By Lauren Saslow
It’s 6 p.m. on a Monday. You want to make it from October through the holidays without gaining weight or feeling the stress of the season. You slide into the studio after fighting rush hour traffic just in time for a yoga class and manage to find a tiny spot on the floor amidst a class of more than 20 students. This does not feel very relaxing. You are not feeling very “Zen.”
When Brazilian-born Virna Lichter (an American Council on Exercise or ACE Certified Personal Trainer who is also certified in CPR and AED) began developing the concept for her own yoga and wellness studio more than a year ago, she wanted to ensure that she created a truly relaxing space that would offer individualized client attention, small class sizes and well-trained health and fitness professionals. Today, Lichter’s Energia Wellness Studio (located in Seven Oaks off of Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Wesley Chapel) finally came to fruition this fall and includes not only yoga classes, but also one-on-one personal training sessions, Brazilian cardio dance classes, meditation classes, massage therapy, and a uniquely eco-friendly Brazilian boutique.
Lichter, who moved to the U.S. to earn her B.A. in Physical Education from the University of California at Berkeley, and now possesses more than 15 years of experience in the corporate fitness industry (she has worked for companies such as Verizon, TECO and Aegon Transamerica Foundation) originally became interested in body conditioning through karate and judo classes. The certificate for her Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do is now proudly displayed on the wall above her minimalist front desk space at the studio.
Lichter also describes how the addition of yoga into her fitness routine positively impacted her life in recent years.
“I started doing yoga four and a half years ago,” she says. “It helped eliminate my migraines and offered me improved balance and overall wellness.”
Lichter adds that once clients walk through the door at Energia, “the space should eliminate their stress. It is an intentionally clean, clutter-free environment.”
And the color scheme? All light shades of green. “Green is a color found in nature, so it’s easiest on the eyes. It is also an energizing color.”
This is where the inspiration for the studio’s title ‘Energia’ — the Portuguese word for ‘energy’ — originated. The abstract green mountains in the company’s logo depict the Sugarloaf Mountain silhouette, a scenic peak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that is popular with hikers and rock climbers. The logo smartly combines the owner’s Brazilian roots with the fitness and wellness concept.
Tampa resident Julie Hurley who says she has been taking yoga classes for ten years in various studios, appreciates the warm and comforting feeling that Energia Wellness Studio offers. In fact, when Lichter offered her a tour of the studio after the soft opening in September 2013, Hurley’s reaction was, “When can I start?”
Hurley describes the appeal of Energia’s one-on-one personal training sessions because they, “eliminate the intimidation and awkwardness of people looking at you.” She also has taken meditation and gentle yoga classes at Energia and admits that when the meditation class was over, she didn’t want to leave the peaceful room. She urges others to, “Get in there and see it! It’s going to grab you and you aren’t going to want to leave.”
Getting Started At Energia
The wellness program at Energia begins with a complimentary consultation, in order to develop fitness goals for the individual. Clients then begin a four-phase body transformation plan in which he or she moves through each phase once certain personalized objectives have been met. The purpose of the customized regimes, says Lichter, is to ensure that clients complete their wellness routines in a safe, enjoyable and effective program.
“We want people to respect themselves,” Lichter insists. “They shouldn’t have to wait until they lose 20 lbs. to feel better about themselves. They should feel good about themselves today. Everyone progresses at a different pace based on their physical abilities and personal goals.”
Classes at the studio already have included an eclectic group of clients, such as a 74 year old and a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter working side by side; the goal is to offer a full-service wellness program for individuals in all walks of life.
The 60-minute Brazilian dance classes, also part of the program at Energia, offer a choice of Samba 360 and Latin Fusion, which are fun workouts, while the 60-minute personal training sessions incorporate user-friendly Precor Preva equipment, free weights, medicine balls and other high quality gym equipment which make working out both entertaining and motivating. The various styles of yoga classes —hatha, yin and gentle yoga — help clients increase flexibility, strength, balance and mental relaxation at their own pace.
The 30-minute guided meditation classes, led by Marta M. Rivera-Crick —who holds a B.A. degree in biology and is a certified Perfect Health Ayurvedic Lifestyle Instructor and Primordial Sound Meditation Instructor — are scheduled for groups of five clients or less and are generally recommended for post-workout relaxation.Fifty-minute massage therapy sessions are available with Maria Fernanda Bacilieri — a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) and graduate of the Florida College of Natural Health in Pompano Beach — and tailored to clients’ needs based on their respective fitness routines and physical needs.
Lichter values education and was adamant that all of the dance, yoga and meditation instructors as well as the massage therapist that she hired should be well-educated and experienced in their respective fields.
Not long after the privately owned and operated fitness center had its soft opening last month, Energia offered a Free Yoga in the Park event at the Avalon Park West community (on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel) in honor of both the International Day of Peace and Yoga Month. A Grand Opening and Ribbon-Cutting ceremony with the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce is scheduled for Wednesday, October 23, 5 p.m., at the studio. The event also will feature a reception with hors d’oeuvres, beverages and the opportunity for visitors to take a demo class at Energia.
Giving Back…Going Green
At Energia Wellness Studio, nearly every product a client’s body touches, from toes to fingertips, is environmentally friendly. The Boutique, located in the entryway of the studio, offers only eco-friendly and fair trade products from companies located in Brazil and other Amazon Jungle-area countries.
For example, the unique Natura Ekos beauty products made from the seasonal fruits of Brazil — some of which Lichter reminisces grew in her grandmother’s garden in her native country — are all natural, biodegradable and packaged with recycled glass and paper products. Natura Ekos employs 1,400 families in the Amazon, while also educating communities about ways to decrease carbon footprints in the forests. The quality yoga mats available at Energia also are crafted from environmentally friendly products.
The flooring in the 800-sq.-ft. yoga/wellness studio is made of bamboo, which is a renewable resource requiring less time to regenerate (growing up to four feet per day) than traditional hardwood trees (which can take upwards of 50 years to mature). The table in the massage therapy room is dressed with all organic sheets, free from perfumes, dyes and pesticides. Additionally, the Japanese-style tatami mats in the meditation room are fabricated from woven rush grass, offering a naturally earthy, aromatic scent to help clients relax while listening to calming music in low lighting during the meditation classes.
The studio’s most notable pledge to the environment is to plant a tree in Brazil, through Trees for the Future, for each personal training session that clients purchase. Trees for the Future, an incorporated public nonprofit organization based out of Maryland since 1989, assists communities in 19 developing countries by planting trees, thus allowing them to restore their environment, grow more food and build a sustainable future.
“I chose Brazil for our Trees for the Future (donations) because we are taking [part of the flora] away from the country,” Lichter says. “So, I wanted to give something back.”
Energia Wellness Studio is located at 3836 Flatiron Loop, Suite 101, Wesley Chapel. For additional information or to schedule an appointment, visit EnergiaWellnessStudio.com. You also can “Like” their page on Facebook.com or call 973-7300. The studio is open Mon.–Thur., 8 a.m.-8 p.m., 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on Fri. and 9 a.m.-noon on Sat.
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