Ayr’s only exclusive yoga studio, My Yoga Place celebrated its first anniversary on Saturday with vegan tea and cakes.
Its thriving yoga community got together to congratulate Carlo Ferroni of Mauchline on a fruitful first year as a yoga studio owner.
Carlo is originally from Florence but has lived in the West of Scotland since 1997. He began practising yoga and meditation in 2008 at 49 years of age, after years of chronic pain following a car crash and a hip replacement.
Carlo says: “Yoga and meditation without a doubt has transformed my life. When I started, I was a heavy smoker and drinker, mildly depressed, totally unfit and overweight. Now, aged 60, I am the fittest and happiest I have ever been.”
After feeling first-hand the positive effects of yoga, Carlo decided to leave a successful career in IT to help spread the positive power of Yoga and meditation in Ayrshire. He quickly established several popular classes in Troon, Prestwick and Ayr with his inclusive, encouraging style of teaching.
When the offer of a large, airy space on New Road came up, Carlo took the opportunity to open Ayr’s only exclusive yoga studio and My Yoga Place was established.
The studio has had a fantastic first year, with students flocking to Carlo’s yoga classes.
One of his students, Lorna explains why: “I have been going to Carlo’s wonderful meditation and yoga classes for nearly a year now. My body and my mind thank me daily. I feel fitter, calmer and just generally happier about life. Carlo is a kind and generous teacher and really just an all-round nice human being. I am so very grateful for finding this little piece of tranquillity in Ayr.”
Carlo’s ethos is that yoga is for all, no matter how limited anyone is in their movements. In 2018, he started Yogable.org - a weekly Accessible Chair Yoga class, which he teaches with Vhairi Slaven. The class is aimed at those with disabilities which would prevent them from attending regular Yoga classes.
The Yogable classes are wheelchair accessible and include physical movement, breathing exercises and guided relaxation.
To keep up with demand, Carlo has recently taken on two new teachers, Vhairi Slaven who is teaching Restorative Yoga and Vinyasa Flow, and Jane Collingwood-Campbell who is teaching Yin Yoga.
This month, he has released a new timetable including his ever-popular Yoga for Wellbeing, a new Gentle Yoga class and free Zen Buddhist meditation sessions. All classes can be found at www.myyoga.place or by searching for My Yoga Place, Ayr.