OHM Centre Origin Story
This is Part 38 of a serial blog originally titled 'Martha Carter's Healing Journey'. Curious about the earlier posts? To start from the beginning, read Part 1.
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Have you ever appreciated how important it is to have a good studio space for yoga or other wellness classes?
A welcoming, warm, clean space with good light and a spotless floor?
Have you ever thought about how it got there? And how it survived?
In our crowded, commercial, high-rent world, an open studio space is becoming an increasingly rare and precious resource. A space without furniture or tenants that is available to be used for dance, music, photography, theatre, visual art, sculptors, yoga, somatics and other body work, martial artists, sacred circles, rituals, playtime - and many other activities.
A place for teaching, learning, creating, healing, transforming.
A vessel that can hold a few or many to come together to share stories, build community, and grow.
This kind of space may seem like a luxury, but it is a necessity.
As both a dance artist and therapeutic movement teacher, I have always cherished beautiful studio spaces. Like most dancers, I spent many hours in subpar windowless basement studios with cement floors, grungy old factory spaces with needles between the floorboards, and various repurposed warehouses, garages, churches, community halls and conference rooms - often with grimy rugs and strange smells. But as a young artist I was always happy to find space that was usable, available, and affordable, accepting the grunge as a rite of artistic passage.
Of course some spaces were fantastic - like the old Spanish-style ballroom in California that had 20 foot ceilings dripping with chandeliers, a sprung floor, and huge doors that opened onto a courtyard fountain. Or the Balinese indoor-outdoor yoga studio nestled into the mountain with a 20 ft glass wall pressing into the jungle. Then there was memorable for the wrong reasons—specifically a windowless South of France rehearsal room in an ancient building beside a theatre, accented with creepy puppets, an uneven, splintery floor, no ventilation and, to top it off, no bathroom! We had to pee in plastic bags that we brought with us… and then carry them out as if we were on a hike in a national park. I was mortified when some of the bags leaked. Notably the hallway and alley outside smelled terrible.
So you can understand why, for years, I have been dreaming of building my own perfect studio (with the high priority of a bathroom close by).
Along the way, I have been lucky to work on several. In 1989, I helped to create Studio 303 in a former furrier building in Montreal. In 1993, my partner and I took over an old Montreal plumbing warehouse which we turned into the ‘Ballroom'. Later, when I moved back to Vancouver, I rented an old carpentry space in East Van that was renovated into two offices and a shared studio called the ‘HoP BoP SHOP'. Each of these studios were created due to the essential and passionate need for an empty space. And each was realized thanks to endless hours of blood, sweat and tears - tearing down walls, plastering, painting, refinishing floors, and figuring out heating and lighting. Labours of love. Amazingly, all three spaces have been—and continue to be—appreciated and used by hundreds of movement artists from around the world. As they say, 'Build it and they will come!’
After so many years of urban life and urban studios, in 2017, I felt compelled to move back to my childhood playground of the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island on the west coast of Canada. It felt like the perfect place to move forward on my idea to build a gathering space for wellness and creativity. A place for teaching, learning, creating, healing, and community building. A safe and peaceful vessel where all beings are welcome to connect with themselves in new ways.
I found the perfect location to build my dream. And you guessed it, it’s the one we have been talking about for the last few years.
Open Heart Mind.
OHM.
Close to Courtenay, high above the ocean, I found an 8-acre property boasting a magnificent view across the Georgia Straight to the snow-capped mountains in the distance. I couldn’t take my eyes off it, and still find myself gasping in awe every time I see that view. One day, I stood on the edge of the high bank waterfront with my arms open wide. I felt the sun on my face and the wind in my hair. My heart danced with joy, and I found myself singing OHMMMMM… known as the ‘primordial sound of the universe’. The name Open Heart Mind came to me at that moment, and we started planning.
Over the last two years, we have built two indoor spaces: the Yurt studio where most classes take place, and the Guesthouse/Flexspace which can be used for accommodations or group gatherings or both. Each space is special in its own way - beautifully built with high ceilings, heated floors, perfect lighting, and that spectacular ocean/mountain view; all surrounded by the towering trees of the magnificent pacific northwest coast rainforest.
They are spaces full of potential. They have both been purpose-built to accommodate visitors of all kinds for classes, workshops, retreats, and other gatherings promoting well-being, creativity and community.
When you come to OHM, you will have the opportunity to stand on that same high bank with that extraordinary view and feel that same wind in your hair; to feel the sense of open possibility - to know yourself on this planet in new ways. Along with learnings in the studio, you will have the chance to open your arms wide and let your heart sing. You can wander down the meditation path or commune with others on the stargazing deck. You can take deep breaths of fresh air to better embody peace and freedom in your whole being as you interact with the incredible landscape all around - restore in a hammock, hug a giant tree, or dip your toes in the sandy tide pool at the beach below.
OHM is more than a studio. It is a destination for transformation.
Now that I have finally built it, I can hardly wait to share it.
And I especially look forward to sharing the OHM spaces with you, the TOPS community. We have several scoliosis-focused retreats coming up, starting at the end of September. Finally, we have a beautiful space to hold these events regularly, so check our offerings and your calendars!!
Are you ready to come and join us?
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