Thank You for 10 Beautiful Years
Cheers to 10 years!
This past May, Temple Yoga celebrated 10 incredible years of service. Ten years of breath, movement, devotion, healing, community, and love.
When we first opened our doors in May of 2016, my son Jai was just two years old—and on the last Sunday of May, he turns 12. Happy birthday to my beloved Jai, and happy birthday to my dearest Temple Yoga Reno: a beacon of light, love, and hope. 🥰
Temple Yoga was born from a vision my loving husband and I shared years ago—a vision inspired by our Sunday morning 9 AM yoga classes with Rusty Wells in San Francisco. At the time, I was attending classes at Urban Flow Yoga, and those Sunday morning practices felt like church. We would begin and end class singing devotional Sanskrit mantras, gathered together in a full room of open hearts, moving with intention, gratitude, and reverence.
It was powerful.
We were weekend warriors showing up on our mats for a longer, deeper practice—each person bringing their own prayers, stories, challenges, and devotion. Over time, everyone began calling the Sunday 9 AM class that I've been teaching for 10 years, “Yoga Church.” And all these years later, we still lovingly call our Sunday morning practice Yoga Church—or Yoga Celebration.
That spirit of fellowship has always stayed with me: introducing yourself to the person beside you, sharing a smile, a recipe, a moment of kindness, or simply the quiet understanding that we are all walking this path together. “Welcome home” was something my teacher would often say, and I loved it so much. It carried warmth, belonging, and truth.
That is what I have always wanted Temple Yoga to be.
A place where people from all walks of life, all backgrounds, and all beliefs can come together to celebrate being alive. A place where we remember our breath, our bodies, our hearts, and our connection to something greater. A place where we practice becoming more conscious, more compassionate, and more present human beings. ❤️
Over the past 10 years, the world has continued to change in countless ways—and yet, in many ways, the need for presence, healing, connection, and community feels more important than ever. Through it all, you have continued to show up. You have rolled out your mats, breathed through the difficult seasons, celebrated the joyful ones, and supported this sacred space with your presence.
To those of you who have continuously shown up at Temple Yoga, I “sun salute” you! I honor your dedication to your well-being, your practice, and this community.
There is something so special about having a place to go—somewhere warm in the winter, cool in the summer, filled with like-minded people and good energy. I love taking the 7:30 AM class and feeling that balanced energy carry me through the entire day. I love looking around the room and seeing students of all ages and stages of life practicing together, each person arriving exactly as they are.
Temple Yoga is more than a place to practice yoga. It is a place to connect—with yourself, with your breath, with your community, and with the sacredness of everyday life.
The next time you are at Temple Yoga, I invite you to pause and take in the view from our ten beautiful windows—above the treetops, overlooking this great city, across from the Nevada Museum of Art and the old Radiant Sundance Bookstore building. Enjoy the light, the space, the energy, and perhaps even a pastry downstairs from our wonderful new neighbors at Savi Bakery.
From the depths of my heart, thank you.
Thank you for your support. Thank you for your presence. Thank you for allowing us to do what we love. Thank you for making Temple Yoga what it is today.
And a very special thank you to the teachers at Temple Yoga for their dedicated service, wisdom, love, and contribution. We would not be who we are without them.
Here’s to 10 years of Temple Yoga—and to the many blessings still to come!
With love, gratitude, and devotion,
Mel
