Britt Voelker wants to make wellness accessible to her community. She took over the Lower Garden District's Nola Yoga Loft in 2019 and recently opened a Wellness Room for reiki, life coaching, massage, and community acupuncture. For over a decade, Voelker has been a practitioner of different forms of energy work. She works with clients in New Orleans and beyond via Skype, and she says her passion is using the tools she has learned to help clients feel at peace, joyful, and living their fullest life.
The space is also a hub for wellness-oriented individuals, with daily yoga classes, special events, $10 community classes, and a $45 one-month intro special.
Voelker knows that movement, coffee, and quality time with her partner and pets are essential to starting the day right. Read on for her morning routine.
6:30 a.m. Wake up from a long night’s sleep. Feel into my breath. Open my eyes to take in the light of a new day. This is a moment I savor. I immediately think back to the dreams I had last night. How did I feel in my dreams? If every other person in my dream represented an aspect of myself, what sides of me were being present and was there any conflict? This analysis gives me a look into my inner world, shows me the themes present in my life right now. If there is any energy work I need to do before I start my day, I take the time to do that, and then I wash my face.
7:00 a.m. Sally Cat leads me downstairs to his food bowl where he does his morning “meow meow meow” until he hears the *clink clink clink* of food dropping politely into the bowl. I make myself a big glass of celery juice, and we sit and listen to the birds.
7:30 a.m. It is time to move. My partner, Em Myers, and I enjoy tackling health goals together. This time of year it is our annual preparation for the Crescent City Classic. My jog begins to stretch longer and longer down St. Charles Avenue until it is time for the 10k. I jog back, stretch, and breathe.
8:15 a.m. I take our senior dog J Lo on her second walk of the morning. We stroll around the Lower Garden, her smelling the trees, me admiring the flowers. I enjoy taking time to witness the neighborhood plants change as the seasons shift, everything in its own cycle.
8:30 a.m. Em makes us a French press full of hot coffee with our favorite beans from Hey! Cafe Roasters in Mid-City. This is when I pull out my phone and laptop, getting to my work day for Nola Yoga Loft. First I check email and social media for anything that needs my attention. I pull up my agenda for the day to see what reiki and coaching clients I have, and what yoga classes I am on the schedule to teach.
9:00 a.m. I pull on a pair of lululemon Align pants, which feel like not wearing any pants at all, and walk over to Nola Yoga Loft. Here I check that everything is tidy and "feels good." People often come to my yoga studio and wellness room to release energy, so a little bit of energetic housekeeping goes a long way in keeping this space high vibrational. This housekeeping can be anything from administering reiki to lighting sage depending on the needs of the space.
9:20 a.m. I like to spend quality time with our plants, watering and looking for signs of growth. When I meditate, I like to feel connected to nature, so it is important for me to have a space full of plants to sit and breathe in. Some have been here for years, and some are recent guests courtesy of Luna Botanicals.
9:30 a.m. Time for yoga, tasks, and getting on with my day.
Nola Yoga Loft is located on the upper level of 2042 Magazine Street.