Lindsay Duvick had enough of retail. The demanding hours would leave her depressed and with feelings of living an unfulfilled life. Wanting to reignite a former passion, Duvick decided to open up a yoga studio of her own, completely changing the course of her life. 

After graduating from Iowa State in 2013 with an apparel, merchandising and design major, Duvick moved to California to work in the field. After moving back to Iowa when her father became ill, Duvick decided to channel negative energy through yoga. 

“I loved the way it holds you accountable and it makes you have willpower, it makes you have self-discipline, it makes you really look at the way you’re treating others and how you react to situations, and I feel like nothing else in my life had really given me those tools or skills to like to do that,” Duvick said. 

After deciding to move to Seattle and pursue a master’s degree in counseling psychology and switching from job to job that left her unhappy, Duvick started to become more serious about what seemed to be the one consistent and positive thing in her life: yoga. 

“I quit my job and went full-throttle, did my training, and it literally changed my entire life,” Duvick said.  “It changed me as a human, it changed my direction of life, it inspired me to be the best human I can be.”

And in November, Yoga and Co. was born. Yoga and Co. is much more than a yoga studio, however. Offering classes, community events and coffee and tea, the studio also hopes to provide individuals with an immersive experience to awaken their mind, body and soul. 

Duvick felt confident opening her own studio, given she had an emphasis in entrepreneurship alongside her major while at Iowa State. 

“It took me six years to kind of figure out what the heck I was gonna do, but that always stuck with me,” Duvick said. “I took all of my skills and knowledge from those classes and I feel like without those, I would never have the courage to even dream of starting my own business.”

With its location across from Drake University, Duvick is not only trying to turn the neighborhood reputation around, but also show that anyone and everyone can do yoga.

“I know yoga kind of has this stigma that you have to wear Lululemon and be this perfect person and have this certain body, and I’m really trying to break all of those and let people know it doesn’t matter who you are or what you are, or what you’re wearing,’’ Duvick said. “You deserve to be happy, you deserve this mental release and you deserve to build a life that you’ve dreamed of.”

While Duvick praised on-campus recreational programs, she also said she realizes the importance of leaving campus for a little bit to destress. 

“Sometimes students need to get off-campus and have an outlet that’s not surrounded by all the hard work they’re putting in and stress,” Duvick said. 

Not only does Yoga & Co. offer yoga classes, but also workshops that help individuals become their best selves — both mentally and physically. Duvick recently had the idea to offer a journaling workshop to show those who attend that journaling is just one tool to help manage mental health and let stress go. 

Duvick also has plans to incorporate a boutique within the studio, and will have eco-friendly workout clothing for sale Duvick made herself, hoping to implement the apparel, merchandising and design element of her degree. 

“I just want to provide all this love and positive energy and healing to as many people as I can,” Duvick said. 

More information including class times and prices can be found on Yoga & Co.’s website.