How do you describe Breathe? I would imagine each person who walks in might come away with something different. A yoga studio. A dance studio. A clothing store. A café. A gathering spot. A living room. A work-place. A retreat.
All of these descriptions would be fine with Lisa Cosmillo, the owner and creator of Breathe. Lisa is a practicing real estate broker who had been studying yoga for about five years when she had the idea for opening her own yoga center. “I practice yoga and meditation every day. It has made a huge impact on my life, and I wanted to share it with others. I looked at what was available in the community and options ranged from clubs with expensive membership plans to sacred yoga centers. I wanted something that made yoga ‘Main Street’,” Lisa said.
On her daily walk, Lisa would visualize what she wanted to create and how to make it reality. “My success in real estate was a result of diversification: commercial, residential etc. I knew that for this business to be a success, I would need to diversify as well: a clothing boutique, café and studio,” she said.
Life Coaching Moved the Plan from Dream to Reality
“I started working with a life coach named Monica Crawford. She is fantastic. We met once a week. She had me write down my vision of this place. Anytime I started to stray from my vision, she got me back on track and supported me. At one point, I was overwhelmed and said, ‘I can’t do this’ and she told me to hire someone to help me on a daily basis. I did, and it made all the difference,” Lisa said.
Slowly Lisa worked through all the details of opening Breathe. She found the perfect space right on Capitol Way. Her friends all pitched in to help paint. What had been a commercial space was transformed into a calm and relaxing environment filled with muted light, warm colors, and furniture that encourages guests to sit down and stay a while. “This is how my home is. I love having a house full of people. I love entertaining. I intentionally created a space that is warm and welcoming,” she said.
Breathe’s grand opening was the same weekend as Arts Walk. “We featured local artists. Hundreds of people came through. Since then it has been a whirlwind of activity. People are finding us, and we keep expanding our services to meet the needs of the community,” she said. One example of this is Breathe’s yoga class for homeschooled children. The kids exercise in the studio while their parents sit on the comfy couches in the café and visit with each other while sipping tea or coffee. “The support of the homeschooling groups has been incredible,” Lisa said.
A friend of Lisa’s recently described Breathe as a Community Yoga Center that is so much more than yoga. Breathe’s classes for children range from yoga to gymnastics and Zumba. They also have a baby bonding class, pilates, Latin dance, belly dancing, and, according to Lisa, one of the best Ta’i Chi instructors in town.
“We just added a pom pom dance class that is a huge hit. I tried it recently and am amazed at how aerobic it is,” Lisa said. Breathe also offers AcroYoga.
The café offers tea and coffee as well as catered soup and a few other food items. It has several tables, all with Wi-Fi access. ThurstonTalk writers have been known to find a quiet workspace there.
One of Lisa’s goals for Breathe is to make it accessible to everyone, and Breathe offers several classes where students only pay what they can afford. “We want to be a place that people feel happy and comfortable,” she said.
The Breathe website is not yet complete, but the events calendar is available and the community can take a peek at upcoming classes.
So, stop by Breathe, take a tour of the studio and visit for a while. Lisa truly means it when she says it is a place for the community to gather, even if you are just sitting there with your laptop writing a story for your favorite on-line publication (aka ThurstonTalk).
601 Capitol Way S
Olympia, WA 98501
360.489.0369
