How Yoga Brought One Couple Peace

After realizing the mind-body benefits of yoga, Kim and Justin Cavagnaro opened their own Ocean View studio.

by Pam George

Before Kim Cavagnaro began practicing yoga, she was “always a worried, nervous person,” she says. “Yoga taught me to take one breath at a time.” Her husband, Justin, was initially drawn to yoga to improve flexibility, balance and strength. But like Kim, he also realized the mental benefits.

“Through focusing on my breath with equal attention to the poses themselves, I found that after my practice I was much more relaxed and had a deeper sense of peace and calm than I had expected,” he says.

The quest to share this sense of well-being with others prompted them to open Ocean Vayu Yoga in Ocean View in 2016.

Both artists, the Cavagnaros met at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, then moved to the beach in 2006. They delved deeper into yoga to combat the daily stress of their careers. Kim, a ceramicist, was then owner of The Artful Bean. Justin is a glassblower, which can take its toll on the body.

“As yoga became integrated into my daily life, I have been able to cultivate the ability to respond—rather than react—to situations that would have otherwise triggered more impulsive behavior in the past,” Justin says. “I am more centered and steady in the face of life’s challenges.”

With a renewed passion for yoga, they became teachers and decided to open a studio to target both beginners and people versed in the more vigorous Ashtanga style of yoga.

Ocean Vayu offers restorative, chair, prenatal and flow classes, as well as instruction in Tai Chi, meditation and reiki. In summer, they hold yoga classes on Bethany Beach.

“Some students are looking for increased mobility and flexibility, some for increased strength, some for pain relief and some for stress reduction,” Kim says. “But all are looking to get the full mind-body experience that a yoga class offers.”

P.S. I am 39 Weeks and 6 days pregnant in this picture!!