Wildflower Yoga brings movement, peace and community to Sherrodsville

For Valerie Gardner, yoga is more than stretching or exercise, it is something that helped guide her through life’s hardest moments. Now she hopes to share those benefits with others at Wildflower Yoga Studio in Sherrodsville.

Gardner said she first discovered yoga in her early 30s during a period of change and uncertainty. She attended a class at the Tuscarawas County YMCA at Dover and immediately felt something click.

“The first class was exactly what I needed to have that emotional support that I know I can give myself,” Gardner said. “It was more for the mind and spirit.”

Gardner had always been drawn to movement, dance and choreography but yoga added something deeper, a sense of calm and grounding she said helped her not only in everyday life but also years later when she faced ovarian cancer.

“Yoga supported me not only in that mental realm, but the emotional support it can give you during harder times,” she said.

She earned her yoga certification in 2004 and began teaching at the YMCA in Dover and at a short-lived Denison branch. Classes eventually took off in Sherrodsville, where Gardner taught after-school programs for teachers and community members.

In 2011, Valerie and her husband Jim purchased two nearby houses and turned one into a small studio, which officially opened in 2016. When the former Conotton Valley Schools administration building went to auction in January 2024, Gardner saw a chance to grow.

The building was originally a Lutheran church in the early 1900s before becoming school offices and a site for board meetings. Gardner said the structure already felt right for yoga, being quiet, spacious and full of natural character. With renovations complete, she began offering a new class schedule in October 2024.

“It had everything the little studio didn’t such as parking, accessibility and quiet,” she said.

Gardner teaches traditional hatha yoga, a gentle form focused on nourishing joints, ligaments and internal systems. She also offers a fitness-style power yoga class, chair yoga for those with mobility challenges and a creative ball yoga class using large exercise balls.

“No pain, no gain doesn’t work in a yoga class,” Gardner said. “Nobody knows your body better than you do.”

Classes are designed for all experience levels. Gardner said she often reminds students to move kindly and listen to their bodies, especially when life feels overwhelming. She explained yoga’s slower breathing patterns activate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping calm stress that affects the entire body.

“Bring it to the breath, bring it to the mat,” she said. “Stress transfers to every organ, every muscle group, and your body feels it.”

As part of the studio’s weekly routine, Wildflower Yoga offers Rise and Shine Yoga Tuesday mornings at 9 a.m., followed Wednesday by Chair Yoga at 4:30 p.m. and Gentle Yoga at 6 p.m. Thursday includes Ball Yoga at 11:30 a.m. and Power Yoga at 5:15 p.m. Fridays are reserved for First Friday specialty sessions held once a month, and the studio is closed Mondays. Gardner also posts updates on Facebook about craft nights and special events throughout the year.

Drop-in or single classes are $12 and a 10-class pass is available for $100. Passes never expire and can be shared or given as gifts.

Outside the studio, Gardner is heavily involved in community service. She has been a member of the Sherrodsville Lions Club for more than 20 years, serves as secretary for the Hands Across Sherrodsville food pantry and is fiscal officer for the village, a role she has held since 2003. She also sits on the Carroll County Board of Elections.

Gardner lives in Sherrodsville with her husband, Jim, owner of Baxter-Gardner Funeral Home.

After decades of teaching, Gardner said she still finds joy in watching people experience yoga for the first time.

“This lights up my eyes. It lights up my life,” she said. “Everybody wants to feel needed, to feel a sense of belonging. I hope yoga helps people find that.”

Wildflower Yoga is located at 21 Mound St., Sherrodsville. For questions or more information, call Valerie at 330-260-8506.