Monday, May 16, 2022 11:00 AM by Helen Dennis

May has been recognized by the U.S. as Asian American Pacific Islander Month since 1992. In 2022, the City of Columbia also proclaimed May to be Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This is a chance to celebrate the history of the AAPI people and honor the culture and community that they foster in Columbia SC. Several of our Columbia SC Ambassadors are part of this community and they’re sharing some of their thoughts, recipes and favorite AAPI businesses from around the capital city.

Living in Columbia

Rita

I want visitors and locals to celebrate each other’s differences and know that it's those things that inspire us...to travel, experiment with cooking, what we wear, how we treat one another. A beautiful way I celebrate my culture is by practicing henna art, knowing it will spark a conversation where I'm able to share a little bit about me and my family.

Lynn

I am a Vietnamese and Chinese American who has split her time both in the North + Southern United States. I grew up enjoying my parents cooking pho, making spring rolls and banh mi, or eating steamed buns! Pho Viet is a little bit of home cooking for me— with dishes that rival even my mother’s! Be sure to check out their pho, spring rolls or any of the bubble teas to get your Viet fix. 

AAPI Businesses

Rita

Some of my favorites are Dukes Pad Thai, FIT Columbia, 929 Kitchen, Two Gingers, Bombay Palace, and 831 Minhle. 

Lynn

I’ve enjoyed getting to know so many local AAPI business owners here in Columbia. Some of my favorites include Fit Columbia, Canvas Nails, MyKim Collection, The Corner Blend, Kao Thai, Freshe Poké, Bodhi Thai, Pho Viet, 929 Kitchen. 

Angela

I buy my ingredients from Hyundai Asian grocery on Decker Blvd. 

Recipes

Angela

On their birthdays, Korean children eat “seaweed soup” in honor of their mothers who birthed them. I love how the focus is still on family, elders and love rather than exclusively the child’s day.  
Seaweed soup, serves 2-3
Ingredients:

• ½ ounce (16 grams) dried miyeok, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes

• 1 pound beef brisket or skirt steak, cut into thin and small pieces

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fish sauce (or salt and soy sauce to your taste)

• 2 teaspoon toasted toasted sesame oil

Directions

1. Rinse and drain the miyeok (dried seaweed). Squeeze out excess water. Cut a few times into bite-size pieces

2. Transfer the miyeok to a large and heavy pot. Add 8 cups of water. Cover and bring it to a boil for about 10 to 12 minutes.

3. Turn down the heat to medium. Add the beef, cover, and cook for 40 minutes.

4. Stir in garlic and fish sauce. Cook another 10 minutes, or until the beef is tender and the broth is savory.

5. Stir-in the sesame oil. Ladle into bowls and serve. The soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Categories: Visitor Information

LINK: https://www.experiencecolumbiasc.com/blog/post/aapi-heritage-month/

Angela Yong Sellers arrived in Columbia in 2001 and has called the city home ever since. She and her business, Fit Columbia, have become a familiar and beloved part of the community.

Sellers is part of the Class of 2022 of Experience Columbia SC Ambassadors, and a chance encounter may have helped lead to her being chosen.

"One of the Experience Columbia SC employees came in for a stretch session," Sellers remembers. "She asked me, 'What do you think about Columbia?' and I immediately responded, 'I love it here.'"

Sellers' love for Columbia is not a secret. She founded Fit Columbia in 2011, and has overcome challenge after challenge to keep the small business thriving through dedication and hard work.

Fit Columbia offers innovative fitness classes taught by local instructors, and Sellers provides training and certification for other instructors. She has written articles for several local media outlets over the years, spotlighting other female business owners in the fitness realm around the Midlands, supporting and encouraging even the 'competition.'

She has also seized every opportunity to boost other local businesses, made countless friends, and has served as an unofficial ambassador for Five Points and Columbia for many years.

"I would be asked, 'Why are you doing this?' and would say, 'Because you deserve to be seen,'" said Sellers. She was also among the first customers when new restaurant Jack Brown's recently opened in Five Points and has found other ways to boost neighbors, including doing promotional photos for Fit Columbia at other local businesses.

