SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — On Sunday, Sept. 25, South Mountain Yoga celebrated 10 years of serving the community of South Orange. South Mountain Yoga offers yoga and meditation classes for new and established yogis of all shapes, sizes and ages. The studio marked the occasion with an outdoor yoga practice and potluck open to students and the community.
SMY was founded by South Orange resident Emma Magenta in 2006. Magenta has been a yoga teacher for 15 years, and is a diplomate of acupuncture. She directs all programming for the yoga studio including the South Mountain Yoga teacher training, and manages a staff of 12. She is author of “The South Mountain Yoga Studio Curriculum” and “The South Mountain Yoga Teacher Training Manual.”
“What Emma has done is really exactly what we love to see in South Orange,” village President Sheena Collum, who joined the potluck in celebration, said in a press release. “Her and her husband, Chris, fell in love with the community, decided to set up roots here, open a small business and, with such success, I know they’ll be expanding in the future.”
SMY started in a 1,000-square-foot space on Scotland Road in South Orange, and when classes got too large in 2011, it moved to an airy loft on the second floor of 18 South Orange Ave., above Chase Bank. The studio serves South Orange and Maplewood but draws students from all over Essex County for yoga classes for adults, children and seniors.
“This studio has been such a labor of love and joy for me and all the people who make South Mountain Yoga a reality,” Emma Magenta said in the release. “We offer our love to this community in the form of yoga, and what we get back is such joy. We are deeply grateful to all of our students and to the community of South Orange for all the ways they have supported us over the years. We are so honored to play a role in your wellness of body, mind and spirit. Let’s do 10 more!”
For more information about SMY, visit http://southmountainyoga.com.