Reaching Further

Getting Healthy Isn’t a Stretch at The Corner Mat Yoga Studio

Writer & Photographer / Kylee White

The Corner Mat Yoga Studio provides a space where individuals can join in on a relaxing experience, while also improving their minds and bodies. Instructor and Owner Debbie Gant opened the studio seven years ago and has been building her business ever since.

“We started in Yorktown, and then we moved here with the intent that we had easier access to the university and to the younger students, faculty and administration,” Gant says.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 happened and shut down many studios. Luckily, Gant and her business survived.

The staff members teach several different types of classes throughout the week. The Corner Mat has classes for anyone wanting to join. For those wanting to start their yoga journey, they host a beginner class on Saturdays at 10 a.m.

Gant often has individuals come into classes to restore their body or gain strength back. The Corner Mat serves as a space in which people are able to start to heal from events that happen throughout life.

“We get people who have been referred by their doctor, their councilor or their physical therapist, which is always nice,” Gant says. “Oftentimes people will show up here because something has gone wrong in their life, they Googled, saw yoga and so they show up here.”

Located right off of University Avenue, Gant and her staff members often work with individuals and teams that come from Ball State University. One of Gant’s goals has been to work with more young adults from the campus, as well as administrative staff members who might need it.

“We have had sorority groups come in, and we also do some stuff with some of the sports teams,” Gant says. “Some of the teams that come from out of town to play Ball State will contact us, and bring their team in for a class just to have something different to do while they’re here in town.”

Unfortunately, Gant has faced some struggles with her business, but believes the studio is important for the community.

“Participation is down,” Gant says. “Now, you can do yoga at home, you can buy a video, you can go online and do YouTube, and everyone has all these apps and such. But you can also hurt yourself without the guided questions and instruction. There’s a community aspect for those who come here. We’re all like-minded and such that we enjoy the company of one another.”

One of the main aspects Gant focuses on is giving individuals control when they come into the space. The goal is to make sure they’re comfortable, while also staying relaxed throughout the classes.

“We always encourage people to control what happens on their mat,” Gant says. “If you want to lay there on your mat for an hour and not do a thing, that’s OK too. You can take bits and pieces of the class. We have people who are new and people who have been doing yoga for years, and we offer multiple modifications. We use props in order to get into the pose and hang out there.”

Gant also stresses the importance of seeing what each pose has to offer you and your body, knowing that each individual is different and may have to adapt in different ways.

“No body is the same,” Gant says. “We all have different ages – our bones, our joints, our genders, our sleep patterns, our eating patterns. Everything is so different that you can’t look at the person on the mat next to you and think that your body can do the same thing that they can, because you can’t. I encourage people to close their eyes, draw their awareness in and feel what the pose is supposed to feel like, rather than thinking about what you think it needs to look like.”

The Corner Mat Yoga Studio is located at 1300 West University Avenue in Muncie. For more info, call 765-748-6568, visit thecornermat.com, and check them out on Instagram @thecornermat.