Sacred Studios began taking bookings in early January, with a full schedule of sessions and events launching later this week.
The studio is the passion project of Leigh resident, Grace Smallman, who was one of The Bridge winners – a competition that saw seven independent businesses win six-months free rent of a space in the Victoria Shopping Centre.
The new space will host a range of teachers and instructors (Image: Grace Smallman)Grace, 29, said: “My goal for this space is to make it into more of a community hub for people from all backgrounds who are interested in wellness.
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“I think it’s important to make sure everything is accessible and have tried to keep my prices low.
“We’ll have a range of teachers coming in to do workshops including a really experienced instructor who will be hosting donation-based, community sessions on Saturdays.”
Having qualified in Bali, Grace is committed to authentic yoga practice (Image: Grace Smallman)Grace’s journey with yoga began when she decided to pursue a yoga teaching qualification while travelling in Bali in 2023.
The dedicated yogi said everything “clicked into place” once she completed her training – within weeks of returning home Grace had secured a yoga teaching position at a London gym.
Grace has spent months perfecting her Victoria Centre space (Image: Grace Smallman)Grace added that as a westerner, she is very sensitive to making sure her yoga and wellness practice is as authentic as possible, and hopes inviting in other teachers can help achieve that goal.
The steady rise in popularity for wellness-focused activities like yoga is something that Grace is well aware of, and attributes in part to the Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020 and 2021.
Sacred Studios is open from Tuesday to Saturday (Image: Grace Smallman)
“I do think lockdown played a big role in the way that everything is going with wellness and fitness. People had time to think and were also isolated and craving community, and that’s what I’m hoping to offer,” she said.
“Despite more and more yoga studios popping up every day, I don’t feel at all like we’re competing with one another. We all chat, get along and share our own knowledge.”
Sacred Studios is open from Tuesday to Saturday with a range of sessions available to book at sacred-studios.co.uk.