Danbury man turns pandemic hobby into full-fledged business
DANBURY — Samuel Peralta was trying to get some much-needed fresh air during the pandemic when he started practicing yoga in a park near his Danbury home.
Park yoga quickly became a regular habit for Peralta as did people coming up to him asking questions. Soon enough these subtle interactions led him to generate a “little community doing outdoor [yoga] classes.”
He met regularly with a small group of folks and talked them through poses at the park. But as the fast-approaching winter came, he realized they couldn’t continue meeting outside and he needed to adapt so he could continue offering yoga to “people who need it in their lives.”
“It’s a scary time in the world. I didn’t think the studio would actually happen,” Peralta said.
“It’s crazy how the universe worked and I ended up finding a studio and actually started manifesting everything that was just once a dream.”
Now, Peralta is offering others a dose of pandemic zen at his Danbury studio – Whole Soul Power Yoga – located at 18 Mill Plain Road. His space is open most days providing four or five classes starting as early as 6 a.m. or as late as 8 p.m.
“I’m just a guy that likes to teach yoga,” Peralta said.
“It’s really soul-filling that I’m able to take something that was once just my hobby and to now share my passion for yoga with others, to be a small pillar of light to guide others on their journey through life,” he added.
A typical class hosts about five people in the studio, all socially distanced on their mats, Peralta said. They begin with breathing exercises to create a state of self-awareness and introspection in preparation for “asana,” when they begin moving their bodies to transfer and dispel their stagnant energy.
“It’s [yoga] your own practice on your own mat, in your own body, a self-personal journey within each person,” Peralta said.
When Peralta’s cousin, a who is enlisted in the Army, started attending his classes, he saw first-hand how yoga could provide a mental balance for an individual.
“I see the changes I’m able to help provide people just by having them look within themselves and acknowledging things that might be happening in their lives, in their bodies, in their minds and trying to process it all and heal it all,” Peralta said.
After learning he would recently be deployed again, Peralta’s cousin asked if he could bring his fellow servicemen down for a session. Peralta offered free classes to about 39 other soldiers who chose to participate.
“It was cool to be a small part in helping these men get ready for their next year of deployment where they’ll be away from their families and loved ones,” Peralta said.
The day before Peralta’s cousin’s deployment, he was invited to a local armory and presented with an honorary hatchet in recognition of his contribution to the soldiers.
“I was taken aback because I’ve never received anything in my life. To receive something just for giving back and doing something I’m passionate about was really a great thing,” Peralta said.