"I tell people I love that even though we are getting bigger as a city, we still have a lot of mom and pop," Sellers says.

Sellers travels widely and said making Columbia home has made it easier to indulge her love of exploring.

"The economy here is ideal for me. On just an honest, hardworking living wage, I can afford my house," she says. "Everything is close. We are an hour and a half from the beach and the mountains and a 20-minute drive to the airport."

As a Korean American, Sellers is aware of negative stereotypes regarding the South but encourages people from near and far to experience her home city and see all the variety it has to offer and how much it is growing as a place that welcomes all.

"20 years ago, I was a vegan, and there weren't many food options, but that has completely changed," she says. "It's proof that we're changing and becoming more accepting because all kinds of restaurants and businesses are coming out."

Sellers said, as part of Fit Columbia's mission statement, that the better her clients feel, the more each client will be able to accomplish when they leave the studio. As an ambassador, she extends that philosophy to all who visit and live in Columbia.

The mission of Experience Columbia SC, which began as the Greater Columbia Convention & Visitors Bureau in 1984, is to inspire travel to the region to drive economic impact to local hospitality businesses like restaurants, hotels, attractions, shops, and more. In order to become an excellent destination for visitors, it is important to first appeal to local residents, which sparked Experience Columbia SC to create a Local Ambassador Program to help lead the charge.

link to feature:

https://www.coladaily.com/communities/columbia/working-out-angela-yong-sellers-promotes-columbia-while-helping-people-get-fit/article_ca32e6fc-e0f0-11ec-ada9-ffeeae7527c1.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share

My morning felt like the beginning of an Eminem song: “His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy.”

No, I wasn’t getting ready for a rap battle. Instead, I was doing something more stressful and that I hadn’t done in two years: getting back into the gym.

People usually use terms like “college fifteen” when a kid goes out on their own for the first year, but “pandemic pounds” is just as real.

When the world shut down two years ago, my caloric intake went up understandably. The world opted for the essentials of bread, cold cuts, and frozen pizzas. As a result, the impact of body issues occurred.

I was never a skinny kid, often having my mom shop for me in the husky sections of Sears (my big homies understand the plight) never felt comfortable in my skin. Going back into the gym, when people ask me my goals, I respond in a pretty modest way.

“I just wanna be comfortable enough to take my shirt off during a pickup basketball game.”

I wish I could be like Lizzo and walk on a plane with Prince-style butt pants, but I don’t have that confidence.

Designer Karl Lagerfeld once said, “Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life, so you bought some sweatpants.” But body self-esteem is genuine without a pandemic forcing you to add inches to the midsection.

I giggle when I read that quote but when I look in my chest drawers, and that’s all I see, there’s some truth to it. I also wondered if I was the only person going through these feelings. My self-value is with my lack of abs, and I avoid mirrors. I begin to feel all failures in my life result from my weight.

Almost 40 and not married? It’s because you’re fat. Never got a major record deal? You’re a fatty McFatty. Have you had a bad day? Talk to my friend Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

I needed some advice from a pro, so I spoke with Angela Yong Sellers, 2022 Experience Columbia Ambassador and owner of Fit Columbia. I asked her how to love yourself even when you want to improve.

“I’m a mom of two and a woman in the fitness industry, I feel a critical eye on my body all the time. Generally, I move more than most people because of my life style so staying strong and healthy seems easy but it is a conscious effort,” Sellers said. “It would be irresponsible for me to not practice what I preach but if you have followed me over the years, I have gained & lost pounds just like anyone else. I’m human. The trick is to learn to love yourself, especially your curves and scars.”

Love yourself. What a concept and, at times, can be a difficult one.

A meme reads, “I wish I were as fat as I was when I first thought I was fat,” and I agree. I can find pictures of dreadlock Preach looking like a young James Earl Jones with not quite a 6-pack but probably thirty pounds lighter. Funny thing, I always felt as unattractive and big bone-did then too.

