Keeping it Simple
Salisbury wellness guru Eva Whipple vows to keep things simple and do the things that bring joy.
There are natural rhythms everywhere we look. The sun, moon, stars and planets shift and move all around us. We watch the waves, the tide come in and out. We feel the seasons change, plant seeds and eagerly await the harvest. This particular Fall feels very different than previous ones. The way we live and celebrate will vary from family to family. Even our daily flow with school, work, food and wellness will continue to evolve.
A local small business owner, mother, teacher and wellness guru found that gratitude and simplicity are two key ingredients for not just surviving during the pandemic but thriving in it. Eva Whipple, owner of Soul Yoga in Salisbury, Maryland, had to make some very difficult decisions this past spring and summer.
“Initially, I felt very overwhelmed. But quarantine gave me the opportunity to slow down and be more intentional about the direction I wanted to take my business and my family.”
The overhead cost at her previous building was not sustainable for the future of yoga after COVID-19. But Eva was nimble and resourceful in her planning. She knew how important yoga would be not only for her clients but for Salisbury and the surrounding community. Wellness— the connection between the mind, body and soul—could not be ignored any more. It was front and center and needed now more than ever.
Taking a look at her schedule and teachers, Eva pared things down and made her work life more manageable for her and her family. She moved her practice into the heart of the city and was able to create a donation-based system to meet people where they are, no matter their socioeconomic background.
“I wanted to make a concerted effort to include our whole community and make them feel welcome. I wanted to remove the financial barrier.”
Eva knows all too well how life can throw us hurdles and hardships. After founding the Salisbury Roller Girls at 18 and finding her health food flow and balance through training, she found she had cancer at just 19 years old.
Studying to become a physical therapist and battling a disease so many people have been affected by in one way or another, she learned to focus on the positives. The night she found the cancer was the night she and her husband Bryan moved into his childhood home, inheriting a fruit and vegetable garden.
“Feel good in the body you’re in. Feel content. It’s a lot less about your circumstances and more about your perspective.”
Eva took her two hands and went to work. In between chemotherapy sessions and surgeries, she cultivated the land and leaned into her yoga practice. She found acceptance on her mat and hope inside the soil. She found her path by digging deep in the dirt and by flowing from one pose into another. It was through these simple practices that Eva learned the importance of being present in all of life’s moments, good or bad.
The Whipple Homestead was born in the midst of this adversity. While battling cancer, she breathed life and love into their little patch of earth and raised goats and chickens. Milk and eggs and organic produce flowed forth from their little farm. The animals ate the scraps from their meals and nothing was wasted at home. She built a full life not knowing what the future might hold.
“When I’m faced with difficulty, I focus on gratitude. Thankfulness breeds contentment.”
After surviving cancer, birthing two babies and two businesses (Eva with Soul Yoga and Bryan with Lurking Class Skate Shop) the garden went wild while they frequented nearby markets, supporting local friends and farmers. Life continued, dreams ebbed and flowed like the river behind the house, and Eva longed for more time with the kids. Wild and free adventures knocked on her heart’s door daily.
During the pandemic, while Eva innovated and scaled back her business plans, the fruits of those decisions impacted her home and family life almost immediately. She went back to some of her old loves. With her tiny tots in tow, she fled to the beach daily and swam in the sea. She tended to her wild garden. The summer brought tomatoes, watermelons, peppers and berries galore.
“This fall I’ll bring in a trio of squash - butternut, acorn and spaghetti. I’ll pull up pumpkins and kale. And I’ll cook some simple savory sweet potatoes.”
Every morning Eva gets up with the sun and gathers her family around the table for breakfast. Before they break bread and eat, the family begins by saying one thing they are grateful for and around the table it goes, everyone, every day. She allows herself space to feel all the feelings that bubble up each day, from the early morning into the evening and beyond, but she’s made sure to begin each day in gratitude.
The pandemic brought distress at first, as it has done for many, but Eva also found freedom after making the necessary shifts in her life, both professionally and personally. She always wanted to make the changes and it was in the upheaval of quarantine where she found the courage to do what her heart was telling her.
“Moving forward doesn’t always mean going bigger. Growth might look like taking a step back and simplifying.”
After growing up many moons ago down by the park in Salisbury, Eva is excited to be back in the area bringing new movement into a new studio. You’ll find her making her famous popcorn (with plant-based toppings), embracing her littles and living life to the fullest. Now studying yoga therapy, homeschooling, managing Soul Yoga classes, skating in her garage and reaping her homestead harvest, Eva has found a new flow for a new season.
Grab a friend and find a class to see how yoga fits into your own food and wellness rhythms.
Visit soulyogasby.com for more information about the studio.
237 West Main Street, Salisbury, Maryland, 410-603-8459
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