Yoga studio geared toward Hispanic community opens in New Bedford's Kilburn Mill

Seth Chitwood, Standard-Times
·3 min read

NEW BEDFORD — After being diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2006, Tahais Martins turned to yoga as a way to help her reconnect with her body and mind. Now, she hopes to offer the same helpful avenue to the New Bedford community.

“I want to bring the Hispanic community the benefits of doing yoga,” said Martins, owner of Yoga es Vida located on the second floor of the Kilburn Mill.

“Not many Hispanic people in the Hispanic community do yoga, because maybe they have misconceptions about what yoga is or really how it is going to help them — or maybe they're intimidated.”

Tahais Martins begins class with a session of meditation at the newly opened Yoga es Vida at the Killburn Mill in New Bedford.
Tahais Martins begins class with a session of meditation at the newly opened Yoga es Vida at the Killburn Mill in New Bedford.

Although her Bilingual and Spanish yoga and meditation classes are geared toward the Hispanic community, Martins will be the first to say that it's also open to anyone who would like to experience a different kind of yoga.

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Classes will include yoga for beginners, kids classes, restorative yoga, classes incorporating Latin music, kick drum class as well as dancing, crafts, painting and other creative activities.

“For me, it is more about bringing the benefits of the connection of our culture together with the music,” she said. “I want to teach full Spanish classes as well as bilingual ones.”

“Everything that makes us happy,” Martins said.

Offering a different viewpoint on yoga

Born in Panama, Martins has been in the New Bedford area for 26 years. Working for more than 20 years in higher education at Bristol Community College teaching computers and web design, during the pandemic, she was busy coordinating the online computer classes for teachers in New Bedford.

Martins said her teaching experiences help her connect with people on a different level. “I know how to make students feel like they're learning something,” she said.

Instructor Tahais Martins leads a class of yoga at the newly opened Yoga es Vida at the Killburn Mill in New Bedford.
Instructor Tahais Martins leads a class of yoga at the newly opened Yoga es Vida at the Killburn Mill in New Bedford.

While fighting her cancer diagnosis, she turned to yoga to help combat her anxiety and depression. However, as much as she enjoyed her time attending studios in the New Bedford area, she observed a predominantly white attendance and was hard to break into as a beginner especially observing some of the crazy poses on social media.

“I remember that it was not like a lot of instructions on how to do things. And I felt like it was too advanced for me. I stayed in the class because I would just pretend I'm doing it until I taught myself,” she said with a laugh.

Inside the Kilburn Mill yoga studio

“I always had a dream, for many years, of how to bring my experience and practice to the beautiful cultural New Bedford community that is so mixed.”

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After committing to the 300-hour yoga certification program as well as working with EforAll’s free business accelerator program, Martins opened her studio on Dec. 19 in Kilburn Mill.

“It’s pretty hard for people sometimes to open their heart to see more than they see in front of them, and that is what I want to help them do here.”

Tahais Martins gives Keri Monteiro some help with her form during a class of yoga at her newly opened Yoga es Vida studio at the Killburn Mill in New Bedford.
Tahais Martins gives Keri Monteiro some help with her form during a class of yoga at her newly opened Yoga es Vida studio at the Killburn Mill in New Bedford.

Inside the petite studio space, that can fit about 10 to 12 people, features purples and green colors, palm trees, candles, large windows and the studio’s name painted across the front wall.

“Yoga is a union of the community of you, with life, with the universe,” Martins said as she defined the meaning behind Yoga es Vida.

“Vida is life. Yoga is life.”

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter: @ChitwoodReports.Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Yoga es Vida opens in New Bedford aimed at Hispanic community