'Keep us moving': Bella Buddha Yoga in Belmar gives older adults flexibility

BELMAR - Ever since she was a child, Texas native Brenda Yarnold enjoyed physical fitness and the opportunity to help others enjoy its benefits. And she successfully channeled those dual passions into the launch of Bella Buddha Yoga, a Belmar-based yoga studio that has specialized in wellness for older adults for over a decade.

Growing up in San Antonio, “I was always into physical activity and loved to exercise,” recalled Yarnold, 58, a Keyport resident. “At the same time, I have vivid memories as far back as when I was 5 or 6 years old of enjoying the older ladies at church and I’ve been gravitating to seniors ever since. They’re so vibrant and fun and I love that population so much,” she said.

After high school, Yarnold secured an undergraduate degree in psychology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio followed by a master’s degree in psychology from Adler University in Chicago and began a career in family therapy. Ultimately, however, “I moved to California, switched gears and became a paralegal, and married my husband, who was a Belmar, NJ native,” she said.

After she and her husband moved from California to Belmar in 2008 to help care for his elderly mother, “I decided to become a yoga teacher,” Yarnold said.

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“In California, I’d suffered from anxiety and depression but began practicing yoga and started feeling shifts in myself. Once I got in touch with my body and feelings, I was able to stop taking antidepressants. I still experience anxiety and depression, but now I have the tools to manage it and yoga has helped me immensely,” she said. “That’s what I wanted to share with seniors.”

In 2011, Yarnold launched Bella Buddha Yoga, the name of which was inspired by her dog. “We’d just gotten a wire fox terrier puppy named Bella and she was such a love and so sweet and compassionate — the embodiment of yoga,” Yarnold explained.

When she was approached about teaching chair yoga classes at the Belmar Library that year, “I remember thinking, ‘What’s chair yoga? That’s not yoga,’” Yarnold recalled. “But after researching it and taking training in chair yoga with my lovely teacher and mentor, Lakshmi Voelker, it completely changed my life and I was excited to offer it.”

Though yoga started off as a physical practice for Yarnold, “I saw how breathwork and mindfulness could positively impact our whole nervous system and help us navigate the times we’re going through,” she said. “As we get older, we can get more anxious if we’re not in the health or lifestyle situation we planned, so both the physical practice and breathwork associated with yoga are equally important. Yoga poses help keep us moving and practicing yoga from a chair can make these poses more accessible as we get older.”

Over the next nine years, Yarnold ended up teaching five to six highly popular yoga classes a week at the Belmar Library and other locations throughout town, until the pandemic shut everything down.

“Beginning in March 2020 through that summer, I started doing chair yoga live on Facebook, and in August 2020 I leased the space at 921 Main St. in Belmar, which had been occupied by another yoga studio that had just gone out,” Yarnold said. “We held classes with people six feet apart and ‘pod’ yoga groups and it was really popular.”

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'They feel so much better'

Nearly three years later in her 1,000-square-foot space, “we offer eight one-hour yoga classes a week,” Yarnold said. “Most are chair yoga classes, but we also have a ‘Chair Yoga with Weights’ class, an ‘Easy Yoga’ class on the mat, a ‘Yoga/Pilates’ class on the mat, and a circuit-style ‘Strength and Stretch’ class that incorporates light weights and enhances strength, flexibility and balance.”

Supported by three other instructors, “most of our classes are offered both in-person and via livestream, so people can tune in online or enjoy a face-to-face experience,” Yarnold said of classes that average between four and 12 students and cost $10 online and $15 in-person per class. “We also offer a five-pack of classes for $60 and an unlimited monthly in-person package for $119,” she said.

“Our clientele is 100% seniors — largely ages 65 to over 90 and primarily women — and our studio has developed an amazing sense of community,” Yarnold said. “You can walk in for the first time and immediately be part of the family; we all started as beginners and go out of our way to make newcomers feel as comfortable and welcome as possible.”

In addition to experiencing camaraderie in the studio, Yarnold said that the yoga that students practice at Bella Buddha has been life-changing for them. “Many come in with aches and pains,” she said, “but after doing yoga, they say they feel so much better and more relaxed.”

Among her senior students, “many are dealing with heavy family-related stress, including the hardship of losing a spouse/partner or even losing children,” Yarnold noted. “But thanks to yoga, I see the change in them and especially how they light up when they see each other. Dozens of students have been with me since the beginning and are so committed and really show up for themselves and each other.”

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As for challenges, Yarnold said that the concept of chair yoga is often met with confusion.

“Many people don’t understand what it is or think it’s real, and some think it’s just for older people, but if you’re recovering from surgery, even as a young person, chair yoga is a great rehab option that helps restore strength and functionality,” Yarnold said.

“We always end class with quiet time, which helps students transition from their yoga practice to the rest of their day instead of mindlessly running from one thing to another," she added. "It’s important to slow down and notice and appreciate every moment. It makes them more memorable and helps you to be mindful of how you feel and the choices you made.”

'I've seen the benefits'

Looking ahead, Yarnold said that she’ll continue to focus outreach efforts on her clientele’s grown children, who are often the decision-makers when it comes to their parents' health and wellness activities.

“I’m currently training in The Language of Breath with internationally renowned breath worker Jesse Coomer so that I can help others tap into their nervous system to address anxiety and enhance performance,” she said. “And we’re also offering chair yoga teacher training because there’s a big market out there — assisted living facilities, doctor’s offices, etc. — and our society needs more chair yoga teachers.”

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“I hope to share yoga with more people and let them know that it’s an option that’s always there for them, even if they feel hopeless,” Yarnold said. “I’ve seen the benefits — even if they’re still using a walker, yoga helps people feel and breathe better, improve their outlook, and enjoy their best years.”

“I love helping others feel better and also want people to know that yoga isn’t about a religion or faith,” Yarnold said. “It’s a positive lifestyle practice for anyone at any age.”

Bella Buddha Yoga

Location: 921 Main St., Belmar

Phone: 732-749-0729

Owner: Brenda Yarnold

Opened: 2011

Website: bellabuddhayoga.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Bella Buddha Yoga in Belmar NJ focuses on older adults