Soul Nektar in Ridgefield offers yoga, guided meditation, breathwork, sound baths and even more “to take your life experience to deeper levels.”
Owners Christine Kaiel and Denise Gervais have built their brand focusing on helping others find their peace and solitude.
Kaiel said she was inspired to try yoga when she was sick with an autoimmune disease.
“So, as I got to a breaking point of my illness, I started to look into yoga and I started to really add yoga into my life, and within a very short amount of time, I was getting a lot better and feeling very strong minded, and I was able to really quiet my mind down, which allowed my nervous system to change the heal,” Kaiel said. “And from there I began teaching and doing some other modalities like sound healing and breathwork and change of your diet.”
For Gervais, yoga was something she has dabbled in since the late ’90s, she said.
“Becoming a yoga teacher was always on my bucket list, but I never had time, and then COVID came,” she said. “So, at the beginning of COVID is when I really got certified, and also aging, I think that’s a big thing in wanting to have the vitality as I get older and the flexibility,” Gervais explained. “Also, the spiritual aspect of it is that I can get on my mat and just find peace and calm.”
Since Soul Nektar became an LLC in 2021, Gervais and Kaiel have watched their yoga students evolve and lives change both physically and mentally. Gervais said that Soul Nektar offers students the chance to listen to and trust their bodies to build awareness of how they are feeling so they don’t get injured as much and stay healthy and vibrant.
While women make up most of the students in Soul Nektar classes, Gervais and Kaiel welcome men, who they say can benefit from yoga, adding the studio’s yoga classes are designed for every age group and skill level.
“So even if you’ve never done yoga before or [are] somebody who’s an avid yogi, the classes are kind of designed for what we call variations inside the class within each pose so people can feel comfortable with wherever they’re at,” Kaiel said. “And I think that makes us different than other yoga studios that are more focused on like very specific types of yoga classes like a Vinyasa level two or a Hatha level one or a Yin. I think that we really incorporate what they need.”
Soul Nektar tries to create a comfortable environment for the majority of able-bodied people, they added.
“We’re getting a lot of recommendations from physical therapists and doctors, people who have had back pain and a lot of our people work out really in some way, shape or form,” Gervais said. “And [yoga] is a good addition to that. Like, it’s essential because you can only exercise, and you can only work out so far without stretching becoming really important to your long-term success and your body’s ability to kind of harness your energy.”
Along with yoga, Gervais and Kaiel teach mindfulness and breathing techniques to allow students to “really treasure the present moment.”
“That’s our goal with Soul Nektar is to help people harness their life force energy, fill their own cups so they can begin to redirect the ship,” Kaiel said.
“Learning to connect your outer world with your inner world and start to really practice being in your inner world,” Gervais added.
Gervais and Kaiel also offer what is referred to as sound bathing. Kaiel said in sound bathing, crystal bowls are used as light percussion instruments to raise vibration and help facilitate relaxation and heat the nervous system. She added that sound healing is a modality designed to improve different body systems, which promotes relaxation and develops a calm state of being.
“So, we call it the parasympathetic dominance, and that has to do with your nervous system,” Kaiel added. “So, when you have a parasympathetic dominance, you find yourself in a calm state majority of the time and not in a fight or flight or fawn, which are other areas of the nervous system.”
To further promote calm and relaxation, Gervais and Kaiel make their own perfumes using oils and artisanal ingredients for aromatherapy.
Soul Nektar is located in the Tailored Fitness Studio, 208 Pioneer Street Studio B, above the hardware store in Ridgefield. To learn more about Soul Nektar, visit soulnektar.com or on social media, including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube by searching for Soul Nektar.
