Parting Clouds Yoga Opens In Uptown Maumee

BY KRISTI FISH | MIRROR REPORTER — Opening a yoga studio at 311 Conant St. is a full-circle moment for the mother and daughter team of Nancy and Phoebe Sloan.

For many years, Nancy and her husband, Steve, taught yoga at various venues across the area through their business.

“Parting Clouds Yoga began many years ago with my mom and dad having a vision of bringing yoga to the community, and their vision was to educate people about yoga,” Phoebe said.

Phoebe, who started taking yoga classes with her father as a teenager at 577 Foundation in Perrysburg, continued to enjoy the experience before eventually choosing to train to become a teacher herself.

Her mom was inspired to do the same and went to Florida to receive her training. Steve, Nancy and Phoebe spent many years educating others in yoga and continuing to advance their skills.

“The three of us actually taught at Sunshine Children’s Home together,” Nancy said.

After Steve passed away, Nancy and Phoebe continued their studies and chose to expand Parting Clouds Yoga by opening a studio.

Finding a spot for their studio in a Sunshine Community-owned space made the moment even better.

“The yoga studio kind of fell into place. It was the right time to open our own space, and it really came together very simply. It was a beautiful process,” Phoebe said. “It was meant to be, I think.”

The space, which was previously an office area, had to undergo some updates to make it suitable for clients to enjoy classes.

A variety of classes are available at the studio, including yin yoga with crystal bowls, power yoga, hatha flow yoga and prana vinyasa. Classes are listed online at www.partingclouds.yoga along with membership packages. 

The variation in classes allows clients of all levels to find something that works for them.

It’s important that clients understand yoga is not just for a certain group of people, Nancy said.

“One of the biggest misconceptions is that you’re not flexible enough to do yoga. That’s just not true. That’s one of the reasons why you do yoga,” Phoebe added. “You can’t start out doing anything perfectly. It’s all a learning process.”

It is also an opportunity to find out more about oneself.

“Yoga helps you learn more about yourself and your boundaries and how far you can go,” Nancy explained. “It helps you find out what you want for yourself. You get to know yourself inside and out.”

The classes also can help people become more attuned to themselves, Phoebe added, saying that is one of her favorite aspects of yoga.

It’s because of the instructors that clients are able to walk away from the experience with appreciation, having learned more about themselves.

“We have several wonderful instructors, and we are looking to add a few more,” Nancy said.

To celebrate the new space, the Maumee Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony and chamber members were able to tour the studio and participate in community yoga.

Several Maumee city officials were also at the ribbon-cutting to congratulate Nancy and Phoebe on their new adventure.

“The heart of this community for many, many years has been family-owned businesses. Every business, no matter what its size, is just as important,” Mayor Rich Carr said.

Carr also thanked the two for being a part of the uptown space and contributing to the revitalization of Maumee.

As a small business, Phoebe knows she has to work hard to spread the word and build up her clientele, but so far, the business has been great, she said.

She sees her business grow each month as Maumee residents and people from all across the area make it a point to stop by the uptown space.

“I am incredibly grateful to be able to continue that legacy and that vision that my parents created so long ago, and I am incredibly grateful to share that with my mom and know that my dad, in spirit, is guiding us along the way,” Phoebe said.

Parting Clouds Yoga is located at 311-1/2 Conant St., Ste. 109 in Maumee, above Georgette’s Grounds & Gifts. More information on classes can be found at www.partingclouds.yoga.