In an age when digital noise and disconnection often drown out real human connection, spaces like Lincoln Street Studio in Lunenburg offer something essential: a place to move, to breathe, to reconnect – with ourselves and with one another.
Founded by Emara Churchill, Lincoln Street Studio was built on a simple, powerful intention: to create a space for mindfulness and movement that’s accessible to all — whether you’re a seasoned yogi or stepping onto the mat for the first time.
“This studio was never meant to be just about yoga,” Emara says. “It’s about community. It’s about creating a space where people feel they belong, in whatever way that looks for them.”
Since its earliest days, the studio has been shaped not just by its founder, but by the people who have consistently shown up to practice, share and support each other. One of those people is Judith Riddoch, who attended the very first class and has been a regular ever since.
“The community built this space as much as I did,” Emara reflects. “People like Judith are the heart of it.”
The studio’s growth has also been powered by its collaborative teaching team. Instructors Carol Reynolds and Michaela MacMullin, who joined early on, have become beloved figures. Alongside Emara, they’ve created a diverse and thoughtful class schedule that reflects the rhythms and needs of the local community.
Michaela says Emara “:gives the team the opportunity to take ownership of the studio in our own way – free to teach and be ourselves.”She adds that this freedom is foundational to the sense of collaboration among the teachers, helping foster a true community space from within.
What sets Lincoln Street Studio apart is not just its offerings — yoga, pilates, meditation, breathwork and more – but its deep connection to the broader Lunenburg and Mahone Bay communities. Teachers regularly support one another, covering classes when needed to ensure consistency for students. There’s a strong sense of mutual care: a shared belief that wellbeing is both personal and collective.
Amanda Ring of UNTAMED, a practitioner who offers holotropic breathwork sessions, sees the studio as a vital partner in promoting holistic health.
“It’s a space for both individual and collective healing — through connection, transformative experiences, and an inclusive environment – which people in our current social climate deeply need,”she says.
She continues: “It’s a place where a variety of practitioners can offer their own unique services to the greater community. It’s community-centred and collaborative at its core — and that’s something I highly value.”
David Maginley, a retired pastor and regular student, also emphasizes the importance of spaces like Lincoln Street Studio for emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
“They support deeper connection with ourselves and help embody spirituality,” he says, “whatever your beliefs may be.”
Maginley reflects on how powerful it can be to create space for understanding – allowing us to better experience what we feel through our bodies and our being, which in turn helps us better understand each other.
That spirit of collaboration and connection will be front and centre this June, when Lincoln Street Studio hosts its inaugural community retreat, Oceans Ohm. Taking place June 27 to 29 at venues throughout Lunenburg – including outdoor yoga at the historic Lunenburg Academy of Music – the retreat brings the studio’s vision to life in full.
Fittingly, Judith Riddoch, one of the studio’s very first students, is Board Chair of the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance –bringing the story full circle.
More than a wellness event, Oceans Ohm is a celebration of community in its truest sense: a weaving together of individuals, spaces and practices into a shared experience of movement, mindfulness and joy.
In a small town like Lunenburg, where relationships are the roots that hold everything together, places like Lincoln Street Studio offer more than just a physical space – they offer connection, presence and a deep sense of belonging.
It feels fitting to close by returning to the beauty of the intentional community Emara has built – one that, in Amanda Ring’s words, “serves the ethos that everyone is precious, worthy, and holds infinite potential.”You can find more information on Lincoln Street Studio and their June retreat via the website, and for more information on Amanda Ring’s work through UNTAMED you can visit her website.
