“It’s been a meandering journey,” says Amy Willis, of the new yoga studio, Pleasant View Yoga and Wellness, she is opening in early January on Highway 49 East next door to You Got the Look Salon.
Willis moved to Nashville from Knoxville in 2001 to attend culinary school and picked up yoga as a way of dealing with the stresses of going to school and maintaining a full-time job. After taking a hiatus for a few years, Willis rediscovered her passion for yoga and wellness in 2013, and began her teacher training in 2016.
“The further I immersed myself into yoga study, the more I wanted to learn—and the less contentment I could find in my role as pastry chef. Balancing teaching Bikram method yoga and being a pastry chef is odd, to say the least,” says Willis, 43, who also has a business degree from UT- Knoxville.
In preparation for opening her own studio, the biggest leap of her lifetime, Willis underwent a 200-hour teacher training program led by a staff with a combined teaching experience of 60-plus years.
A service-based yoga and wellness studio, Pleasant View Yoga and Wellness aims to offer the Cheatham community affordable, accessible, beneficial, and enjoyable yoga practice. Students of all levels are encouraged to attend classes, says Willis, who will also offer private sessions and eventually, infrared sauna sessions.
“I hope that environment will create a sense of community in my studio,” she says with sincerity.
The studio will offer a least three class styles: power flow, yin/restorative, and hot fusion based on the Bikram method.
Despite common misconceptions, Willis assures the community that yoga can be for every body.
“I’m approachable, come give it a try,” she encourages.
Willis, an 11-year resident of Ashland City, has two dogs, Callebaut and Fiona. She loves to read, visit her family in East Tennessee, and…..practice yoga, of course.
A schedule and other information pertaining to the opening, prices, and schedule can be found on their Facebook page or by calling (615) 579-2131.