Hello Heart-Centered Family,
This is the last email that will be written by me, Faith Marie, the founder of The Heart Center.
For the past 6.5 years, I have devoted my life to this business. I started out as a yoga teacher and reiki healer, with the dream of creating an urban oasis for spiritual awakening. Having just moved to White Center, pregnant and newly married, I heard the call to birth my vision here as I birthed my firstborn daughter, Winona. The Heart Center officially opened its doors in July 2019, with the support and enthusiasm of the Seattle yoga community and a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign backed by family, friends, and future yogis of West Seattle. We were a motley crew of healers and yoga teachers, ready to make our mark on the city!
The business quickly gained a reputation as a beautiful yoga studio with amazing energy. I was excited to host so many amazing teachers and local healers in the space as we grew the community. When Covid hit, we suffered a tremendous setback — many teachers moved away and we were forced to discontinue our in-person offerings. I didn't know how we were going to survive as a business, but we were able to move some classes online and continue cultivating community enough to make it through the hard times. By the end of 2020, I birthed my second child Tae, and my then-husband Owen joined forces with me to help run the business. Together, we brought the business out of hibernation and into its glory years, hosting festivals, dances, and gatherings.
By 2022, I teamed up with one of my amazing teachers, Rachel Burklund, to write and host The Heart Center's first 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training. This training raised the standard for all of the teachers at the studio and gave The Heart Center its reputation for integrity and excellence in upholding the 8-Limb Path of Yoga. This training paved the way for future trainings, like our 50-hour Yin and Moon Village Facilitator trainings. Many of our current teachers have graduated from these programs and bring the essence of these teachings to our weekly yoga classes, including Rachel Rawlings, Katey Peck, Doris Vanderhyde, and Abbie Carr.
In 2023, my co-teacher Rachel Burklund was diagnosed with cancer, I separated from Owen, and I suddenly found myself at the mercy of the community. I no longer felt the inspiration or ability to grow the business, but The Heart Center held me. I continued teaching yoga classes and showing up for Moon Village, crying and laughing and embracing the rawness of it all. I wanted to quit everything and move away, but Spirit told me to hold on.
So I did. And I've been holding on, growing into my full independence and strength as a single mother, with the help of Antonieta and Rachel R. as my managers. We've kept The Heart Center running more smoothly than ever, with an amazing group of karma yogis and teachers, and a warm and consistent community surrounding us. I planned to keep holding onto ownership for as long as I was meant to ... and then, about a month ago, I was asked to renew the lease on the building. Everything in me said no, and I broke down in desperation. I prayed and asked Spirit for guidance and was immediately told to reach out to Asha and Theo Lints. They were shocked, because just the day before they had decided that running a studio was their dream and their plan, and they had been in love with The Heart Center from the moment they set foot in the door.
You can't make this stuff up. I was ready, and the Universe gave me the path. I am so confident in the alignment of our new owners and deeply honored that they wish to keep the same branding, space, staff, and schedule. Rest assured that all of your memberships and passes will continue to be valid as ownership changes hands.
I will miss you all so much but will continue to advise from behind the scenes for the next few months, and I will continue to cherish you in my heart for eternity.
My soul is fully ready to embark upon a new chapter, as I have found an amazing partner, a new home in Mercer Island, and a new way of living in balance with myself and my environment. If nothing more, this business has taught me to become more and more authentically myself, claiming my worth, and recognizing that I need healing and rest as much as all of the people I have cared for and loved from The Heart Center.
Thank you all for supporting me, trusting me, and loving me as I've grown into myself. It is now time to welcome a new era, and I invite you all to experience this exciting new beginning with open hearts!
