Introducing Samadhi, A Yoga Studio -- Meet Vanessa and Dolly

Introducing Samadhi, A Yoga Studio -- Meet Vanessa  Podgorski  and Dolly Cipolla

During our Stay in Place time, businesses are having to be a bit innovative. Samadhi: A Yoga Studio located in Glenview is continuing to offer a wealth of yoga and centering experiencing during unusual times. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview studio owner Vanessa Podgorski and studio manager Dolly Cipolla.




How did your samadhi journey begin?

From Dolly: Terry and Vanessa (the owners) have been friends of ours for as along as I can

remember. My husband Chris actually went to school with Terry and Vanessa.  A

studio that I was teaching at closed and my students still wanted to practice.  I knew

that Terry owned the building samadhi is now in, so I asked if they had a room to rent

where I could offer some classes. That turned into Terry and Vanessa seeing a need

for a yoga studio in our town. At the time, the only other yoga was offered at the Park

Center.  It was a whirlwind of work and pulling this all together. We opened the studio in just a matter of months with a lot of hard work!

From Vanessa:  In the late fall of 2011 Dolly reached out to me wondering if we had any space at the building we owned for her to teach a small group of loyal students she had been regularly teaching at a studio that had recently closed. We did have a space in the building and it was at that moment we decided that together we could open a studio.  She had the yoga expertise and I would handle the administrative end of the business. Glenview did not have a yoga studio at that time.  We quickly put our business together and opened doors on January 9, 2012. 

Enjoying a relaxing Child's Pose at samadhi. Image credit samadhi.

How would you describe your mission?

From Vanessa: As is stated on the home page of our website, “Our community is just a small part of an exponentially larger community and if we can do our part to provide a warm and inviting place where our friends and neighbors can become more grounded, at peace, introspective, happy, healthy and loving, we feel we are doing our part to better the world!” That is our mission. 

From Dolly: I think our home page says it best! Samadhi, a yoga studio provides quality, traditional style yoga instruction; yoga that is not just about exercise but yoga that encompasses fitness in both body and mind. We welcome our students to a peaceful atmosphere that promotes the wonderful community that we are all a part of. Our community is just a small part of an exponentially larger community and if we can do our part to provide a warm and inviting place where our friends and neighbors can become more grounded, at peace, introspective, happy, healthy and loving, we feel we are doing our part to better the world! WELCOME to our yoga community in our humble studio.

What would you like potential new yogis to know?

From Dolly: That we are a warm, welcoming, non competitive studio that loves and supports community. We offer a range from Gentle to more challenging to Restorative to Yin. You will find a teacher and a level that works perfect for you!

From Vanessa: That there is no judgment in yoga and if you take the time to actually “do” yoga (not just try it!) you’ll find an interesting inner peace. It’s not overwhelming; it just kind of becomes a part of you. 

Are there any classes or workshops found at samadhi that may differ from offerings at other yoga studios?

From Vanessa: We offer many different types of workshops from self-help to specific types of practice, but I would have to say that the majority of studios offer the same ones as the teachers who give them are independent contractors and will seek out other studios to offer the same workshops.

From Dolly: We try and offer a range of different offerings, from Foam Rollers, to Singing Bowls, Somatics and Restorative to healing workshops.  To view our workshops, check https://samadhiayogastudio.com/workshops/

Have you tried boat pose? Image credit samadhi.

How was it to transition to online yoga classes?

From Dolly: Making the transition was almost like starting a new business all over again. We had to learn the Zoom platform and then train all the teachers on how it worked.  Getting the schedule together that would work for everyone was also very difficult due to teachers

with kids and online learning. My daughter Alex, who is also one of our teachers really

is the one who spearheaded the whole thing. She spent countless hours on our social

media platforms and communication with the teachers until we got this running

smoothly. 

From Vanessa:  Relatively easy. Dolly’s daughter Alex who is also one of our teachers was well versed with the Zoom App and basically walked us through everything that had to be done.

How can yoga help during these times?

From Vanessa:  I think just offering the online classes is really helpful to everyone. It’s difficult to stay home and having something that gets you moving but at the same time helps you stay grounded can only help in this crazy time. We structured our online pricing by donation intentionally because not only is this a difficult time mentally and physically, it is even worse financially. We needed to help our community so that no one was left out.

From Dolly: I think people are really craving the connection that we enjoyed at the studio and being together virtually is helping to bridge that cap. People are stressed with rising anxiety levels and yoga is so important to help keep us calm, helping us breathe and keeping us active.   

Ease into downward dog. Image credit samadhi.

Is there a pose you find particularly relaxing and calming?

From Vanessa: My personal favorite is pigeon. It’s relaxing and gives my hips a wonderful stretch.

From Dolly: If there was a relaxing pose, it would have to be savasana! The final resting pose after the practice. It’s one of the most important if you ask me.

How do you see samadhi in the future?

From Vanessa: Well, if and when we get out of this crazy time, we’ll do our best to get back to our studio schedule. But further than that we have no plan. We do our best to stay in the present moment and enjoy that!

From Dolly: Hopefully our studio continues to grow and offer something to the community that they can’t get anywhere else. It's such a beautiful space that makes you feel like you are in someone’s living room.  

Savoring savasana. Image credit samadhi.

Do you have a mantra that guides you?

From Dolly: I always fall back to gratitude. If we are grateful, everything else seems to fall into place.   

From Vanessa: Be grateful.

Where do you go for some moments of peace?  

From Vanessa: Good question.  I don’t have a specific place.  I can find peace in a lot of different places and ways.  I guess my life isn’t as hectic as others’ might be.

From Dolly: My yoga mat, a nice long walk, or in my back yard with the birds. 

Thank you so much to Vanessa and Dolly for introducing us to samadhi, a yoga studio!

**Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.