I began to see other friends not only go through the same things as I was feeling but making changes in their lives. A local billing consultant, Brittney Smith, shared her weight and workout journey on her Facebook page.

“My gym closed with the rise of the virus. I was isolated and anxious about being in public. It was depressing,” Smith said. “Weight came with the additional stressors and inactivity. I was extremely self conscious about the extra 50 pounds. My self esteem was shot and reflected in many areas of my life.”

Her social media is a video diary of the journey, dropping 35 pounds and counting. She offers advice on what the emotional toll can be.

“Self awareness is key,” Smith said. “Knowing my self worth despite how I felt about my body at that time, acknowledging that my worth was much more than looks or achievements.”

Preach Jacobs is a musician, artist and activist and founder of Cola-Con and indie label Sounds Familiar Records. You can hear his podcasts and read more work at FightThePower.co.

LINK: Thank you for interviewing me and writing this post-covid back in the gym article. Written by By Preach Jacobs

https://lnkd.in/gq9b8yud #fitcolumbia #realcolumbiasc #preachjacobs#wod

Fit Columbia partnered with SC State Library to bring you a kids stretch session. Check out this video

Fit Columbia is a hidden gem among the many venues that fill Five Points — it's a yoga studio that ensures you leave feeling better than when you came in. With the overwhelming stress that the school semester brings upon students, it serves as a getaway from it all. 

The idea to create Fit Columbia started a decade ago with owner Angela Sellers. As a former strength and conditioning coach at Hammond School, Sellers has a background in athletic training. She said she opened her first gym in an unlikely place — the basement of one of her client’s husband's office buildings. Ten years later, her studio is located in the heart of Five Points. 

Sellers said her mission in creating Fit Columbia is to foster play and longevity. With a studio full of energetic and professional staff, they have created an environment where clients can get in touch with their fun side and let loose. 

“As we grow up, we forget we can play,” studio manager and lead instructor Kiley Prevatte said. “We just create a lot of playtime, lots of giggles, lots of feel-good moments.”

Fit Columbia specializes in yoga, offering a variety of different classes for all ages. A few client favorites include aerial yoga, traditional mat yoga, stretch therapy and personal training. 

According to Sellers, the studio will see six-year-old kids' birthday parties doing yoga, and then you turn around and see someone who is 80-years-old.

Sellers said Prevatte was once a client at Fit Columbia. She said she first came to the studio when she was a full-time student at the University of South Carolina. Prevatte fell in love with the classes which led her to eventually start teaching her own. Every semester, the studio has two to four interns from the university, and they are part of what makes the experience so special in Sellers' eyes. 

“I started with the aerial here,” Prevatte said. “I really love teaching that because I love helping other people find that confidence or that empowerment in their body when they walk out of my class.” 

Despite the studio being fitness-oriented, the goal for the classes is for clients to feel refreshed, not exhausted. Sellers and the staff aim to make fitness fun and educate clients on their bodies. 

“Why would we have somebody do so many lunges they can’t walk when they leave the studio?” Sellers said. “The goal is when they leave the studio they feel so good, they understand their bodies better, they're more confident. And then later on that day they’re outside playing with their grandkids.” 

One unique feature is that payment is tailored and varies based on customer needs. Sellers said she created Fit Columbia to not be a financial burden, but instead a place where everyone is able to experience what the studio has to offer. 

Since COVID-19, Sellers said the studio has been able to maintain its growth while keeping everyone safe. The pandemic forced them to move into a larger location in Five Points. Sellers said the former space was about 1,000 square feet and only one room. Now in the current location, they upgraded to almost double the space to allow for a more COVID-19 conscious environment.

If students or other potential clients are interested, they are encouraged to book a free consultation via the Fit Columbia website or by phone. They offer college night classes and private group sessions for athletic teams, sororities, academic clubs or even just a group of friends. Student discounts are also available. 

"We're like a family," said private trainer Nancy Goffi. "I'm a personal trainer, but sometimes a therapist, sometimes a friend."

