NEW YOGA STUDIO TO OPEN

Jennifer Valentine has a hard time sitting still. That’s exactly why she loves yoga.

'We are so high strung that just to take that time and hold a pose for five seconds can be a challenge,' Valentine said. 'It's important to step back and slow down a little bit.'

Jennifer Valentine, teaches yoga in her first studio Monday in Winona. Valentine, who has taught yoga for five years, said she used to teach wherever she could find space but will now teach two days a week in the summer at her studio.

By day, she's a senior accountant at Wolter & Raak in Winona. By night, she teaches yoga classes Mondays and Thursdays at 'simplicity, yoga and wellness,' a yoga studio she opened Monday at 601 E. Fifth St. The cost per class is $5 until Labor Day when monthly rates go into effect starting at $30. She's hoping to add a third nightly class in the fall and also a free 'karma yoga' class Sundays.

Valentine, 44, started doing yoga in 2001 after she signed up her oldest daughter and herself for a class.

'She hated it. I loved it,' Valentine said.

Valentine credits yoga with helping her quit smoking, lose weight and feel generally healthier.

'It's done a lot of good things for me,' Valentine said. 'I want to bring it to as many people as I can.'

Valentine started teaching yoga in 2002. She has taught at the Winona Arts Center and Gotta Dance in Winona and has also taught in Alma, Trempealeau and Arcadia, all in Wisconsin.

Valentine teaches a power yoga class that's more aerobic and also a stretching class where the same basic yoga poses are done at a slower pace.

'I like to focus on listening to your body,' she said.

In May, Valentine, her husband, Dan, and Winona runner Aurora Jacobsen founded the Winona Running Club. She encourages marathon runners and other athletes to add yoga to their routine.

When she's not busy at work or teaching yoga, she's training for October's Des Moines Marathon in Des Moines, Iowa. Even though it's a busy schedule, it's one that Valentine said teaching yoga helps balance.

'This is my outlet,' she said.

By Kari Knutson

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