The Space You’re In - Episode 2 - A conversation with Stephanie from The Lodge

Tucked quietly behind a home in London, Ontario, down a narrow path and through a simple gate, there’s a place that doesn’t immediately announce itself. You arrive, almost as if guided, leaving behind the noise of the street and the weight of the day. By the time you reach the door of the sweet little oasis that is The Lodge, something has already shifted.

Inside, the air feels different. Softer. Warmer. Like an exhale you didn’t realize you needed.

A Building with a Memory

Long before it became a yoga studio, The Lodge had a very different life. Built around 1885, the small structure once served as a coach house—home to labourers and horses. Its original footprint remains modest, roughly 400 square feet, with thick concrete walls that have absorbed more than a century of history.

When Stephanie first encountered it, the space was far from serene.

“It was essentially four concrete walls,” she recalls. “Dirt floors. Wildlife living in here. It wasn’t anything you’d walk into and immediately think—this is a yoga studio.”

When the World Closed, a Door Opened

The idea for The Lodge began to take shape in 2020, a year that forced reinvention for many.

Freshly certified as a yoga instructor, she was ready to begin teaching in studios across the city. Instead, those studios began to close. The familiar pathways into her new career disappeared almost overnight.

Classes moved outdoors, into the garden behind her home. Through uncertainty and shifting restrictions, people gathered under open skies to practice together. It worked but it wasn’t a long-term solution, especially through Ontario winters.

Her attention turned back to the coach house. “What if this could be something?” she wondered.

That question arrived alongside profound personal loss. Between 2020 and 2021, Stephanie lost two close friends—grief that reshaped not only her life, but her relationship to the space.

“This became my container,” she says. “A place where I could take something broken and recreate it into something meaningful.”

Building with Intention

The transformation didn’t happen overnight. Over the course of a year, the structure slowly evolved. Guided by both practical needs and an intuitive sense of what the space required.

Some decisions were straightforward. A foyer became essential, especially for cold winter. Other elements emerged more organically.

Large windows were added, inviting in natural light Stephanie hadn’t originally imagined. A gas fireplace introduced warmth and ambiance. 

The original concrete wall still stands, exposed and imperfect. Nothing inside is quite square. Lines are slightly off.

Stephanie wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s not perfect and I love that about it. Nothing's really square in here. It’s a metaphor for us on this human journey, right? Nothing's perfect.”

A Space You Feel, Not Just See

Step inside The Lodge, and one thing becomes immediately clear: you can rest here.

There are no mirrors lining the walls. No visual clutter competing for attention. The palette is soft and natural. Everything feels intentional.

“It’s not about how something looks,” Stephanie explains. “It’s about how it feels.”

And what it feels like, overwhelmingly, is safe.

Stephanie describes the energy of the space as “yin”—introspective, grounding, calm. She speaks of the building almost as a living presence, shaped by its past and continuing to evolve.

“I think spaces hold energy,” she says. “You can’t always explain it, but you feel it.”

Movement, Music, and Meaning

The classes offered at The Lodge reflect that same philosophy. Rooted in connection they range from gentle flows to more dynamic practices, always held in a warm (but not hot) environment.

But beyond the physical movement, there’s an undercurrent of something deeper: a sense of presence that even extends into the music.

Stephanie curates each playlist personally, often during long walks.

“Music is like art-making for me,” she says. “It’s about how it moves you.”

The result is a layered, often unexpected soundtrack that shapes each class experience. Different genres blend together, guiding participants through shifts.

Community That Finds You

Unlike many studios, The Lodge doesn’t rely on traditional advertising. 

Instead, people find it mostly through word of mouth.

“If you find us, you’re meant to be here,” Stephanie says simply.

The community that’s formed reflects that philosophy. 

Collaborations with other practitioners have also begun to unfold naturally: yoga nidra sessions, tarot evenings, and other offerings that deepen the sense of connection beyond the mat.

“The right people show up at the right time,” Stephanie says. “That’s how it’s always happened.”

The Beauty of Reconstruction

At the heart of The Lodge is a metaphor Stephanie returns to often—one rooted in her background in art therapy.

She describes the “Broken Bowl Project,” where participants shatter a bowl and then carefully piece it back together using gold. The cracks remain visible, but instead of diminishing the object, they transform it into something more meaningful.

The Lodge, in many ways, is that bowl.

And for those who step inside, it offers a return to presence. Something we all need.