Carla McAdams describes herself first and foremost as a teacher.
Her students describe her as a healer.
McAdams is the owner of Middletown's Mountain Spirit Yoga, which she opened in 2007 after having been involved in both teaching and yoga most of her life.
McAdams first learned yoga as a teenager but started doing it more seriously when she was in her 30s and living in Boston. She said she was dealing with job stress and looking for a way to relieve it.
"I fell in love with how I felt after the class. I felt strong but I also felt relaxed — the stress had been eased," she said.
McAdams moved to Frederick County in 1988 for a teaching career that included teaching at both Middletown and Valley elementary schools. Through the ’90s, she mostly practiced yoga at home, but she eventually started taking classes at the Center for Integrative Healthcare in Frederick.
During these classes, McAdams said she learned the "Kripalu" yoga method, which means compassion, awareness and acceptance through movement. The method also includes awareness of one's feelings.
"You're getting a greater sense of stress relief and ease; it's a way of moving mindfully," McAdams said.
She was certified in teaching Kripalu in 2000 and then certified at a higher professional level in 2005. She stopped teaching school in 2003, and went right into teaching yoga.
"It's what I do — I teach," McAdams said.
She initially taught at the Center for Integrative Healthcare where she said, as a teacher rather than a student, her attention shifted "from what was happening in my body to what was happening in my students'
bodies."
"It's less about 'You have to have your foot in this place and your arm at this level' ... As a teacher it allowed me to be in a very alive place of intuition," McAdams said.
She taught there for four years, and then started renting space in centers in three Frederick-area locations to meet
more geographical needs.
"I wanted more people to have access to yoga — I was doing yoga on the road," McAdams said.
During this time, McAdams also started doing more specialized therapeutic yoga courses, focusing on things like yoga for back ailments, prenatal yoga and yoga for senior citizens.
After a while, McAdams said "I got tired of schlepping."
She saw an available space on Main Street in Middletown and immediately started renting. Luckily, students from all three
spaces followed and McAdams now has students coming from Frederick, Mount Airy, Middletown, Thurmont, Washington County and beyond.
Frederick resident Paula Acquaviva said working with McAdams in her "Active Seniors" class has helped her recover from a stroke.
"It has made me stronger and more fit. Without it, I might not have done well; it just makes you feel great," Acquaviva said.
Walkersville resident Sylvia Elfman said McAdams is an effective teacher by knowing each of her students' individual needs and tailoring their movements to help them heal.
"She'll say 'Don't do that. Do what you can do — honor your body,'" said Elfman, who also attends the Active Seniors class in addition to Chair Yoga. "Carla influences us all. She is so warm and caring."
Since opening her studio in 2007, McAdams said her classes have doubled in size. She was able to open a second space in her studio in January. She teaches the majority of her studio's classes and sees private clients, but her studio also features a half-dozen other teachers.
"Our approach is to individualize the process so it's appropriate for everybody right where they are," McAdams said.
Her studio now offers classes including prenatal yoga; yoga for kids; yoga for seniors; gentle yoga for "people who really haven't exercised that much in their lives at all," as well as yoga for people who might be dealing with conditions including scoliosis, Parkinson's disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis and arthritis. She also offers more vigorous classes and classes for the general population, which might include moms whose kids are in school during the day.
"It helps calm you down and relieve stress," she said.
On a physical level, McAdams said the coordinated movements in yoga help with blood pressure, flexibility, strength and core stabilization. During her classes, McAdams said she pays great attention to alignment, breathing and meditation.
During a recent class, McAdams started asking each of her students how they were feeling.
"I heard the word 'holiday' out there, so lift up and let go of the holidays," McAdams told her students during their routine. "One of the things about when we're stressed is our breath stops at the time when we need it the most."
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