What We Offer
Arden Yoga & Wellness is a therapeutic based yoga studio located in the heart of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. We specialize in private yoga therapy sessions and small group classes.
Private Yoga Therapy Sessions
Private yoga instruction is for everyone: beginners, students with therapeutic needs, and advanced practitioners can benefit from the one-on-one personal attention provided in private yoga instruction sessions.
One on one lessons allow for teacher and student to build a working relationship while examining and identifying specific needs and co-creating a practice that addresses individual goals. This is a great way to begin, return or advance your yoga experience. If you’re unsure if yoga is right for you, please check with your doctor first.
Group Classes
Arden Yoga's group classes is a yoga class designed to develop a complete mind body connection for all practitioners. Focusing on integrating the breath into skillfully sequenced poses helps relax and strengthen all levels. All classes place a heavy focus on building strength through stabilizing specific muscle groups followed by restore stretching. Props are used throughout the class to ensure that needs are met for physical limitations and different levels. Please consult your primary care provider to ensure that yoga is appropriate for you.
Meet the Owner
Kira Whitaker, C-IAYT
Kira is the owner and operator of Arden Yoga & Wellness. When opening Arden Yoga in the summer of 2012, Kira had one important goal in mind: create a space where people could heal their bodies and relax their minds. Since opening, Arden Yoga has continued to grow and thrive in its hometown of Murfreesboro, TN. Arden Yoga offers small group classes with a friendly, non-dogmatic vibe that makes clients feel invited and at ease on their mats. Kira also uses her strong background in nursing and rehabilitation for a “therapeutic yoga” approach for her private clientele.
Kira's Profesional Background & Experience
While in nursing school Kira worked in a family practice setting and a sub-acute rehabilitation center as a nurse intern and certified nursing assistant. She would then go on after graduating nursing school to work in the same rehabilitation center as its Wound Care Coordinator. Kira worked side by side with other health care professionals including Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, MDs, NPs, Podiatrists, Social Workers, Dietitians and PAs in the development of plans for patient’s care that would ultimately heal injuries and wounds and help transition patients home. Kira has worked with patients with extensive injuries and physical limitations ranging from hip replacements to amputations. Kira has a deep understanding and knowledge base of how the human body works, heals and moves. Kira has an extensive background in working with acute and chronic conditions.
Since transitioning from her nursing career and into the path of yoga studio owner, Kira has not only created a successful locally owned small business in her community but has gone on to teach workshops and provide business consulting for other yoga studios and teachers. Since opening Arden Yoga Kira has taught over 1560 yoga classes; this does not include teaching hours in private sessions, business consulting and workshops.
Licenses & Education
Kira’s completion in courses and clinical hours in Nutrition, Medical Surgical Nursing, Anatomy & Physiology, Maternity Nursing, Pharmacology, Pediatric Nursing, Mental Health Nursing, Basic Nursing Medication Administration and IV Therapy has given Kira a sound grasp on the human body and its needs. As a yoga instructor, her deep understanding of the human body combined with her extensive experience in yoga and ability to skillfully describe each position and how to safely move into them enables her to guide her students into poses artfully and with ease.
Kira is a Certified Yoga Therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She is Murfreesboro's first and only Internationally Certified Yoga Therapist. Kira also holds an active Tennessee nurse’s license through the Tennessee Board of Regents along with Certifications in Wound Care through the National Alliance of Wound Care Credentialing Board (NAWCCB®) , 40 hour Intravenous Therapy through the Tennessee Board of Regents and CPR and BLS Certification through the American Heart Association. Kira is a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) along with being certified BarreAmped teacher and BarreAmped Bootcamp instructor as well as a certified Yoga instructor. Kira applies over 1600 hours of nursing school hours and 40 hours continuing education in nursing in addition to taking yoga and meditation workshops and E-courses to her personal practice and teachings with her clients.
Kira teaches both private clients and group classes. Kira’s vast knowledge of anatomy and physiology allows for her to aid clients in rehabilitation of injuries old and new. Her “therapeutic’ approach to yoga makes a regular yoga practice accessible to all ages and levels. Kira believes that yoga can be modified and tailored to meet everyone’s needs.
Studio Etiquette
- 15 minute rule for new students
New students should plan to arrive to class a minimum of 15 minutes prior to their first class. This ensures adequate time to get you signed-in, thorough orientation, and set-up on your mat. Please note that we may not be able to accommodate new students who show up less than 15 minutes before their first class. - 2-minute rule
We lock the studio doors two minutes prior to class to ensure a prompt start time for classes. Please plan accordingly and do not expect to be let in the doors once they are locked - Check-in policy
Please ensure that your online waiver is signed and you have informed your teacher of any injuries or modifications you may need. - Classroom silence
Please observe the sacred silence of the classrooms. This quiet stillness is one of the greatest gifts we give each other and ourselves. - Talk to the Teacher (if you have any injuries, please let the instructor know ahead of time)
- Remove your shoes (yoga is best practiced barefoot) Relish the quiet (try to keep talking to a minimum and silence phones)
- Stay until the End (don’t skip out on Savasana — it’s an important part of your practice!)
- We do not provide yoga mats. Please bring your own.
- No cell phones in class!!
- Please sign up online . We can not guarantee you a spot if you walk in. Space is limited.
