Teaching calm: Aziza Barker-Stanton

Meditation and relaxation doesn’t only happen on the sandy beaches of South Padre Island. For Aziza Barker-Stanton, her calm can take place indoors.

Barker-Stanton owns the Yoga, Meditation and Dance Center on the Island. The center offers classes to express artistic moves or simply loosen stressed muscles.

Barker-Stanton began her yoga and meditation services at hotels throughout the Island, but decided that it was time for a place to call her own.

“We opened a year and a half ago, but we just never felt ready to officially open until now,” she said.

Last week, she held an open house that included free classes to the public and yoga and dancing demonstrations along with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

“We will be offering Tango lessons later this month also,” she said before the opening.

She was motivated to give the classes after she and her husband learned how to tango more than a year ago. The couple also coached dancers in the Leadership Laguna Madre event, “Dancing with the Island Stars” this year.

“This really inspired us to bring in a tango dancer to teach for Memorial Day weekend,” she said.

Barker-Stanton believes the classes offer a laboratory for movement, which is necessary for a healthy body, she said.

“Our lives are filled with stresses and our minds are always moving,” she said. “Yoga helps balance out your body and mind.”

The center will also offer stretching classes for those not interested in the Yoga philosophy.

“There are plenty of good concepts that can be applied through dancing and meditation,” she said.

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