TrueYoga. Studio and School may be new to the Newtown area, but founder and lead teacher Elle Kaplan has been teaching traditional yoga in the area for nearly three decades.
“I felt the need to open a yoga studio based on community, authenticity and tradition,” Elle says. “From listening and speaking with people of all ages and levels of yoga, I thought this is what the community was looking for.”
Elle wanted to create a studio that prioritized the traditional tenets of yoga.
“Over the years, through 2020 and westernization of yoga, yogic ethics have been lost in the industry, and there are only a few who are true to the practice,” she adds. "For me, as a teacher of a more traditional lineage of yoga, I focus on not only the physical aspects, but the philosophy as well. This was also something that I was searching for, and I knew I had all that it would take from my years of experience to create a space that was bringing it back.”
After 15 years of training instructors, Elle has amassed a team of experienced instructors teaching workshops and classes from chair yoga to dynamic yoga.
“I feel our studio is truly a collection of some of the best yoga teachers in Bucks County. I've either worked alongside them in studios over the years or they have been trained in my previous teacher trainings," she says.
Classes at the studio span options for a variety of preferences: The TrueYoga. Practice, slow flow, dynamic flow, chair-plus yoga, restore/renew, active recovery and mobility, plus workshops and meditation sessions.
The operation of TrueYoga. is a family affair — Elle’s husband, Shawn, works as the studio’s contractor, their daughter, Lucine, handles marketing and communications, and their son, Tyler, is information technology manager and lead receptionist.
“As we all have different personalities, we also have great attributes that are unique and can complement one another like puzzle pieces on the logistics of a business,” Elle explains.
There are three distinct areas within the building: the yoga studio, a retail and library space and a lounge in which Lucine creates nylon art and visitors can sit, chat and enjoy a book.
Tyler operates the studio’s officially recognized library, which is another way they're embracing community at TrueYoga. “While yoga provides a way for students to connect on the mat, a library allows our students to connect with their community off the mat as well through like-minded ideas,” he says.
The library collection grew out of Elle’s personal bookshelf and includes the books she's found most meaningful in her 30 years of practice. She says, “All of the books from my library have been a resource for me in so many ways. My hope is that those who may check out a book can find inspiration for themselves.”
In the retail space, they sell TrueYoga. merchandise along with jewelry, candles, greeting cards and art, with more on the way as they grow.
Each month, the Kaplans partner with a charitable organization and donate a portion of the funds from a week’s worth of membership fees. In September, they celebrated International Peace Month by supporting The Peace Center, a Langhorne-based safety/social justice nonprofit, and in October, their proceeds supported A Woman’s Place, Bucks County’s victim lifesaving and shelter organization.
This month, in honor of National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, they're partnering with A Love For Life, a local organization that raises funds for research at the Abramson Cancer Center at The University of Pennsylvania.
“I'm beyond grateful to be in this space,” Elle says. “I do feel this endeavor has been bigger than me, and at times, has felt like it has a life of its own that I need to support and offer to the community.”
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