aurelia studios opened exclusively online in 2020 as a way to make yoga and meditation accessible from home during the pandemic. lizzy scully, owner of aurelia studios, speaks about her studio, what it means to be a business owner and why she loves what she does.

“Inhale, 2, 3, 4, exhale, 2, 3, 4…” Lizzy Scully, owner of Aurelia Studios, LLC, says calmly as she warms up her virtual Golden Vinyasa class. Students have their cameras on in the Zoom session as they follow along with Lizzy’s every move. The class starts with an inspirational quote and setting an intention before progressing into an hour-long yoga sequence and ending with savasana. Before logging off, Lizzy always provides her students with a message of peace and gratitude.

Lizzy graduated from DeSales University with a B.A. in Musical Theatre in 2019. She is an actor, singer, dancer, dance teacher, director, playwright, and she now adds yoga instructor to her impressive resume. What started as a hobby for stress-relief and exercise, became a true passion over time. She started a 200-hour yoga teacher training program in New Jersey and obtained her certification as a Registered Yoga Alliance instructor in June of 2020.

While many businesses struggled in 2020, Lizzy saw an opportunity for a modified yoga experience – live yoga classes conducted over Zoom. She began to create a business plan, and opened Aurelia Studios, LLC, in September 2020. “I wanted to help people feel connected to themselves, discover their inner confidence, and find a healthier state of mind,” Lizzy said. “I wanted to help people, especially during this time, find inner peace and meditate on the good things in their lives, even though it’s very difficult right now.”

The word “Aurelia,” means golden one in Latin and Greek translations, and so she chose “Aurelia” as the name of her yoga studio because she feels that there is an inner light in all of us. “After you go through the whole yoga practice with me and you feel energy running through your body, it’s like having light radiating throughout you, helping you feel like you have reached your highest self.”

Lizzy offers several classes six days a week that are all inspired by the meaning of “Aurelia.” Golden Vinyasa Flow is a slower class with a more gentle flow and pace. Radiant Warrior mixes the gentle aspects of Golden Vinyasa with a little bit of fire. It has a comfortable flow that will help build your strength. Glow Flow builds up the fire from Radiant Warrior by adding in more challenging poses and incorporating more balance and core movements. Yoga for Artists is a 30-minute class focused on breath, yoga, and meditation, geared toward helping individuals set intentions for their work and creative flow. Lizzy has also expanded her teaching portfolio by offering yoga for schools, businesses and other larger groups. While her classes span different difficulty levels, she says that beginners through advanced yogis can benefit from any of the classes.

Her students are her main focus, and she works on creating new sequences for every class so that students are always feeling challenged. Each class is intended to fulfill the mind, body and spirit connection through movement and yoga. “I really love movement as a dancer, choreographer and director,” Lizzy said. “Challenging yourself through movement every time you come to class is huge.”

Challenging others – and herself – is a big part of why she wanted to open her own studio. “It has opened up another side of me,” she said. “I have always wanted to own my own business, but I never thought it would be this soon out of college, during my first full year out. I think it is empowering to young women my age and women in general to have their own businesses and be confident in what they do.”

Confidence is key, especially when you have to run a new business entirely online. Lizzy has worked on creative ways to engage her audience, but says maintaining her social media presence is like a second job. From TikTok videos to Instagram posts, she is constantly creating content to reach out to people interested in trying or taking yoga.

“Getting people to move in a time when they have been used to staying in and hunkering down has been difficult,” she said. “Not only that, but creating a studio space in my own home, going out and taking creative photos – it’s all things I have not had to do or think about before.”

Despite the challenges, she truly enjoys helping people focus on their wellbeing, and not on what is going on around them. It also is an outlet for her, especially during the pandemic. “I like to think of teaching yoga as me putting on a show or production, and it has really gotten me through all of this,” she said. “It really feels like I am performing, but it is a lot more relaxed. Yoga combines all of the things I like to do. Directing and writing my own sequences and getting to share them with my students is powerful.”

To find out more about Aurelia Studios or to sign up for classes and subscribe to become a Radiant Warrior, visit https://www.aurelia-studios.com/. Single classes are available for purchase, as well as a variety of class packages.