About Yoga Community - Our Story & Our MIssion This article/interview was written in 2011 by Christy Thompson. It was updated in 2019 by Heather Anastos. If you ever had the pleasure of taking a class from Michelle Allgaier, Yoga Community’s founder & original owner, you may have heard the creation story.  YC was one of two studios in the Tri-Cities when yoga was mostly taught in health clubs.  First located next to Aqua Tropics, when you walked in to the studio you could nev

The traditional health science of ayurveda teaches us that we should adjust our diets according to our personal constitutions, the seasons, and our stage of life.  In this article, we will discuss how making small changes to the foods you are eating can help you weather the winter months without gaining weight and with less likelihood of depression.  During the winter months, nature is dormant.  We are naturally less active as we “hibernate” through the winter months indoors.

The traditional health science of ayurveda teaches us that we should adjust our diets according to our personal constitutions, the seasons, and our stage of life.  Essentially, making small changes to the foods you are eating can help you transition gracefully from summer to winter.  During the fall season, nature is experiencing dramatic transformations:  the bounty of harvest, the turning of the leaves, the plants and trees starting to prepare for their yearly cycle of dor

Is a Detox Program Right for You? Detox is a hot buzzword lately, but what does it really involve and is it safe?  The answers to those questions aren’t simple, so let’s start by describing what it involves.  Detox, short for detoxification, is a program to help your body process and eliminate toxins that have been stored in your body.   Detox programs typically involve a short-term change to your eating habits and may involve supplements or lifestyle changes.  Some programs

A few years ago I made a radical New Year’s resolution – I would QUIT making resolutions at the New Year.  Let me clarify – I didn’t give up on creating positive changes in my life, nor did I quit making goals for myself,  but after much study of human nature, including ayurveda, I realized that trying to make sweeping lifestyle changes in January is nuts (oh, and by the way, it often fails miserably).  I’m fairly certain that NONE of my New Year’s Resolutions were ever actua

The heat of summer can wreak havoc with our systems – but the natural healing science of Ayurveda can help you keep your cool this summer season.  Ayurveda teaches that Pitta dosha, with its fire element, is dominant during the hot summer months.  Typical pitta aliments (like rashes, acid stomach, ulcers, inflammation, diarrhea, headaches, and fiery tempers) are caused when too much pitta dosha builds up in the body.  So the key to keeping your cool this summer – is keeping c

I’d like to think it’s still summer here in the Tri-Cities…but… Have you noticed the chill in the night/morning air?  The shortening of the days?  The Back to School sales? Yeah, despite wanting to hold onto summer for a while longer – all the signs are here.  Fall is just around the corner.  And with the start of fall comes the increases in vata dosha.  Doshas are the three energies described in Ayurveda, the traditional health science that is a sister science to yoga.  Each