Zenna Wellness Studio was built on a foundation of community mindfulness; seeking to be an all-encompassing and welcoming wellness studio that would offer not only yoga, but also a wide variety of classes and events to nurture community wellness. While owner Chrissy Ehrhart has always offered retail wellness and yoga related items in the studio, Zenna’s recent retail expansion will now include a wider range of products. Dharma Seeds, owned and operated by fellow yogi Chantal Birch-Ashton, debuted this week, occupying the front portion of the Berlin studio with a mission to provide fair-trade, Eco-friendly items to shoppers and studio guests.
“I kind of came up with the idea really from wanting to spread the dharma – the love and compassion. I liked the idea of planting a little seed in Berlin that could grow,” said Birch-Ashton, adding “I think we need more understanding and love for one another in our world that we live in.” Dharma Seeds will offer a little bit of everything, from yoga attire to incense. Birch-Ashton teaches yoga at Zenna two days a week, but also brings an extensive background in meditation to her latest venture, as well a diploma in herbal medicine. Compiling the perfect products for Dharma Seeds has been a labor of love, she said, explaining that she has spent many, many hours researching products that are fair trade and Eco-friendly. For example, all of the yoga clothing will be 100% organic and made from non-gmo cotton. Other products you can expect to find are Eco-friendly yoga mats, zafus, tapestries, yoga bags, stickers, teas, oils and more. “I feel like for now we are testing the waters and finding out what people will respond too,” she said. In addition, Birch-Ashton hopes to draw heavily upon her background in herbal medicine by providing hand-crafted medicinal teas and holistic health options.
Currently, Birch-Ashton plans on being open Monday through Saturday, 10am until 4pm, with Ehrhart adding that items would be available for purchase before and after evening classes as well. Tonight, February 12, will also mark the official opening of Dharma Seeds, to be celebrated in conjunction with the 2nd Friday Arts Stroll in Berlin. Starting at 5:30pm, enjoy live sitar music, free giveaways, arts vendors, and an open jam session (7pm). Ehrhart will also be donating a portion of the proceeds from any memberships sold this evening to the American Heart Association.
In addition to stopping by the studio to check out Dharma Seeds, you can also follow their progress on Facebook (DharamSeedsFairTrade) and Instagram (@dharmaseeds). “The whole idea is to offer things that support yoga and meditation practice, but to offer it in a way that isn’t contributing to more commercialism.”
Stop by and say hello to the Dharma Seeds and Zenna Wellness teams tonight in Berlin. It may be bitterly cold out, but we can guarantee it will be warm and welcoming in the studio!
