Spots Around Sav Issue 3: Otium
Written by Alexa LoSchiavo. Graphic by Micaela Alomia.
Staying in Savannah over break means watching people try to force winter to come, even in the sun-soaked streets that don’t get below 40 degrees in December. It means running through crowds and watching bubbles that are meant to be snow coming out of coffee shops. It means trying to run off your boredom and only running into crowds. It’s hard to find a peaceful place to exercise in Savannah to get rid of the winter scaries that plague you over break. Yet Otium Studios has been the place that I’ve found escape, safety and joy.
Otium Studios is a “space for social wellness, promoting movement that matters.” It has two locations: one in Drayton Towers and one on the River. Each location offers a glimpse into a separate reality, one where you leave all your worries outside and enter your body for perhaps the first time in a while. My first experience with Otium was also my first experience going to an exercise class alone, and it is exactly the welcoming place that first-timers crave. A space you can visit with any headspace and be greeted with open arms.
When you enter the studio, you enter a place with dimmed lighting and mats laid out for you already. The lit candles and shadows on the white walls create an enveloping glow to remind you that you are here, now. For an hour, you get to be inside of your body, fully, whether in Vinyasa or Hot Flow. Finding a space in your body is incredibly important, especially as the quarter ramps up and you are thrown into your mind. Otium Studios lets you have that space and encourages you to let go of everything else.
It’s a breath of fresh air to have a workout space that encourages and does not push. Each class you show up, and they tell you to take it at your own pace, that this space is for you to do what you want with. There’s also a lot of space for you to choose your adventure, your own class, your own teacher. It’s a space that welcomes you into its arms and lets you choose what you want to take from the experience. That’s the beautiful thing about Otium; you’re not pushed or thrown into something scary, which often happens when exercising, you’re welcomed and accepted in whatever skill level or mindset you come with. You’re taught how to breathe, how to let go of everything else, what to take away and what to leave behind.
I’ve been doing yoga for years, and I’ve never found a place quite like Otium. The environment created in the studio is one that seems effortless but is decidedly not. It takes conscious effort to create a space that celebrates everyone’s choices and welcomes everyone who is coming in with their own headspace and mindset. Otium’s mindset is to welcome you with open arms and create comfort, not results. The studio allows you the space to choose what you want and lets you exercise at your own pace. If you’re looking for a new place to exercise this new year, Otium is the spot around Savannah to do so.
Alexa is a junior majoring in Writing and hopes to pursue a career in publishing. Outside of writing for District, she can be found writing almost anything, reading in the park, or performing at an open mic!
