On the surface, yoga is a series of poses with neat, animal centric names like the downward dog, the pigeon or the cobra, but mentally, those poses create an inward thinking philosophy that leads to calmness and serenity. Old Town resident Masuda Mohammadi experienced victims of corporate stress at her firm Legacy Team Development, so she is going in the opposite direction with her new venture, Radiance Yoga opening July 9 to help people who are suffering from stress.

This is a place that could help you change your life, she said.

At Legacy, a company she co-owned with her husband Tom, and she could see the hustle and bustle of the business world eating away at her clients. She would talk to people about business problems and workplace woes, but in reality Id want to talk to them about their breathing and posture, she said. She wanted everyone to think on a more non-reactive basis. Thats what yoga really trains your mind to do, its one way to approach stress management, she said.

Mohammadi got her yoga certification and for the past five years, taught classes at Pure Prahna a few blocks away from her new location on King Street. Down in the 100 block, she will cater to surrounding neighborhoods and passersby, including tourists. She is offering a special deal to all the hotels in the area so visitors can try it out.

Finding a location took a year of searching, and finally a friend, Allison Davis, found the location in a space recently vacated by Hats in the Belfry. It was total serendipity, said Davis. Since April, Davis and Mohammadi have been working with the City while Mohammadis husband Tom maintained a steady income at Legacy. Shes working on getting him into the studio as well. With Pure Prahna right up the street, Mohammadi doesnt feel shes taking business away from her former employer. Yogis believe theres always  enough for everyone, she said.

The second floor shop was gutted, and is divided into a yoga studio in front, overlooking the street traffic, an office-registration desk in the middle, and private studio in the rear. Although the floor is original hardwood, dating back to the 1800s, Mohammadi is covering it with bamboo flooring throughout, which is considered a green material since it is easily renewable. The original flooring will remain intact. Were trying to be as eco-friendly as possible, she said, and that includes the mats they will use and the low flow toilets that were installed in both the yogi and yoginis bathrooms. The front desk is round, which is in tune with the ways of Feng Shui. We did have a feng shui master come in, she said.

The studio will offer a wide variety of classes, focusing mainly on Vinyasa flow and Kundalini. Vinyasa connects the breath with movement while Kundalini is more meditative, uncoiling the creative potential, Davis added. They are big on chanting and will have a sound system playing relaxing music. Davis is currently involved in marketing as a full time profession but is working on getting her certification to teach yoga there as well. I cant imagine a better job than wearing yoga clothes every day, she said.

Other classes they will offer include prenatal yoga and flow yoga for atheletes. We have a lot of beginners classes, Mohammadi said.