OUR story
in 2008, Yoga Bliss grew from a small group of friends practicing yoga in a home basement into a community-centered studio in Fairlawn, serving Akron since 2011. Today, we bring people together through yoga, Yoga Sculpt, barre, teacher training and wellness experiences while continuing the spirit of service, connection and community that inspired Yoga Bliss from the beginning.
A MESSAGE from our founder
I took my first yoga classes at a local gym and was immediately hooked. For the first time after “working out,” I felt energized instead of depleted. I remember stopping at the grocery store after class and having people ask why I was smiling.
When the gym stopped offering yoga, I was devastated. I needed the practice. So, I asked one of the teachers if she would lead classes in my basement for a few friends and me.
She came every Tuesday and Thursday, and before long, our little group had grown from two people to ten. I wanted more, so I began driving to Cleveland Yoga several days a week to practice and learn.
When our teacher eventually moved away, I told the group we would have to stop meeting. Instead, they asked:
“Why can’t you lead our class?”
I knew there was much more to teaching yoga than repeating what I had learned, but I agreed. I began offering free classes in my basement every Tuesday and Thursday.
Slowly, my children’s playroom became a yoga space, complete with tape marks for mats and a painted “Om” on the wall. I became certified as a yoga teacher at Cleveland Yoga and immersed myself in trainings, retreats, and books.
Our basement group grew into a rotating community of about 25 yogis. Friends, neighbors, and even my children’s bus driver would walk through the front door and head downstairs.
I simply wanted to share the practice that was changing me.
Yoga was no longer just a workout. It helped me feel happier, stronger, and more connected to myself.
YOGA, community, and service
Along the way, I discovered Seva—the practice of service to others.
I watched yoga teachers I admired use their platforms to raise awareness and support meaningful causes. I realized we could do the same through donation-based classes and special events for organizations in our own community.
After three years of teaching in my basement, one of my closest friends encouraged me to open a studio.
At first, I resisted. I did not want to turn my passion into a job. I wanted to reach more people.
Eventually, I understood that opening a studio would allow the community to grow—and allow us to make a greater impact through our Seva projects.
So, I stepped outside my comfort zone, signed a lease, managed a build-out, and opened Yoga Bliss in February 2011.
Since then, there have been many chapters: growth, expansion, a pandemic, and everything in between.
Through every change, the heart of Yoga Bliss has remained the same:
Movement. Connection. Service. Community.
Through 2025, Yoga Bliss donated more than $125,500 to organizations supporting women and children, along with more than $112,500 in classes, merchandise, and other in-kind contributions to local charities. That remains one of the accomplishments of which I am most proud.
And those friends from the early basement days?
Many of the Original Basement Yogis are still part of Yoga Bliss today.
Thank you for being part of our story and for helping us continue to create a place where people can move, grow, connect, and feel at home.
With gratitude,
Caroline Kilcoyne
Founder, Yoga Bliss
