Local Instructors Open Yoga Room in Humble
Tara Portune started taking yoga classes as a way to relieve her stress in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Portune had lost her job and her home in New Orleans and re-located to Kingwood. She thought yoga would be a way to meet people in her new community. Little did she know at the time, but those classes were the beginning of a new career.
Today, Portune is one of Humble’s newest business owners along with her partner Chris Lane. The pair opened the Yoga Room in downtown Humble earlier this year. The little yellow renovated house at 403 B First Street is home to more than twenty, hour-long yoga classes weekly.
Not surprisingly, the owners met in a yoga class and found that they share a common vision and purpose. “We each wanted a small, intimate studio totally dedicated to the practice of yoga, and that is exactly what we have,” says Lane, who has been practicing yoga for eight years. “Our classes are student-oriented, and we adapt each class to the student’s individual needs, while at the same time addressing the collective energy of the class.”
Both Portune and Lane are certified yoga instructors, which requires 200 hours of training. Portune received her certification from the Kingwood Yoga Academy and Lane chose to travel a little further from home to earn his teaching certificate. Lane, who is also professor of English at Lone Star College – North Harris Campus, was trained at the Marianne Wells Yoga Alliance School in Costa Rica.
The two are well known in the local yoga community having practiced and taught at Ekam Yoga Center and Kingwood Yoga Center. In addition, Portune currently teaches traditional Hatha-style yoga along with kids’ yoga at Kingwood Country Club Fitness Center.
The instructors have seen the benefits of yoga first-hand and have many student testimonials in support of the positive effects of yoga. Portune outlines the benefits, as listed on the Yoga Room Web site, to include: pain relief, stress reduction, weight management, flexibility, cardiovascular conditioning and improved circulation.
Victor Blanco, a golfer from Kingwood, says that yoga has enabled him to finish 18 holes pain free after suffering from herniated discs in his back for several years. “I started seeing a significant moderation of my back pain within six months of starting to practice yoga,” states Blanco. “After a year of yoga, I found I could play a complete round of golf, with no back pain and no pain killers.”
Portune says this summer the Yoga Room will offer special yoga classes for kids and pregnant women. One of her students, Stacey Crowe-Simonson of Chez Nous Restaurant in Humble, is a believer in pre-natal yoga.
“I started pre-natal yoga with Tara when I was six months pregnant,” recalls Crowe-Simonson. “Between carrying all that extra weight and being on my feet with work, my back was extremely stiff and I had swollen legs and feet. Once I started practicing yoga with Tara, not only did my back and legs not hurt as much, I also noticed how much more relaxed I was and how much better I slept.”
“Yoga truly enriches the lives of those who practice it,” confirms Lane. “Tara and I have personally seen its transformational power, and we want to share it with our community as it was shared with us.”
Yoga Room classes can be purchased as a package of six or twelve classes. There are discounts for students and seniors 60 and over and no membership fees. One time drop-in rates are $15 a class. For more information, visit: http://www.houstonyogaroom.com/ or call 281-754-3522.
