A Steady Start
The first time Ashlie Seifert attended a yoga class at 180 Balance in Detroit Lakes, she wasn’t exactly sold on the process.
“There were people in the front row upside down, people in binds,” she recounts. “I remember thinking I couldn’t do any of that. It was crazy.”
The heat from the hot yoga class eventually won and caused Ashlie to spend much of the class lying on her mat.
Yet, she stuck with her membership—which came as a gift—and opted into a 30-day yoga challenge. Ashlie describes the experience as transformative because she felt part of the studio’s community.
“The yoga studio seemed to be inviting. I’m super weird and awkward, and I always say weird stuff. Nobody there cared! They just took me in,” she explained. “People were doing book exchanges, there were plants, it was just a vibe.”
Ashlie found yoga and the studio in the same year as having her son. She was trying to work out and get healthy while also experiencing post-partum symptoms. Working at Lakes Crisis and Resource Center, she often lived in crisis mode.
Discovering a regular yoga practice also helped Ashlie to heal from past struggles with addiction and an abusive partnership. Alongside traditional therapy and modern medicine, she shares, “Yoga was the missing piece for me. It was the realization that ‘Oh, I feel really whole now.’ It made me feel comfortable. I belonged in that space, and it was safe.”
Fast forward some time, and Ashlie became that person upside down in the front row.
From Advocate to Therapist—Yogi to Teacher
Labels can be tough, especially in small towns. When Ashlie got into yoga, she was pursuing her bachelor’s degree, too. The degree for her was an attempt to shake previous labels of “addict” or “junky.” She wanted to show that people recover, even from some of the harshest circumstances.
As Ashlie gained further experience in social work and crisis response, higher education proved to be a way to break cycles. The idea of holding space for others, like students whom she could relate to, meant a lot. While reflecting on the cycles of trauma and addiction, she offers, “I grew up like that, so I did that. I’m working with kids who have parents like I had. Like I was. And now my voice can be heard because I have a degree.”
Career growth humorously impacted Ashlie’s yoga journey and the roots of the 108 Yoga and Wellness Studio. Ashlie initially sought out yoga teacher training to personally learn more about the practice. “I was scared of teaching,” she admits.
Her time as a yoga instructor began at Milt’s barn, teaching themed classes for fun. However, when Ashlie found a job near her home in Pelican Rapids and faced the possibility of leaving a community of yogis in Detroit Lakes behind, she knew that giving up yoga wasn’t an option.
“My husband initially said ‘no’ to opening a studio in Pelican Rapids,” Ashlie laughs and explains everything on her plate, including her accelerated master’s program. “I love the program, but the pace is crazy.”
Sometimes, when you show up to the party and don’t find the vibe, you need to bring the vibe. That’s exactly what Ashlie did. With the help of family and friends, she proceeded to create what she needed right in town.
108 Yoga and Wellness Studio Opens in Pelican Rapids
Over a couple of months, Ashlie, her husband Nick Seifert, and sister-in-law Amy Haiby cultivated a space for yoga. From the cute 108 Yoga and Wellness Studio sign outside to the purple door and the calming aesthetics waiting inside, community members can now take yoga multiple times a day, seven days a week, right downtown.
“We’re starting small,” says Ashlie. “For example, we practice on our magic carpet.” referencing the carpeted floor and explaining her vision of replacing the magic carpet with hardwood or zebra flooring. “At the same time, we grew much quicker than anticipated and have added teachers, which was always the goal.”
108 Yoga and Wellness now has a group of regulars who store mats in the studio and do things like exchanging sourdough starters. Traces of community are evident on a corkboard with community resources and events.
“I think yoga is scary for people because they think they must look or be a certain way to start practicing. That’s the biggest myth. The message I’d like to send to people is just start. Just start moving your body and breathing,” Ashlie encouraged.
She has demonstrated the (sometimes scary) work of growing and living out her truth—even when it’s terrifying! Whether it’s walking away from substances, showing up to a new space, or being vulnerable to holding space for others, her story shows the hard work of discovering belonging and building the opportunity for others to experience it themselves.