By Camryn Dixon

Mar. 13, 2022, 6:00pm

LINK:https://www.dailygamecock.com/article/2022/03/print-fitcolumbia-in-five-points-is-making-fitness-fun-again-dixon-sports

REAL LOCAL

To really know a city, you need to see it through the eyes of its locals. That's why we've teamed up with some of our favorite locals to give you their insider tips on what to do in South Carolina's capital city.

Angela Yong Sellers announced as 2022 Experience Columbia Ambassador. She wears many hats - business owner, mom, coach and Columbia SC expert.

Fit Columbia

The limit on fun does not exist at Fit Columbia. From traditional yoga to hip hop aerial yoga to bungee fitness, there is something for everyone at this studio. Stay tuned to their social media for specialty classes like aerial with goats or puppies, partner aerial and glow aerial. Or try your hand at the bungee cord for a unique way to get your cardio in for the day. Drop-in to a traditional class for just $20 or book a private party for everyone on your trip. Whether it’s a girls’ getaway or team bonding, you can host a private group class at the studio in Five Points, or the skills will come to you on site.

Link to post: https://www.experiencecolumbiasc.com/blog/post/workouts/

Fit Columbia celebrated its 10-year anniversary and grand re-opening in its new space in Five Points with a drop in party Wednesday, May 26. Guests enjoyed light bites, drinks, a tour of the new facility, and a meet and greet with instructors and Fit Columbia owner Angela Yong Sellers.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years, I am in awe of the space and so thankful to our sangha especially our clients and Fit Columbia team,” says Sellers. “We are thrilled to celebrate with our community, especially after such a difficult year.”

Fit Columbia moved from its Blossom Street location to a bigger studio on College Street behind Elite Framing January 2021 to meet the demand of social distancing that was necessary with the COVID pandemic. Now with the larger space, Sellers and her team can offer more classes, personal training sessions, and one on one assisted stretching.

“Our studio is a relationship based studio, so we get to know our people. Everyone from the introvert, the academic, the athletic, to the kid at heart will find something unique for them inside these walls. We even have ‘retirement PE’ for clients over 65 to come work on balance, build strength, and play. There is truly something for everyone within these walls, and we will always prioritize our client’s needs,” adds Sellers.

Fit Columbia is unique in that it offers pop-up classes outside the studio including rooftop yoga at Black Rooster restaurant and paddleboard yoga on the lake. Fit Columbia also is the only fitness studio in the Midlands to offer bungee fitness.

“Bungee fitness is so much fun and everyone from eight-80 should give it a try. It fills you with childlike joy and a playful spirit.” says Sellers. “Our glow aerial yoga feels magical with the exposed beams and colorful lights and if you need to wind down after a crazy day, we offer candlelight yoga. Thematic classes are more than marketing, they meet people where they are and give them an experience.”

For more information, visit www.fitcolumbia.com.

By Hannah Cumler | May 28, 2021 at 3:18 PM EDT - Updated May 28 at 3:18 PM

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Fit Columbia, an exercise studio in Five Points, is celebrating ten years of fitness in the Midlands.

Offering personal training, aerial yoga, goat yoga, and more, owner Angela Yong Sellers says she wanted to create a fun approach to fitness that any age, shape, or size could participate in.

The unique options, such as bungee fitness, offer benefits that can’t always be found in traditional cardio exercise.

For instance, Sellers says, those with knee problems, or those who have recently undergone a surgery or procedure, can use bungee fitness as a way to get their heart rate up, without as much impact as running or biking.

Fit Columbia is located at 2121 College Street in Columbia.

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month + today we’re sharing a conversation we had with AAPI community member and business owner Angela Yong Sellers.

Angela is the owner of Fit Columbia (2121 College St.), a fitness studio that offers personal training, yoga classes (including aerial and baby goat yoga), stretch therapy, and more. She opened Fit Columbia in May of 2011 + is celebrating its 10 year anniversary tomorrow with a drop in from 5-7 p.m.

