calm and in touch with their body, we have done our job,” say Daniel Sernicola and Jake Hays, the owners of Danja Yoga. They started their week with 45 free yoga classes.
Located in Olde Towne East, Danja Yoga opened its doors to the community with a fully-masked open house on December 12, 2020. Tours showed guests a spacious, 4000 square foot studio with a state of the art energy-recovery ventilation unit that pumps fresh air into the 4,000 square foot space.
“This is one thing we have put extra money into to keep people safe,” says Sernicola.
The studio rooms at Danja Yoga are designed to invite students to come as they are and practice without judgment. There are warm, hardwood floors and 3 gender-neutral restrooms. In the center of the space is a roomy storage and seating area like the “ma” of Japanese architecture, explained Sernicola.
“It is a space between that unites everything. It is like my ma who holds the family together.”
The area includes a hand-painted mural created by Columbus artist Lisa McLymont with the motto ‘The world is our field of practice,” by Reverend Angel Kyodo Williams.
“It reminds us that we take the calmness of yoga and meditation not just into our lives, but into the world,” says Sernicola.
Classes at Danja Yoga will feature well-trained, professional instructors, progressive teaching methods, and a non-competitive atmosphere.
Each teacher amplifies Danja’s goal of bringing yoga and meditation to students in a supportive and judgment-free environment. In addition to a regular schedule of yoga classes and teacher training, there will be specialty classes for athletes, substance-abuse recovery, body image, trauma empowerment, cancer patients and more.
“It has been in process for 3 years.” said Sernicola. Planning and thoughtfulness are widely evident at Danja Yoga. Compton Construction did construction using architect Chuck Paros’ designs. “Paros listened to how we wanted a place where people could feel safe and know immediately that they were part of something and belonged here,” says Sernicola. “For example, our office is right up front and very open; we want our students to know that we are available.”
Danja Yoga also features a room that can be use for live-streaming classes. Under normal circumstances it would be for a small 6 to 8 person session, but it will be used for Zoom classes for the time being. Opening during the time of COVID-19 was not part of their plans, but as Sernicola said, “I decided to take the cards dealt — my hopes and dreams never included a pandemic! —with a great team around me and encouragement, after 3 years in the making, our studio has opened.”
“Yoga is something everyone can do,” says Sernicola. “I think that you’re going to love what we have created.”
Danja Yoga is located at 1125 Oak Street, Columbus, OH 43205. For more information, visit danjayoga.com.
