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Dangle from the ceiling upside down draped in a silk hammock. Find inner peace though massage. Balance your body with therapeutic yoga ropes.

These unique offerings are just a small sample of the holistic approach to wellness at the newly opened Centerpeace Yoga and Wellness Center in Kent, Ohio.

What is even more unique is who created and opened the studio this past January: a homegrown staff made up of �鶹��ѡ students, graduates and residents.

“We’ve been working at this for a few years and to finally see people in the door enjoying classes is a dream come true,” said �鶹��ѡstudent Nichole Catalano-Miller who is majoring in exercise physiology in Kent State’s College of Education, Health and Human Services.

Catalano-Miller and co-owner Amanda Edwards wanted to open a wellness center where yoga wasn’t just exercise but also an inward journey with a holistic approach.

The highly trained staff offers wellness services ranging from aerial yoga, yoga therapy, philosophy, meditation, Pilates, Tai Chi, massage and bodywork.

Assistant Professor Kiersten Latham, Ph.D., in Kent State’s School of Library and Information Science takes yoga therapy sessions to gain better body balance.

“I have friends in life my age who have all kinds of problems, and I always want to say, ‘do yoga,’ but they don’t get it sometimes,” Latham said with a smile.

In addition to clients from Kent State, the Centerpeace Yoga and Wellness Center employs more than a dozen employees with ties to the university. 

“Among our staff, we are proud to say that most are either Kent residents, �鶹��ѡgraduates or current students, or have a spouse that is connected to the university,” Edwards said. 

This includes Margot Milcetich, founder of Brahmrishi Yoga Teacher Training and an instructor at the center. Milcetich holds a master’s degree in education from Kent State’s College of Education, Health and Human Services. She specializes in yoga therapy. 

“What can we learn about ourselves?” Milcetich questioned. “How can we quiet the mind? What do we do when life is challenging? How can we take care of ourselves physically, mentally and emotionally?”

In the area of bodywork, Susanna Smart is a holistic nurse and a doctoral student in the College of Nursing at Kent State.

“The university has a lot of thoughtful people doing a lot of interesting things, working hard in various ways, and this is a place to replenish, let go and be creative,” Smart said.

Catalano-Miller and Edwards credit Kent State’s Blackstone LaunchPad for helping them make business connections and strategies. Blackstone LaunchPad promotes entrepreneurship as a viable career path. It supports �鶹��ѡstudents, employees and alumni transform their ideas into thriving businesses

They say Blackstone LaunchPad was essential in helping to turn their vision into reality. 

“It would have been very difficult,” Catalano-Miller said. “The support that Blackstone LaunchPad provided us was very helpful.”

Learn more about classes offered at the Centerpeace Yoga and Wellness Center at .

For more information about Kent State’s Blackstone LaunchPad, visit www.kent.edu/blackstonelaunchpad.