North Shore Yoga co-owner Sara Mingus says she's a bundle of energy.
"I've always been into physical fitness and healing, but when I went to my first power yoga class in Charlotte, N.C., in 1999, that was it. I knew it was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life," she said.
But it wasn't until she and her husband moved to Chattanooga five years ago that she put into motion a longtime plan of opening a yoga studio. As a registered nurse, she knew teaching the lifestyle and health benefits of yoga would be a logical and wise move to make, she said.
With business partner Jessica Jollie, they put together a business plan and opened North Shore Yoga on Manufacturers Road in October 2008.
"The studio has turned out to be more successful than I ever imagined it to be," Ms. Mingus said. "Six and a half months after opening, we had already exceeded our five-year goal."
Q Why is yoga so important to you?
A I'm a Type A personality, and yoga allows me to focus and find peace. I do yoga every day. It has a profound effect on everything I do. It helps me to speak more kindly by being aware of my words. Yoga is based in selflessness. It teaches you to give a lot to yourself, your family, your community. I want to give back to the community by helping people who are less fortunate than I am. I feel so blessed, and I want them to feel the same.
Q Why do you think North Shore Yoga has been so successful?
A We have wonderful instructors and many classes that will accommodate everyone's schedule. We have more than 1,000 students and 25 teachers. Our studio offers a sense of community, and coming to the studio makes you feel good. It's good for you physically and mentally. Everyone leaves smiling.
Q How many yoga classes should the average person take each week?
A If you're a beginner, taking two to three classes a week in the beginning is the way to start. And you don't have to do yoga just in the studio. That's the great thing about yoga; you can do it at home, too. Being in the studio offers you the community experience, but you don't have to come in every day.
Q What do you enjoy doing outside of yoga?
A I have a huge passion for animal rescue. I volunteered a lot at McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center and the local Humane Educational Society before opening the studio. I don't get to do much volunteering right now, but it's not unusual to see me alongside a highway rescuing stray dogs. I first try to find the owners, and if that doesn't work, I try to find the dogs homes. If that's not successful, I take them to a no-kill animal rescue center.
I'm also involved in the Oak Project. It helps women with children who were homeless but are now working and have places to live. The program offers the women a support system such as finding transportation to work or just having someone to talk to. I can identify with them because my mom, a single mom, was on welfare. I watched her struggle to take care of us. She worked very hard, and she's doing really well today.
DID YOU KNOW?
ABOUT HER
* Hometown: Buffalo, N.Y.
* Age: 36.
* Education: Niagara University, Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
* Career: Registered nurse; yoga instructor.
* Family: Husband Robert Mingus and dogs Max, Sophie and Marley.
INTERESTS
* Favorite movie: "Beaches" with Bette Midler. "I cry every time I see it."
* Favorite book: "Life of Pi," a fantasy adventure novel written by Canadian author Yann Martel. "It is a story of adventure, survival and, ultimately, faith."
* Favorite musician: Natalie Merchant
PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW
"I cannot have any chocolate in my house. If there is any, I will sniff it out like a drug and eat all of it."
MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT
"When I was 13, I was in the grocery store with my mom and I was wearing a wraparound skirt. It fell off. I was so incredibly embarrassed. Since then, I have never worn a wraparound skirt."