Angela has been a part of the fitness industry since she left college + is also an avid reader and listener of audiobooks, especially fantasy and biographies.

fitcolumbia

Table of Contents

• What’s your name, title, and 3-5 things you want people to know about you?

• If you’re originally from Cola, why have you stayed here? If you’re not, what brought you here?

• Convince a friend to move to Cola in 15 words or less. Go.

• What’s an improvement you’d like to see in Columbia?

• You can only choose one local restaurant menu to bring with you to a deserted island.

• What do you hope Cola is like in 10 years? 20 years?

• How did your parents or parental figures influence you?

• Tell us about an obstacle you’ve had in life and how you overcame it.

• What life advice or epiphany would you share with others that you’re thankful you learned?

• What 3 people (living or dead) would you invite to an imaginary dinner party?

• Name 3-5 other local leaders/influencers/movers + shakers you’re watching.

• If you were taking someone on a tour around Columbia, where are the 3 places you’re going?

• You’re taking someone on a date in Cola. Where are you going?

• Other than yourself, who would you consider to be the local expert about Columbia?

• How are you going to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, locally?

• How has your upbringing — and your Asian American identity — influenced your work?

• What’s new or coming up for Fit Columbia?

• What is your favorite Fit Columbia class to take? To teach?

• Who should we interview next?
  
  Link to article: https://colatoday.6amcity.com/interview-fit-columbia-sc/

Fit Columbia, located at 2121 College St., is known for its aerial yoga, with colorful silks hanging from the ceiling that help customers soar into the air effortlessly.

By Cera Hansen

By Mardy Kramer

"Every body is a yoga body," say the staff at Fit Columbia, a yoga studio in downtown Five Points.

With genuine diversity and a nonjudgmental attitude, Angela Yong Sellers, owner and founder of Fit Columbia, said she wants everyone to feel included and welcome at the yoga studio.

"Typically when you walk into a yoga studio, they are almost all young, white females dressed in very nice clothes. That is intimidating to the rest of the 95% of the population. And what we have here is genuine diversity. Our instructor team mirrors most of the population," Sellers said. "We don't have mirrors everywhere, so the most introverted of people are comfortable. We don't have — there's not a competitive vibe."

Sellers opened Fit Columbia in 2010, focusing on nontraditional styles of yoga that feature puppies, baby goats, bungee cords and, most popular of all, aerial silks.

Aerial silks and the other props, as Sellers calls them, allow people to get into yoga positions with little to no risk as with traditional yoga. With customers of all ages, the props allow conditions such as arthritis or joint pain to experience minor impact during yoga experiences, Sellers said.

While it tends to have an elderly customer base, Fit Columbia welcomes every kind of student, experienced or not. Kiley Prevatte, a certified yoga instructor, started her journey at Fit Columbia as a student with no yoga experience. She is now an instructor with 200 certified hours.

Prevatte said yoga can be helpful to anyone, as people "learn a lot about themselves and the people around them." She said nobody's journey with yoga will be quite the same.

"Some people learn how to find a quiet space in their mind. Some people learn body awareness and bodily autonomy. Some people just learn confidence or self-confidence. And, again, not so much with COVID right now, but it's a great place to meet people. I've had so many friendships bloom [at the studio]," Prevatte said.

Mee Jean Sasine, a long-time customer of Fit Columbia, said she loves the different classes, which can't be found at most places.

After first trying an aerial silk yoga class with a group of friends, Sasine soon came back again and again with her children, even hosting a birthday party for her daughter there, she said.

Sasine now holds fundraising events at Fit Columbia for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

"[Sellers] is really great with the community and supporting the community. So, when I was doing fundraising for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, she jumped right in. And we did a —  it was a bubbles and bungee class. So, it was like, we did a bungee class and then had champagne afterwards. And then, we also did a beer yoga class for fundraising," Sasine said.

Sellers said she wants to bring positivity to the Columbia yoga scene as a whole.

