Satsang Yoga is Sanctuary on South Ave.

On South Avenue, among the hair and nail salons, the shops and cafes, is a place where the Westfield community can come together to find physical and emotional strength to help them get through the daily hustle and bustle.

“If our intentions were just to sell clothes and do exercise there are so many ways to do it,” says Connie Schaffer, owner of Satsang Yoga Studio and Boutique,  "But our intentions were really specific—to create a warm, inclusive, nurturing place, so that everybody who walked through this door would be known. We’re very interested in knowing our clients personally; we really do care about what happens outside of the studio.”

For Schaffer and co-owner Ellen Kaplow, yoga is about more than building strength and flexibility.“It enables you to center yourself, teaches you how to be fully present in your life, not just on the mat, but hopefully off the mat,” says Schaffer.

“We’re not looking to change anybody’s core beliefs, or religious beliefs. Yoga as a philosophy will enhance what you already believe.”

Satsang Yoga originally opened in Cranford in 2002, then came to Westfield on July 7, 2005, after the Cranford location was scheduled for demolition. The studio still sees many of the same clients they saw in 2002, along with a roster of new students. Many people come and go as their schedules, financial situations, and physical and spiritual yoga needs change, but Satsang’s core values and services to the community remain stable.

At the front of the studio is a special area dedicated to bringing the community together.

“Anybody who brings us something that will help people become part of the community is encouraged,” says Kaplow, “Whether it’s a fundraiser to save animals, or somebody wanting us to display their kids’ artwork in the front window, or business cards.”

The owners of Satsang not only bring the community into their studio—they also go out of their way to bring themselves out into the community.

“We don’t just exist as a yoga studio independent of our lives,” says Schaffer. “We go to the supermarket, and we run into our yoga students.  We don’t want to be considered above them, separate from them. We’re not sitting on a mountain, where everything is perfect and we’re telling them ‘this is the way to find inner peace.’ We have spouses and children and in-laws and families and dogs, so our experience is their experience.”

Classes at Satsang range from 15 to 30 students, with options for basic or more advanced practices. Regardless of the age or difficulty level of each class, participants are encouraged to work toward their own personal goals, not compare or compete with other students. Unlike many yoga studios, there are no mirrors at Satsang—intentionally so.

“We’re not into seeing if your poses can look as perfect as the girl or guy next to you,” explains Schaffer. “It’s about change, about starting to view things from the inside out. ”