A former yoga studio in Mount Vernon will become the home of a new sort of “movement and wellness hub,” with a grand opening planned for next spring.
TRIBE is the name of a school for “embodied arts” that is scheduled to open next April at 107 E. Preston St. Its co-creators, Movement Lab founder Lola Manekin and Motion Collective founder Barri DeFrancisci, say they’re joining forces to transform Baltimore’s “wellness landscape” with a two-story center that will feature yoga, dance and workout studios and an innovative recovery program that will include “cold plunges” and “vibroacoustic soundbeds.”
“TRIBE will be an epic movement and wellness hub for all, where people can feel like they belong,” DeFrancisci said in an announcement about the venture.
“Our vision is to create a space where people can explore various embodiment practices, engage in active recovery, and build a supportive community,” added Manekin. “We call this a school because we are educators who are going to teach people how to use their bodies as a vessel of creation and healing.”
Most people “live life from the neck up,” Manekin said. “The body is the biggest GPS, and the best compass to guide us through the present moment. It is constantly telling us the yeses and the no’s of our next steps. I often say that the body whispers until it screams. We will teach methods to help regulate the nervous system so our students can show up for themselves, for work, for their children, for their partners, and for the world in general.”
Transformative practices
The 6,000-square-foot center will contain areas dedicated to a range of transformative practices, including yoga, dance, anti-gravity fitness, calisthenics, mixed movement arts, sound baths, breathwork sessions and more.
The front lobby will feature a retail space and sofas where people can socialize or “simply sit and be present.” A kitchen, changing areas and private showers will also be available.
One of TRIBE’s standout features, team members say, will be a “cutting-edge recovery program” offering a holistic approach to health and healing. The program will include cold plunges to invigorate the senses, sauna sessions to help with detoxification, and vibroacoustic soundbeds to provide a “deeply immersive and therapeutic experience.”
Manekin, a native of Brazil, is married to Thibault Manekin, a co-founder of Seawall Development. In addition to her dance class Body Alchemista, she’ll offer yoga and anti-gravity restorative practices and lead other activities, including ‘through breath journeys,’ ‘healing circles,’ ‘deep feminine practices’ and couple’s workshops.
DeFrancisci will teach different forms of yoga, including traditional Kundalini and Ashtanga practices, Hatha and Vinyasa, as well as Yin, Restorative, pre and post-natal, and power yoga, as well as breathwork and yoga philosophy classes. She also plans to lead teacher training sessions to help expand the yoga community in Baltimore.
In addition, Noor Singh, a physical therapist, will head a practice that builds strength, greater neuroplasticity, alignment and breathwork, and “refines the intersection of mind and body.”
Solveig “Sunny” Skutvik will teach calisthenics and mixed movement arts, including yoga, strength, high-intensity interval training, and mobility.
Along with his wife Sunny Skutvik, Gary Grisham III will guide students through Fire & Ice contrast therapy, calisthenics and weightlifting classes, as well as a kids/teens program.
Former home of Charm City Yoga
Part of the Mount Vernon historic district, the building at 107 East Preston Street previously housed Charm City Yoga and then YogaWorks Midtown, but it closed as a yoga studio during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s across Preston Street from the house with a three-story mural of Divine on the wall, by the local artist GAIA.
TRIBE’s creators are seeking approval from Baltimore’s zoning board to continue operating the building as a yoga studio, a conditional use in the city’s zoning code. The Mount Vernon Belvedere Association has voted to support their request, following a presentation in November.
Assuming it receives conditional use approval from the zoning board, TRIBE will be open seven days a week, offering classes in the morning, midday, and evenings. Besides its regular class schedule, TRIBE will host special events and workshops on weekends, covering topics geared for everyone from beginners to seasoned practitioners. In addition to full memberships, TRIBE will offer discounted community classes and work-study opportunities.
