Sattva Yoga & Wellness Center Promotes Wellness to the Community
By Megan Williams | Photos by Ashlee Glen
Sattva: quality of goodness, purity, positivity, and truth.
In Ayurveda—a practice and philosophy stemming from India and believed to be one of the oldest healing sciences in the world—there are three modes of existence: Sattva (goodness), Rajas (activity/passion), and Tamas (darkness). With this philosophy, it is believed that goodness, passion, and darkness have always existed and exist within everything and everyone. While all three exist in everything, it’s the proportion of each that defines the character of someone or the nature of something.
In downtown Lynchburg, one would argue that there’s an extra proportion of goodness
and positivity radiating from 12th Street—and it’s Sattva Yoga and Wellness Center.
“During the COVID pandemic, I was inspired to start a nonprofit yoga center to help people find a support community to overcome the struggles of isolation, depression, and poor health conditions,” explained Gary Sullivan, Executive Director and Founder of Sattva Yoga and Wellness Center. “We use the practices of yoga, healthy nutrition, and disciplined lifestyle to help others pave the way toward more healthy and productive lives. We aim to help those struggling in their daily lives to stay happy, healthy, and joyful.”
A former manager at BWXT, Sullivan discovered the personal benefits of yoga at age 59 and shortly after became a certified yoga instructor.
“I knew it’s what I needed—the mental clarity that comes from yoga,” he said. “In six months, I was teaching.”
Sullivan focused his training and certification on trauma-informed instruction and began teaching a yoga class for veterans at the downtown YMCA in 2018. Over the years, he gained a loyal following of students, particularly Vietnam veterans who quickly saw increased mobility and flexibility through Sullivan’s classes.
In October 2022, Sullivan was given the opportunity to expand and build on his vision by leasing the 100-year-old former Salvation Army building on 12th Street.
“We have been cleaning, restoring, and improving the building over the past 18 months to help meet current needs and to enhance the use as a health center space,” he said. “In the building, we have our yoga center where we do daily yoga classes, tai chi, cooking lessons, workshops, and retreats. We have a meditation garden and lease offices for our providers who offer their services on a sliding scale cost basis and supported by a grant from the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation.”
Sattva Yoga and Wellness Center lives true to its name. When you walk through the unassuming side door of the looming 12th Street building, you are greeted with a silencing sense of calm. The front entrance room is kept open on purpose—it’s an empty vessel waiting to be used by the community. On one evening, it may be filled with veterans gently stretching while seated in chairs. The next, it could be filled with mats, blankets, candles, and Tibetan Singing Bowls as students are guided through a sound healing. And one afternoon, the room could be filled with community members as they take a cooking class, learning techniques and recipes to cook nourishing meals for themselves and their families.
“Almost every activity at the Sattva Center is intended to promote wellness and increase mindfulness,” said Sullivan. “Weekly yoga classes and support groups for veterans and those in recovery help overcome physical disabilities and trauma experience. These practices rebalance and restore the nervous system to a natural state of health. We have retreats for women to allow release of trauma and PTSD, with support groups and counseling to augment the healing process. Sound baths, breathwork classes, energy healing, and meditation practices aid the individual in reducing stress and anxiety and returning back to the present moment. Counseling and coaching are provided for youth and adults, specifically geared toward those struggling with anxiety and depression.”
Sullivan believes that improved physical health is achieved through daily yoga classes, healthy living workshops, and nutritious cooking classes, all activities Sattva aims to offer at an accessible price.
“We also have community events like drum circles, music events, and community socials for all to find community and overcome the impact of isolation and social media,” he furthered. “These practices help those suffering from mental and emotional distress and depression.”
Pictured alongside Brooke, Lauren, and Gary (from left to middle) is Lyndsey Hoyle, owner of Well Within in the Sattva Wellness Center. Lyndsey offers reiki, energy, and sound healing for Sattva. Salina Khanna (far right) is also one of Sattva’s weekly yoga teachers. Not pictured are Jessica Coleman of Creekside Therapeutics, who is the Counseling Director and runs all the counseling programs available at Sattva as well as Michele Zehr, who is the music director and founder of the nonprofit The Center for Earth-Based Healing—he is in charge of drum circles and also leads nature based retreats.
Of course it’s not just Sullivan taking on the responsibility of guiding the community to improved health and wellness. Within Sattva’s space, there are a number of providers and instructors, offering everything from yoga and tai chi classes to nutrition classes and energy healing.
“We try to teach people how to incorporate wellness tools into their daily lives,” explained Lauren Platanos, National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach and Ayurveda Instructor for Sattva.
Sattva members as well as the broader community can seek health and nutrition support from Platanos, who will focus on the individual’s health history, current health challenges, and current state of health across a full spectrum of holistic wellness. Sessions are either in-person on the second floor of Sattva Yoga and Wellness Center, where a number of providers maintain offices, or via phone or Zoom.
“I help get to the root of health challenges, uncover your personal vision of wellness, and set realistic habits and goals to move toward that vision,” she said.
“The key is bridging the gap,” continued Brooke Mays, Marketing Director and Reiki Master for Sattva. “Our goal is to make [wellness] more accessible and understandable.”
Through Reiki, Mays uses energy force to reduce stress and anxiety and encourage relaxation. Reiki is based on a century-old belief that vital energy flows through your body. Established originally by a Japanese Buddhist monk, the idea is that a reiki master, such as Mays, uses gentle touch—
or places their hands just above a student’s body—to help guide energy in a way that leads to balance and healing.
Both Mays and Platanos describe Sattva as a “multi-disciplined wellness center,” which is appropriate considering Sattva’s ever-growing roster of offerings. Their event calendar is constantly expanding with breathwork classes, self-defense training, recovery groups, youth counseling, yoga, and so much more. It’s clear that Sattva is on a mission to pour as much goodness into the community as it can and meet whatever needs that may arise.
“Our membership is small but steadily growing,” said Sullivan. “We have had over 200 people participate in our programs and activities during the past 19 months and we see this steadily growing as our community becomes informed of our services.”
The community can take advantage of Sattva Yoga and Wellness Center’s programs via a monthly membership (just $32 per month), which gives an all-access pass to any yoga class taught at Sattva. Workshops and individual classes can be reserved and paid for separately.
“We have recently added a family yoga option for $50 [per month] for a family of two with kids,” Sullivan concluded. “The unlimited single memberships are $32. We really hope to motivate families to bring their kids and incorporate wellness practices into their daily lives to encourage healthy minds and bodies at a young age.”
Sattva Yoga and Wellness Center is located at 300 12th Street, Lynchburg, VA. More information on membership and programs can be found at sattvacentercv.org.
