By Lisa Carolin
Business Name: Breathe Yoga Chelsea
Business address: 104 E. Middle Street, Suite B, Chelsea, MI 48118
Business email: www.breatheyogachelsea.com
Business telephone number: 734-883-7427
Business hours: Open 7-days per week for morning and evening classes. Schedule varies.
Breathe Yoga Chelsea will be celebrating its eighth year in business this June. It is located just off Main Street on East Middle Street and was founded by Sue Whitmarsh and Marie Brooks in 2015 in the old Chelsea Police Station.
“The space was transformed into the beautiful studio it is now with big open windows, a repurposed gymnasium floor, high ceilings and an exposed brick wall,” said Amy Busch, who began as a yoga student then teacher there and bought the studio in 2021. “Not only did the look of the building and interior change, but the energy of the space also shifted to a more peaceful and welcoming environment.”
Busch says that people are overloaded with distractions every day and expected to multi-task. She says taking a class at Breathe Yoga Chelsea gives people a way to disconnect from the world outside while allowing one’s mind and body to reconnect with what is essential while nourishing and healing.
“Our guiding principle is a Krishnamacharya quote, known as “the father of modern yoga”, who helped bring the practice of yoga from the east to the western hemisphere,” said Busch. “He said, ‘If you can breathe you can do yoga.’ Breath is the foundation of the practice. The word ‘yoga’ means ‘union’ or ‘to yoke’. Focusing on the breath helps calm the mind and the body, reducing stress and tension and connecting yourself with the present moment.”
When Busch had the opportunity to purchase the business, she jumped on it with the plan to provide a space to positively support the well-being of people and the community, and to be able to share her love of yoga with others.
One of the changes the business has made since its beginning is how classes are offered.
“Not only can you visit us in our studio, but we now livestream the majority of our classes on Zoom, and we have also added a Video on Demand library of recorded content that you can access at any time through our website,” said Busch.
She says that when it gets warmer outside, Breathe will be offering some outdoor yoga classes and will work with other local businesses including Withington’s and Serendipity books.
Busch is pleased that Chelsea offers the variety of shops and restaurants that it does and believes that her business makes the city even more unique.
“The most rewarding part of owning this studio has been watching connections form between students as they naturally check in with each other, extend invitations to meet up for coffee, and even organize dog park outings to continue that sense of community well beyond the end class,” she said.
Busch wants prospective visitors to know that they are welcome to check out the yoga studio and can wear comfortable clothing to do so. Breathe also sells props and equipment.
She advises clients, “Be gentle with yourself: mentally and physically. A quote I come back to over and over again to remind myself of the compassion we must always extend to ourselves is from Arthur Ashe, ‘Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.’”
“At Breathe, you are welcome to be as you are. And the same goes for the yoga class itself: if something is offered that doesn’t feel good to your body, you don’t have to do it. Alternate options are always given, but you are your best teacher and you know yourself best; you take what you need and leave the rest behind. This is not a competitive space. Breathe Yoga Chelsea is a space where you connect mind, body, and spirit to come back to the joyful essence of who you truly are.”
