STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 44
GETTING GROUNDED
Yoga studio enters 15th year
This year anyone who has practiced or attended yoga classes at Red Earth Yoga Center in Stillwater can put their hands together in front of their heart center in a thought of gratitude for Waleah Norton ’ s business entering its 15th year in the community .
Norton ’ s Red Earth Yoga , 1106 S . Main St ., is the first yoga center in Stillwater .
Norton , 58 , said it wasn ’ t easy getting a start here a decade and a half ago .
“ Stillwater was not real receptive to yoga when I first moved here ,” Norton said . “ There was a question as to if you could practice it as a Christian – I am a Christian and you can very much practice it .”
These days , she said , she sees more people in Stillwater offering , teaching or attending yoga .
“ I truly am thrilled about other studios opening here . The more yoga we have in our community the happier and healthier our community will be ,” she said .
Norton grew up Mangum and lived there until she moved to Jupiter , Florida then returned to Oklahoma 15 years ago – with her yoga knowledge .
She and her husband decided to be closer to family and chose Stillwater “ primarily because of the schools ” for their children .
“ I had already been doing yoga and there was no yoga studio here – there was nothing , and no place for me to go ,” Norton said .
She said talked it over with her husband and decided to open her own studio .
“ I rented a space from a little karate studio for the first six months ,” she said . The Center grew quickly and Norton expanded into the location where they are now .
Norton was in a car accident when she was young and had to have total hip replacement at age 35 .
She was walking in Florida when something magical occurred for her , when out of curiosity , she walked through the door of a yoga practice .
“ I happened to wander into a studio and absolutely fell in love with it and then I became a teacher ,” Norton said . “ My first teacher was in Juno Beach , Florida and that ’ s where I wandered in – and he just really believed in me and they got me started on it , and it changed the entire trajectory of my life .”
Previously Norton was in real estate , but she was so successful and happy in her new business she was able to switch gears and change careers .
Now Norton teaches the teachers at her vocational school the Red Earth Yoga Teacher Training Institute .
She is a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance and she trained in the study of Ashtanga Vinyasa in Mysore , India under the direction of Saraswathi Jois at the K . Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute , in addition to her earlier learnings and certifications .
In April 2020 , she completed her 500 teacher training hours from the Nexus Yoga Institute in Nosara , Costa Rica .
“ I did my very first training in Encinitas , California . There is a man named Tim Miller who created the first Ashtanga Yoga Center in America . I went to get a certification and I was so fortunate to be able to study with him in early 2000s ,” Norton said . “ He ’ s a legend .”
In terms of what she teaches and offers at the Center , there are some different practices and classes ( breathwork , mid-day resets , restorative , power flow , just to name a few ) than just Ashtanga Yoga . But Norton herself teaches and loves traditional yoga .
“ I have been tempted to go outside of those boundaries because of economics ,” she said . “ And I come back to my truth , but all yoga is good – it ’ s just that I teach traditional yoga , and I love that I ’ ve been able to stay with my vision .”
Norton loves working in Stillwater because of the diversity of people who come in , and they range from the youngest to an almost centenarian yogi .
“ You have to have persistence and patience , and to simply show up every single day whatever you do and give your very best . That ’ s kind of my motto in whatever I do , and I try to do it very well ,” she said .
“ We have so many people from the university that come here ,” she said . “ My oldest client is 91 and she comes from Cushing twice a week – all age ranges , all different abilities and disabilities – the people are just incredible .”
Norton knows she is a pioneer in Stillwater with her successful and unique small business . But what she is most proud of is that she has taught and certified at least 100 teachers .
“ They ’ re scattered all over , teaching in all parts of the world – it ’ s amazing to watch these people I ’ ve given guidance to who take it and run with it ,” Norton said .
STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 44