OUR STORY

As told by Sam Williams, CEO/Owner.

I was searching for something that I just couldn’t seem to find. I was looking for somewhere that I could belong, unapologetically. A place where I could show up as myself, whatever that meant day-to-day. I was craving a place where I could move my body in a way that served me that day, regardless of what I looked like, what I was wearing, or if I was feeling my best, physically or emotionally. I was looking for a studio where I could build relationships and be part of a community. A studio where I was known by name and where the instructors and the owner were present and genuinely cared about what I needed and why I was there.

On top of that, my body and heart personally crave a variety of movements. The type of movement that serves me changes from day-to-day, and I started to notice that not many studios offered an intentional, complimentary line up of movement styles. Since I grew up as a dancer, I enjoy moving my body freely, with self-expression, and in a way that makes me feel like the artist of the movement. And I also find deep value in the stillness and mindfulness that yoga creates, and how complementary it is to other forms of movement. The more I dug into what I valued in a movement studio, the more I saw the importance in a place that offered many types of movement, wrapped up into one membership. I knew I couldn’t be the only one craving TRUE human connection and an intentional variety of movement.

After being turned down for a job teaching in Raleigh because I didn’t seem to be “in shape” enough (a blessing in disguise), I was motivated to educate myself more and create a studio that stood for all the things I couldn’t find anywhere else. Someone’s personal health isn’t based on what they look like. We all deserve to feel free, alive, and in a respectful relationship with our body, heart, and spirit. That’s the practice! I knew I wanted to create a studio that embodied this. A studio that offered a place for EVERYONE, all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and colors, to come and find joy through movement. And that’s exactly what YoBa Studio is and was designed to be.

ABOUT US

YoBa Studio is a space to get you out of your head & into your heart.

We're conveniently located in Raleigh, NC in between North Raleigh and Midtown Raleigh off Falls of Neuse Road. Our infrared studio offers 5 different class types that include yoga, barre, fusion of yoga & barre, and beat driven cardio. Our team is here to serve you through movement with heart. When you come to any of our classes, you can expect to encounter safe & sustainable movement patterns, musically driven experience that allows you to drop fully into your body, and the permission to choose how you move. 

While every day is a new and different day for your body, your heart, and your mind, one thing that we can guarantee here at YoBa Studio, is that we know your name and want to get to know your heart.

The YoBa Way