"It's really important to me that I'm more collaborative. If I can't be collaborative, I at least want to be a springboard. If someone comes here and they do some yoga with us, and they feel more confident, and they start going to other studios, that's still a win for Columbia," Sellers said.

Anyone can take a class, either a la carte or with a membership ,at the studio's newly renovated 2121 College St. location.

Read more here: https://www.dailygamecock.com/article/2021/04/fit-columbia-yoga-arts-culture-kramer?fbclid=IwAR01aDCMuSHt5k8bwGZrCqXFTjc-tbMf_I8WLVkauVAPsQhwOqmyCckjdXY

Like many small business owners, Angela Sellers struggled to get through 2020. The Fit Columbia owner found her ninth year in business a brutal one, battling like so many others to overcome COVID-19’s obstacles. Her way through it turned out to be an unexpected one: a bigger space.

“It was grow or die,” Sellers said. “If I didn’t move into a larger location, Fit Columbia would have closed by year's end. My former space had a CDC capacity of 4-6 people and with all the business interruptions during the pandemic, we would have closed.”

Fit Columbia’s new home is not far from the old one, still in Five Points at 2121 College Street. The larger space means more capacity for social distancing and includes multiple entrances and a private treatment room for stretch therapy and other treatments Sellers and her staff offer in addition to personal training and aerial silks, wall yoga, bungee fitness, traditional yoga and occasional surprises like baby goat yoga.

While celebrating the new home and Fit Columbia’s survival, Sellers is well aware of other small businesses who did not make it.

“I have friends who have closed and each decision was gut wrenching,” she said. “Now more than ever, we need community, mindfulness, healing, yoga and movement. 2020 was brutal to all of us. I hope no one else closes.”

Entering her 10th year as a business owner with a bigger start than ever before, Sellers is excited.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” she asked, looking around the new place and the 1,600 sq.-ft. outdoor area where she hopes to eventually add a pergola for outdoor aerial yoga. “Cork floors, high ceilings with exposed beams and the energy is magic.”

Fit Columbia has and will continue to observe safety precautions including and going beyond city and state guidelines for the pandemic. More information on the steps taken to keep staff and customers safe and on the many classes and treatments available can be found at fitcolumbia.com.

Columbia is excited to announce they are moving from 2002 Blossom St. to a larger facility just up Harden St. to 2121 College St., Columbia SC 29205.

The new location offers 2600 square feet of continued yoga, workouts, fun, and Zen. The space will allow Fit Columbia to meet all CDC social distancing and face covering guidelines while allowing members and guests a seamless unencumbered uplifting experience.

Come checkout all the varied programs available! No need to pick just one, see which one speaks to you!

Ashiatsu, Aerial Yoga, Baby Goat Yoga, Personal Training, Stretch Therapy, Yoga, Wall Yoga. Just to name a few! See the website for more information and special events.

Hope to see your smiling eyes at our new location!

Link to article: https://whosonthemove.com/fit-columbia-is-moving/

Fit Columbia and Girl Scouts mountains to midlands will partner this year so daisies, brownies and Girl Scouts can work to earn a yoga patch! We are so excited to spend quality time with this beautiful girls.

A great video from Dalvin Spann that talks about Fit Columbia. Watch video: https://youtu.be/nExdEad2rtQ

As I walked into the aerial yoga class, I couldn’t help but wonder, “How the heck did I get myself into this?”

I almost left when I realized I was the only student above 25 but decided to stick it out.

I was good with the warm up and stretch that was done the old-fashioned way with both feet on the ground, but started to get nervous when it came time to get into the silk (that’s what the young, hip folks call the sling suspended from the ceiling).

“This is where we’ll see who’s the strongest,” the instructor said. “Using your core and your upper body strength, pull yourself up into the silk. Do not use momentum. If you are strong enough, your silk shouldn’t swing.”

Oh, mercy. Epic silk fail. I got myself up but was swinging around like the woman on the flying trapeze. My classmates smiled in the way young people do when they don’t want to make fun of an old woman trying her best. The instructor came right over and steadied my swing. She smiled the way a patient teacher does.

