Yoga Tree: Cobra pose by sshepherd

Theresa Ebel was in her 40s when, after years of running and triathlon competitions, she decided to try yoga.

“I just needed something more gentle,” she said.

“At first it was another form of exercise for me but became much more than that after a couple years of practice.”

Now, Ebel is sharing her passion for yoga with others at her own studio. After earning her yoga instructor’s certification, she opened Yoga Tree in October at 12212 Johnson Drive.

Yoga’s meditation aspect, its focus on linking body to mind and its physical thoroughness grew on Ebel as she practiced.

“You work every single part of your body from the inside out,” she said.

Ebel described her style as gentle, basic yoga with poses that can be modified for participants of all experience levels. She said she hoped students find Yoga Tree comfortable and cheerful — the studio, painted lime-green, is small but sunny, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing Johnson Drive. One common yoga studio component is noticeably missing.

“Here, there’s no mirrors,” student Karen Glavin, Shawnee, said after finishing a Thursday afternoon class.

Glavin said she preferred it that way, garnering nods of agreement from a few fellow students. The studio doesn’t seem too big, she said, and it’s not intimidating.

Yoga Tree’s location on Johnson Drive is a homecoming of sorts for Ebel. She graduated from St. Joseph School and spent more than 20 years away from the area (her husband, Bill Ebel, is retired from the Army) before permanently moving back to Kansas and opening her studio just a few blocks from her high school alma mater and the Catholic parish to which she and her husband belong. They live in Overland Park.

To help the community, Yoga Tree collects donations for Uplift Organization Inc., a homeless outreach program in Kansas City, Mo.

Ebel also opens her studio walls to budding artists and plays host to a reception for each one.

Currently, nature photographs by Shawnee Mission Northwest High School sophomore Nate Compton dot the room. Nate, who shot the photos around Black Swan Lake, said he’d never formally exhibited his work before.

“I was actually really excited that I got to have the opportunity,” he said.

Ebel teaches one or more yoga classes daily, Monday through Friday. The studio also offers Zumba on Mondays. For more information about classes, call Yoga Tree at 913-271-8027.

Yoga Tree: Instructor by sshepherd

Yoga Tree: Warrior by sshepherd