Tumbleweed Yoga Studio - Oroville, WA

Tumbleweed Yoga

1117 Main St.
Oroville, WA 98844
(509) 476-2820

Practicing yoga at Tumbleweed with Kathy Fulmer was special in many ways. First, her studio is in my hometown of Oroville, WA. I was born and lived here for the first 18 years of my life. Oroville is a small town (about 1500 people) on the border of Brittish Columbia, Canada - in the central part of Washington State. Oroville shares Lake Osoyoos with its neighbors to the north and is home to the Similkameen and Okanogan rivers and many small mountain lakes. It is remote and beautiful.

www.orovillewashington.com


Tumbleweed Yoga is located in a log cabin styled building that is also home to Kathy's adorable gift store. Her gifts are sold in the front and the yoga resides behind the store. The yoga space is very cozy. She used natural materials, greens, beiges, and brown/red tones throughout which give it an earthy feel.

While this is the first time that I had met Kathy in person, I had been told that she was a very sweet and good person and that I was sure to enjoy both her and her class. Kathy has a way of making you feel immediately 'at home' in her presence. She welcomed me into her store/studio.

Right off the bat Kathy had a bit of a challenge. My childhood friend, Shelly, made the trek up from her home in Okanogan, WA to join our class and she is 5 months pregnant. Kathy explained that she did not have a lot of training in prenatal yoga but that she would give options in all poses with Shelly in mind and encouraged Shelly to do what felt right to her.

As we were getting settled my Dad burst into the store (in true Gary fashion). "Do you know what time it is???" he candidly asked. "Aren't you finished yet??? The passes are getting snow, you know!" All of you who know my Dad can picture this scenario, I'm sure. After I explained to him that we had not yet started and that I would be finished in about 90 minutes, he made his exit very similarly to his entrance noting that "I had better not forget about the weather!" As I was driving over Stevens Pass to Snohomish, WA that day. Everyone knows everyone in Oroville, so Kathy didn't seem too surprised by this interruption. She took it in stride (but I think she locked the front door after that :) and we got started.



Kathy explained that one of her reasons for opening her yoga studio was to maintain and foster her own personal practice and that she was largely self-taught. She usually has two to three regular students, but she was glad that Shelly and I were there because her regular students had all called that day and cancelled.

When she was a teenager, Kathy was very passionate about dance - specifically modern dance. She wove that passion throughout her class in many different core based poses and sequences. Kathy also incorporated many of Bikram Choudhury's poses. I have practiced Bikram Yoga (hot yoga) before. For those of you unfamiliar to this, Bikram Yoga is a system of yoga that Bikram Choudhury synthesized from traditional yoga techniques and popularized beginning in the early 1970s. Bikram's classes run approximately 90 minutes and consist of a set series of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises. Bikram Yoga is ideally practiced in a room heated to 105°F with a humidity of 40%, making it notoriously known as a form of hot yoga. I completed a 30 day challenge (you have to complete 30 classes in 30 days - doubling up on days if you miss any - it's no joke) a couple years ago but have not returned to continue a Bikram practice. It was interesting to incorporate these poses without the heat in the room - much more pleasant, too!

Kathy did a nice job sequencing her poses and was very aware of Shelly's pregnancy throughout, reminding her to pay close attention to what her body was telling her. Kathy's voice was smooth and calming. She guided Shelly and I through a relaxing savasana and I felt great! Following the class we had a nice talk with Kathy. I very much enjoyed meeting and practicing with her and Shelly did great! It is fantastic that she has followed her passion for yoga and opened a studio in Oroville. What a gift she and her practice are to that community!

Thank you, Kathy, for a wonderful class! It was great meeting you, and I look forward to practicing with you more when I come home for Christmas!

ps. My abs were pretty sore the next day, it was an awesome workout ;)