Fitzgerald co-founded and established Amara Yoga & Arts in 2009. To this day, she handles the business’s operations, organizes programming and teaches a selection of yoga classes as the Gallery Director co-owner, alongside her daughter Luna.

• Even with 16 years of experience at Amara, Fitzgerald said she doesn’t think of herself as its ‘leader.’
• “I feel like the whole studio is a collaboration,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s not about me. I’m just here to keep it going — to keep the doors open, but it’s like a collaboration. Every single teacher’s bringing in their gift.”

Amara Yoga & Arts comprises over 20 drop-in yoga classes every week, a variety of workshops, kids yoga and arts summer camps and training programs. However, Fitzgerald prefers to teach yoga and arts to children, lead gentle yoga classes and guide Yogini Bliss — the studio’s prenatal and postnatal classes.

Unconventional Beginnings

Fitzgerald started her Gentle Yoga class with two questions: “What are you bringing to your practice today? How are you feeling in this moment?”

• She sat on a mat, her flowing pants criss-crossed in front.
• Serene instrumentals and ambient waves of sound underscored her hour of teaching.
• She continually reminded attendees to feel their energies and do what was most comfortable for their bodies.

Fitzgerald said she strives to make people reach a flow state during her classes.

“Not all of the teachers teach that way, but I want people to get to the point where that chitter chatter in your head is not there,” Fitzgerald said. “You’re just flowing, you’re in the moment, you’re fully present and all of that stuff. The worries, they go away. Even if it’s just briefly.”

The positive effects from this type of movement and mindfulness aren’t just observed by the ‘yogis’ themselves. The American Osteopathic Association reported that consistent yoga practice can create mental clarity, relieve chronic stress patterns and sharpen concentration.

A Life of Purpose

Fitzgerald garners yoga enthusiasts from across the area, but the way she stumbled into the meditative business was anything but typical.

• On New Year’s Eve of 2008, Fitzgerald sat with two friends in a hotel in Chicago. All of them had been pals in college, and they were discussing their life plans.
• During Fitzgerald’s time in San Francisco, she owned a gallery that highlighted up-and-coming artists. Describing it as ‘underground,’ she explained owning a gallery was a fast way of getting into the art scene.
• After losing the space in an earthquake, she ventured into personal projects and collaborations with others. For a while, she taught art locally and created a small business with a friend.
• Even with a job in Champaign-Urbana, she yearned for something else.

The women made lists on how to improve their lives together on that snowy night. Fitzgerald wanted to own another gallery, and her future co-founder Theresa Brandabur said she wanted to own a yoga studio. The third friend wanted to visit both of their future endeavors.

Within the hour, they had a name, a location and a web domain for the studio. The idea of Amara Yoga & Arts in Urbana had been brought to life.

A Studio for All

For the first year of opening the studio, Fitzgerald worked at Cunningham Children’s Home. She taught art to the children and transferred that passion to Amara. In fact, a majority of the large collage paintings plastered outside and inside of the building were made by the children she taught.

“Even though it’s a lot more intense working with kids, there’s joy working with kids,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s fun … They sew, they do all different kinds of things. I’m not a full-time art teacher anymore, but I do have eight weeks in the summer.”

Training and Education

Jesse Homann started practicing yoga 13 years ago with at-home DVDs. After moving to Champaign from Chicago, she began looking around for different community classes to try. Starting as a part-time studio assistant at Amara years into her practice, she became curious about the professional teacher training program.

This program is an all-encompassing 200-300 hour certification. The program aims to educate, provide mentorship and encourage professionals to continue with their development, according to Amara’s website. With the teachings lasting nine months, Homann described the process as a rebirth.

“Even doing 10 years of yoga, there’s just something in depth with going into teacher training that you would never experience before,” Homann said. “I’m hypermobile. I had no idea I was hypermobile until I did teacher training.”

A Sense of Community

Vitosky has been a loyal visitor to Amara Yoga & Arts since 2010 and felt passionately about her experience growing with her yoga practice.

“It’s almost, for me, sacred,” Vitosky said. “It’s just like going to church, you just feel that intense inner connection.”

Fitzgerald centered reflection and intention during her yoga class. She invited attendees to set a focus for their practice, something they wanted to channel for the morning. Along with emotional and spiritual growth, Fitzgerald said she aimed to create a positive space that opens its arms to all.

“We wanted to open a yoga studio where people, like us, just normal, kind of middle-aged women, not in great shape, could walk in the door and feel totally welcome,” Fitzgerald said. “We came in from that point of view. Not that we’re yoga experts, and we need to be the best yoga teacher in the whole entire world. We weren’t doing that.”

With dozens of glowing reviews online, the community warmly receives Amara. Fitzgerald said she doesn’t plan on taking the studio anywhere else.

As the next month of programming is planned ahead, Fitzgerald explained she runs the business day by day.