New to Austin
Studio Mantra
8127 Mesa Drive, Suite C 304; mantraaustin.com
Watch out Northwest Hills area readers. A new, 3,000 square foot studio space offering group and private yoga classes, in addition to massage and acupuncture treatments, is opening soon.
A variety of yoga, Pilates and barre classes are on the schedule for students of all levels and ages at Studio Mantra. Signature classes include Mantra Sculpt (yoga with weights and cardio), Mantra Barre (a combination of yoga and barre moves), Mantra Fit (a yoga boot camp), Mantra Teens (an after-school class for high-schoolers), and Mantra Natal (for pre- and post-natal Moms.)
In addition to customized therapeutic massages, Studio Mantra also offers signature massages specifically designed for runners, yogis, cyclists and tennis players.
Studio owners Amy Hogan and Reena Kaven had both been pursuing individual careers in yoga and massage therapy, respectively, when they met one another through their first-grade sons. After realizing they both had the same dream—to start a mind and body wellness business—they were inspired to start Studio Mantra.
Hogan and Kaven’s mission is to provide a holistic wellness experience that caters specifically to other health-conscious people like them in the community.
Xtreme Volei
9507 Braes Valley Street; Xtremevolei.com
For those wanting to improve their sand volleyball game, look no further than Xtreme Volei. In January, owner and head coach Erika Rodriguez opened her own outdoor, high-quality sand volleyball court for business. “It’s one of the best, if not the best, sand courts in Austin,” she said.
Rodriguez has been coaching indoor volleyball since 2001 and sand volleyball since 2012, but her passion for the sport has been with her ever since she was a little kid. “I believe that anyone can be a good athlete. All that's needed is a love for the sport, a willingness to be coached, good quality training, and hard work. I want to provide that service to our Austin community,” she said.
Xtreme Volei offers adult beginner, intermediate, and advanced instruction for women and men as well as junior classes for those 18 and under, 16 and under, 14 and under, and 12 and under.
Coaches try to keep training groups between 4–6 people per session. Smaller groups, Rodriguez said, mean more touches, which means a higher percentage of assimilation of what's being taught in each practice.
With over 45 colleges sponsoring the fast-growing NCAA sport of sand volleyball, Xtreme Volei’s mission is to provide the same high quality training offered in other cities and states to those in Austin who have an invested interest in the sport.
Rodriguez said she hopes to open a multi-court facility in Austin in the near future to offer customers more flexibility in training times and start recreational and competitive leagues.
City Installs Bike Repair Stations
Multiple Locations
In an effort to encourage people to commute more via bike, the City of Austin Parks and Recreation and Health and Human Services departments have installed 24 bicycle repair stations around the city.
Each of the stations, primarily located at recreation centers, are equipped with an air pump and tools, including screwdrivers, wrenches, and a tire lever. The goal is to provide cyclists with equipment for handling repairs on the road instead of having to carry tools or walk a bike home for repairs.
Repair station locations include the Pickfair Community Center in Northwest Austin; the Northwest Recreation Center; and Gustavo “Gus” Garcia Recreation Center.
Photo by Kerry Joyce
Yogapeutics
8213 Brodie Lane, Suite 112; yogapeutics.com
Infiltrated with an abundance of natural light and adorned with a covered porch for lingering outdoors, Yogapeutics opened their 900 square foot studio space in South Austin in January 2013.
The studio offers aerial yoga—using fabric slings rigged from the ceiling called "yoga hammocks"—and mindfulness classes, camps, private sessions, and aerial yoga equipment for kids, tweens and teens.
Inside is a floor-to-ceiling chalkboard wall for little ones’ enjoyment and padded walls and foam floors to allow for soft landings and muted noise.
Occupational therapist, yoga teacher, and Yogapeutics owner, Lindsey Lieneck, says the inspiration to start the studio came from her daughters. “I wanted to teach them and their peers what they need to know to succeed in today's world—which means moving their bodies often and finding joy in their journey through life.”
Classes are small (max of 8 kids) and are taken in semesters to provide students with more one-on-one interaction and consistency through training.
Lieneck said Austin is the only place she could ever imagine launching Yogapeutics because it’s a city that, in her words, is not afraid to put new twists on traditions. “It’s the perfect environment to introduce a new concept of exercise,” she said.
