Gratitude Yoga: Beyond fitness

By Tanner Russ

Discovering the joys of yoga, personal training and intuitive eating, Bridget Schuch wants to share with others the harmony and balance she has in her life.

That’s why she opened Gratitude Yoga and Movement Space this summer in Silverton.

“Only the individual knows what it feels like to be in their body, only they get to decide their capacity to change,” Schuch wrote on her web page, adding she hopes she can give her clients the guidance and support they need to reach the places they are going while being a role model.

Schuch added “Gratitude Yoga and Movement Space was created with the vision for a non-competitive environment that promotes movement of the body for all aspects of health. It is a space that encourages each individual to pursue their movement journey in whatever way feels most appropriate for them. Without judgment, we want to gently guide individuals in all ranges of activities in a supportive and caring space.”

Yoga classes include Slow Flow Yoga, Yoga to Go and Vinyasa Flow. There also are Pilate, PiYo, Bootybarre and Movement for the Body classes.

Schuch and instructor Rita Horter said the community has been supportive of the new studio.

“Everyone has been very welcoming, 100 percent yes,” Horter said. “People have been asking me for years when I was going to teach in a non-gym setting.”

For Horter, the drive to teach is based in benevolence.

“I love helping people move their bodies! I grew up a dancer and so there was never a time where I wasn’t involved with movement on some level,” Horter said. “I love teaching people to trust in wisdom of their own body and learn to be the authority of their bodies and an advocate for their own wellness. No one else can do that for you. My favorite thing is when people tell me they know how to listen to what their body is telling them. That’s a powerful thing some people spend their whole lives trying to learn.”

A holistic health coach, Horter also helps clients navigate the world of nutrition advice by discovering what food and nutrition charges work for each individual. Schuch is completing her certification process as a health coach for intuitive eating.

Both instructors have goals going forward for themselves and the business.

For Horter, it is about expanding the classes that she teaches to welcome new students with a personal benefit as well.

“In October, I’m taking a course at Studio Mamalates to learn how to work with postpartum women to provide safe and effective birth recovery exercise options and ‘mom and baby’ classes,” Horter said. “This is somewhat selfish, too, as I’m due with my second baby in February.”

For Schuch, it’s about spreading yoga around, and improving as an instructor. She wants to keep introducing people to what yoga is and how it can help them with their health and exercise regime.

“This is my vision and I am completely open to how it evolves,” Schuch said

She’s eager for people to provide feedback on what types of classes and programs they would like to see offered.

“Perhaps in the future it would mean bringing other instructors on into the space, I am completely open to that,” Schuch said. “I am completely open to the fact that you have to find the yoga instructor that resonates with you. In the future, I’m definitely considering bringing on other yoga instructors as attendance allows for that. That’s definitely something that I want to do. My vision is yoga here.”