Philadelphia Weekly

The good folks at AdBusters reported this month that the introduction of mindfulness education into a handful of public schools throughout the U.S. and Canada has resulted in students performing better on tests, managing their emotions more effectively and remaining focused for longer periods of time. If you feel shortchanged because your elementary school teachers never taught you how to optimize your potential by focusing on breathing, don't fret. It's not too late.

Mindfulness meditation is one of many free or low-cost classes offered at the community-building enterprise in West Philadelphia called Studio 34. Situated on 45th Street and Baltimore Avenue, Studio 34 is an open, friendly, multipurpose space filled with dance and yoga studios, a stage, a private Pilates room, a lounge and a makeshift library. If you live in West Philadelphia and you feel like taking a belly-dancing class, putting on a hip-hop show, seeing experimental theater, showing your paintings, learning Qi Gong, drinking a cup of eco-friendly tea (out of corn-plastic mugs) or just staying warm without spending money, there's a group of people who want to welcome you into their home.

Studio 34 opened last spring when a sculptor, a nurse practitioner and an Eastern arts instructor fused their interests in wellness, arts and community to create a common space.

"We collectively embarked on the mission of finding one space. Once we had it, we spent a lot of time talking to community members," says soft-spoken co-founder Stephen Fisher. "We all live in the neighborhood and know a lot of people here, and in talking to them, we identified the needs of the community."

Fisher, who earned his Ph.D. in psychology from Yale, has been teaching yoga and other internal Eastern arts for four years. His Studio 34 co-founders are Angela Norris, a family nurse practitioner specializing in HIV/AIDS, and James Peniston, sculptor of the 9-foot bronze bust of Ben Franklin in Girard Fountain Park. The three envisioned putting together a center that would serve the interests of people of different income levels in a transitional community.

"I was really struck by the fact that most studios, you come in, you take a class and you leave," says Fisher. "There was very little space for people to actually meet. No studios had a structure where people could meet one another unless you went every day. We want a space where people can come and just sit and hang out. You don't have to come to do yoga, and if you do yoga, you can stay after class and just hang out. You don't get ushered out because a door is getting locked."

"I had been working on a public commissioned work that was designed to be a community building sculpture," says Peniston. "I spent a year going around to various grade schools in Philadelphia and talking to children about how communities are built and maintained through volunteerism. After you spend a year talking about volunteerism building community, you start wanting to build a volunteer space that builds community."

Since its opening, Studio 34 has attracted hundreds of volunteers from all over Philadelphia.

"We give free yoga for an hour's work here. When people work for an activity rather than for money, there's a lot more connection. The majority of volunteers don't even use their class credits. We have a lot of people come and sit at the front desk who don't even take yoga," says Fisher. "They just do it because it's relaxing and they like to meet people."

The space itself is composed of a lounge area with a stage, and a long hallway of studios and private rooms for wellness providers and their clients. The hallways are decorated with paintings by different Philadelphia artists. Off to the side is a small sitting room for drinking tea and reading books from the modest non-lending library. Stopping by with a mug from home to drink free tea and meet one's neighbors is highly encouraged.

On any given week Studio 34 might feature a folk music concert, theater performances, dance performances, as well as every flavor of yoga for kids, teenagers and adults. Ambivalent yogis can join drop-in classes for $5 to $10 each. The founders hope that when enough members of the community utilize the space as an alternative to the home or work setting, it'll take on a life of its own and become a community-generating space for West Philadelphia.

To the skeptics, Peniston says, "There's always the mystery of some different healing modalities, which is a barrier to some people. It seems impenetrable or cliquish. But when you walk through the door, you don't feel that. If you're comfortable in West Philadelphia, you're going to feel comfortable in this space."

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