We held the first pose for a while. I liked it. You could go deeper into the pose for a really good stretch. I was seeing the value to aerial yoga. I wasn’t exactly graceful coming out of the pose and back to the ground, but my first exit was uneventful. I didn’t fall so I considered that success.

Time to try the next pose. I wanted to redeem myself so I sucked in my stomach as hard as I could and clenched my bottom. I put one foot in the silk. I grabbed on as high as I could and tried to engage all my muscles as I pulled up. This time I flew out in a circle like the swing ride at the S.C. State Fair. My instructor rushed over and steadied me for the second time. She mentioned the harnesses were professionally installed. Was she worried or did she think I was? Either way, that was good information to know.

I did improve as the class went along. Towards the end, I was in a pose where I was hanging upside down. The pressure of my hips against the silk and the rope wrapped around my ankles was supposed to be enough to hold my weight, but my hands still held a death grip.

“Let go. Let go. Let go,” the instructor said. “No, no, no,” said my brain. Finally, when she promised to stand beside me and catch me if I fell, I released one hand and then the other. Voila. I was suspended. I felt like Zendaya from The Greatest Showman. In that moment, I felt strong and free. I felt strong and free for about three seconds until the blood rushed to my head and then my brain told me it might be time to hop on out of that silk, so I did.

Overall, I was proud of myself for trying something new. I don’t think I’ll do aerial yoga on a regular basis, but I want to go back if they’ll have me.

Before the class, I thought of aerial yoga as a novelty in the same category with baby goat yoga and pole cardio. I wasn’t expecting a serious workout. I was wrong. The next day my legs and arms were sore, and my stomach muscles were screaming: “How the heck did you get us into this mess?” Sorry, core muscles. 

I often wonder that myself. 

Tammy Davis is a S. C. writer. She sends a huge shout out to Bethany at Fit Columbia in Five Points for not letting her fall on her head. READ FULL ARTICLE: https://www.thecolumbiastar.com/articles/she-flies-through-the-air/

The fitness industry is big business and is constantly changing, in order to make exercise fun. One yoga studio in Columbia is switching things up by trading Om to Awe.

WATCH THIS VIDEO ON YOUTUBE: https://www.scetv.org/stories/palmetto-scene/2019/goat-yoga-om-awe

Sometimes helping a good cause means doing something difficult. Other times it’s possible to do good and have fun at the same time. Sunday afternoon’s event at Fit Columbia in Five Points was an excellent example of the latter.

Fit Columbia owner Angela Sellers and her team opened the studio for a special aerial yoga class to raise awareness and money for the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence And Sexual Assault (SCCADVASA).

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for us,” said SCCADVASA Executive Director Sara Barber, who participated in the aerial fun. “It’s a way for people to do something they like, contribute to a business that supports our community, and then learn more about what we do, what the issues are and how they can help.”

SCCADVASA is a statewide coalition of organizations providing services to victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and offering Primary Prevention programs to students and communities across the state.

“We work around four pillars: advocacy, collaboration, education and prevention,” Barber explained. “We try to coordinate efforts around those four pillars to really change South Carolina’s narrative regarding domestic and sexual violence.”

South Carolina, year after year, ranks among the 10 deadliest states for women. The Violence Policy Center ranked the Palmetto State sixth-worst in 2018, with 48 women killed by men in 12 months.

“I think we’re starting to make progress, but it’s a very, very long road,” Barber said. “I think people can take positive steps and think that we’re done, and we can never let up.”

Fit Columbia donated $221 to SCCADVASA Sunday afternoon, in addition to helping raise awareness. The fundraiser allowed those in attendance to experience yoga with aerial silks, a new experience for some, but one enjoyed by all.

Information for those who would like to support SCCADVASA and for anyone in need of help to escape domestic violence is available  at SCCADVASA.org.

Yoga with Baby Goats – You’ve seen this trend, and now it’s your time to try it! Baby goats will be at Fit Columbia from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Aug 11. Tickets are $25.