'Nampa's little secret'
Inclusive yoga studio owners positively impact community
Yoga instructors Nicole Beall and Teresa Crowley together in the lobby of their Nampa studio on Tuesday.
A class takes place at 2C Yoga studio in Nampa on Tuesday. Nicole Beall, right, and Teresa Crowley opened a yoga studio together in 2019.
Teresa Crowley leads a chair-based yoga class at 2C Yoga studio in Nampa on Tuesday.
NAMPA — After spending 25 years in HR and corporate offices, Nicole Beall and Teresa Crowley opened a yoga studio together, trading hosiery and high heels for bare feet and stretchy pants.
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Beall and Crowley opened 2C Yoga studio in Nampa in 2019, after doing workshops together for two years. Six weeks ago, the studio moved to a new location in Nampa on 218 12th Ave. S, right across from the library.
"We're centralized and we're here for the community," Crowley said.
They plan on opening a second location at 905 Main Street in Caldwell later this year. It is currently under construction.
Both spaces, Beall said, are meant for peace.
"When we say we want you to come here to heal, we really mean it," Beall said. "Healing looks different for everybody. And when you walk through the door, we don't know what you're healing from, but we're all carrying something."
Beall and Crowley are not typical yoga teachers — something the two quickly realized when interviewing for jobs.
"A lot of times the studios didn't really want teachers like us teaching there because we didn't really look the way they felt we should look," Beall said.
On one occasion, Beall interviewed for a teaching position at a studio. Toward the end of the interview, the studio owner suggested Beall try teaching for free.
"She wasn't sure if anybody would resonate with my body type and if they would want to take classes from someone like me," Beall said.
The idea, Beall said, is not an uncommon one.
"We both realized that all we cared about was creating a safe space so that if you came to take a yoga class, you didn't have to care about what you look like," Beall said. "I've been to yoga classes where the instructors singled people out, where the studio made it clear that you were not welcomed in the way you dressed and the way you looked, and we wanted to create something different."
And according to Doug Clegg, Sheila Stinson Owens and Lola Booth, 2C has done just that.
Doug Clegg and his wife didn't want to be sedentary retirees, so they started going to yoga — all it took was one class to get them hooked, not just on yoga, but on Beall and Crowley.
"Teresa and Nicole both are naturals at making you feel comfortable," Clegg said. "They're probably two of the kindest people I have met in my 70 years."
He and his wife are founding members of 2C Yoga, attending class in the studio two to four times a week. Clegg said they're loyal because of the studio's consistent kindness.
"They make me feel OK being able to be what I am," Clegg said. "I can't stress enough the importance of inclusion and kindness in our society today. We need to look out for one another, and 2C yoga has really helped me hone in on that in my personal life. I leave there and I feel like spreading kindness."
He's not the only one who feels that way.
Sheila Stinson Owens fell in love with yoga after taking a class from Crowley and after meeting Beall, she quickly started becoming a regular at 2C. The two "balance each other out" and create an accommodating space, particularly after the studio's recent move, Owens said.
"It's been Nampa's little secret," Owens said. "I always come out feeling better than when I came in."
That's a big deal for Owens, who struggles with depression.
Classes usually have somewhere between five to 12 people, she said. In the studio, teachers prioritize their students, which lead Beall and Crowley to not put mirrors in their new studio — something that's fairly unheard of in the average studio. Keeping mirrors out of the studio is meant to promote positive body image, although the owners understand their efforts are not a one-stop cure.
"Yoga is another tool in your health toolbox," Beall said. "You have a therapist. You have a doctor. You've got loved ones. You've got yoga. You've got your spiritual practice. We're part of that, it's not all or nothing."
Still, at 77 years old, Lola Booth finds the studio environment builds her confidence. Teachers are upfront about their personal limitations and injuries, which helps her feel comfortable with her limitations.
In direct contradiction to what Beall was told at the beginning of her yoga teaching journey, Booth resonates with the body types represented at 2C.
"When you're older and never had a real good body image, to go to teachers who aren't 20 somethings, is kind of reassuring and confidence building," Booth said. "They don't look like what you see on the TV."
Booth has been a yearly member since 2C began and is now utilizing a virtual membership. At the start of her yoga journey, Booth struggled with arthritis, and said Beall showed her several modifications to help her do poses correctly and safely.
"I'm a longtime Nampa resident and I just am so happy to have a studio of this caliber here. I think we're really really lucky. So many yoga studios went under during the pandemic, and they were able to hold on and help the rest of us."
