Tucked away in a quiet corner of downtown Loveland, Resilient Soul Yoga is the kind of place that helps you relax the moment you walk in. Whether you’re coming for a yoga class, bodywork or a sound bath, the focus is on slowing down, breathing deeply and reconnecting. It’s a natural fit in a community known for its access to nature and slower pace. We sat down with the founder and owner, Susan Smedley, to talk about what inspired the studio and how Loveland’s creative energy shows up in the space.
What inspired you to create Resilient Soul Yoga, and how has the studio evolved since opening in Loveland?
I created Resilient Soul Yoga after my own experience with burnout in my 20s and a cancer diagnosis in my early 30s. At the time, I was a social worker in a rape crisis center, carrying both professional and personal trauma. Once I began learning about the mind-body connection, my “rare” diagnosis suddenly made more sense. I had lived for decades with a nervous system stuck in fight, flight or freeze. That constant surge of adrenaline and cortisol eventually took a toll on my health.
A decade later, I found yoga. In my mid-40s, regular practice helped me feel calmer, sleep better and think more clearly. By age 50, during yoga teacher training, I realized how much I wished I’d had these tools earlier in life.
When I moved to Colorado in 2020, I couldn’t find a studio home nearby, one centered on the healing wisdom of yoga rather than the fitness-driven, performative culture so common in the U.S. When I decided to retire from my non-profit career, I built the space I was longing for — welcoming, grounded and free of mirrors, competition or pressure to look a certain way. Just come as you are, breathe and move in a way that honors your body.
Since opening in January 2023, the studio has grown into a true community supported by 25 caring, skilled teachers. We expanded our offerings to include a “Healing Nest” space for customized, one-on-one massage, reiki and other appointments. We also expanded our class offerings to include more variety and specialized classes, like Intuitive Somatic Flow, BUTi®, Fusion Flow and more — to reflect both our teachers’ gifts and our students’ needs. Several hundred regular students now call Resilient Soul Yoga home, and our weekend workshops and gatherings continue to deepen not only connection with one another but also connection back to oneself.
Loveland is known for its creativity and heart. How does that local energy show up in the wellness community here and at Resilient Soul?
Creativity and heart are the backbones of the entrepreneurial spirit, and we are so lucky that Loveland has so many unique small businesses and local makers bringing their gifts to the community! This town is full of makers, visionaries and small businesses, and that spirit shows up everywhere at Resilient Soul too.
The studio itself was born from my own need for a healing space — one rooted in the wisdom and restorative capacity of yoga. Local artists and designers helped bring that vision to life, creating a nature-infused environment with over 70 mature plants and trees, and a waterfall designed to signal calm and safety the moment you walk in.
Our teachers carry that same creative, wholehearted energy into their classes and workshops, as do our massage and reiki practitioners in the Healing Nest. And our boutique on the main level highlights works from local artisans, offering natural, sustainable items that further showcase the talent and heart that make Loveland so special.
Sound baths have become a very popular wellness experience. For visitors who might be new to them, what happens during a sound bath, and what can someone expect afterward?
Sound baths are a great way to bathe in and receive the healing vibrations of sound, in a completely relaxed and no-stress setting. At Resilient Soul, each sound bath practitioner intuitively plays a range of instruments, designed to elicit balance in the energetic body and activate the parasympathetic nervous system (the body’s rest-and-digest system). At the center of each experience are crystal singing bowls that are tuned to different Hertz. The practitioner will play these bowls while you lie down comfortably in our candlelit studio, and add in other instruments such as ocean drums, gongs, chimes and rattles. During the experience, you may feel deeply relaxed, experience different emotions or even fall asleep.
Following a sound bath, people can expect to feel more relaxed and sleep more soundly. Emotions may arise that have been buried, and it’s important to stay present and remember, if allowed to be expressed, they will be released from the body and create more space for presence and joy.
Many of your classes focus on resilience and restoration. Why are those themes important right now, and how do you help people reconnect to themselves through movement or stillness?
Many of our classes center on resilience and restoration because that’s what people are craving right now. So many of us carry layers of personal, professional or medical trauma, and we’re all living in a world of constant stimulation and pressure. Our nervous systems simply weren’t designed to stay in fight-or-flight all day, every day, and most of us were never taught how to shift out of it.
Yoga gives us those tools. Through breath, mindful movement and intentional stillness, you can actually see the change happen in class: faces soften, breathing slows and people start to settle back into themselves.
Resilience isn’t about pushing harder; it’s about expanding your capacity to meet life without becoming overwhelmed. By learning to regulate your nervous system, you begin to find steadiness in the middle of real life. Restoration creates the space and quiet needed for that work to happen. Together, these practices help people reconnect with their bodies, emotions and inner clarity — often in ways they didn’t know they were missing.
If someone were visiting Loveland for a weekend of self-care, what would you recommend they include in their itinerary, both at your studio and around town?
Definitely take a class and enjoy a massage with us at Resilient Soul. I also recommend visiting Stinging Nettle Apothecary on Fourth Street and get out in nature. Take a stroll through Benson Sculpture Garden or River’s Edge Natural Area or take a trail ride through the foothills west of town at Sylvan Dale.
For someone who can’t make it to Loveland right away, what are a few simple wellness or mindfulness practices they can try at home today to feel more grounded?
Our breath is the anchor to the present moment and feeling grounded. Try any of these methods below:
- Box breath:
- Inhale for four seconds.
- Hold for four seconds.
- Exhale for four seconds.
- Hold for four seconds.
- Three-part breath:
- Inhale through the nose for four counts, puffing out the low belly to activate the diaphragm and stimulate the vagus nerve.
- Exhale slowly through the nose for five counts, drawing the navel toward the spine. Repeat for three to five minutes.
- By activating the vagus nerve in this way, it will send signals of safety to the brain, which will activate the rest and digest hormones.
- Legs up the wall
- Lay next to a wall and elevate your legs for three to five minutes. This pose helps lower stress and anxiety, and drains lymphatic fluid from the lower body, supporting the body’s natural detoxing systems. At its core, this pose signals safety to the brain. A mammal in the wild would not take this pose if it were in danger.
If you could leave readers with one message about self-care, what would it be?
Self-care is not a luxury nor is it selfish. Our bodies are designed for healing. However, if we don’t consistently manage our stress, it will take a huge toll on our health, sleep and quality of life and relationships.
Slowing down in the Sweetheart City
Loveland has long been known for its art, heart and connection to nature, and Resilient Soul Yoga reflects all of that in one welcoming space. It’s a reminder that well-being can be part of the way you experience a place, not just something you check off a list. Whether you’re visiting for a weekend of self-care or discovering the city for the first time, slowing down here offers a deeper way to connect with Loveland, its community and yourself.