Alluem Yoga Offers an Escape from Busy Cranford Life

Alluem Yoga studio has opened in Cranford for four years this August. The yoga studio is beautifully located at The Mill in Cranford with windows overlooking the river.

When people say that yoga is for everybody, owner Gina Pachowski believes Alluem Yoga can truly stand up to that. The studio offers a variety of classes and on some days has upwards of seven choices available. Alluem offers beginner classes, hot yoga, meditation and many more, as well as classes for little kids to teens and prenatal classes. A full schedule of the classes can be viewed, here.

When Pachowski pulled up to The Mill in search of a spot for her yoga studio, she knew it was the perfect location without even really checking it out. She later received a call from former mayor and good family friend, Michael Plick, who told her there was an available space at The Mill.

“If I don’t do this now, I’ll never do it,” Gina thought. She was both excited and nervous as she had three young children.

Ever since the studio’s opening in August of 2009 it has been an amazing experience, Pachkowski said.

“There’s a positive energy that you can sense,” she explained. Adding that it has a lot to do with the studio’s location near nature and a body of water.

In addition to the great location, Pachkowski contributes Alluem Yoga’s success to the people.

She said she is very lucky to have such a wonderful team, including her right-hand woman, Karen Gilmour, who Pachkowski looks at as her partner. She also explained how grateful she is to have such a sense of community with the students.

“In the end it’s about people and community through movement and how we can be the best person we know how,” she expressed.

With a strong sense of community, Alluem Yoga often contributes to community events anyway that they can. The studio sponsors Rock Yoga in downtown Cranford, works with the Cranford Jaycees, supports local schools and more.

In addition to the work Alluem does in the Cranford community, Pachowski and Gilmour participate in the organization Off The Mat and Into the World, a grassroots organization that encourages ordinary people to raise awareness and make a difference in big issues facing the world.

In 2011, Alluem Yoga, along with Cranford’s support, raised $20,000 for Off The Mat’s ‘Rebuild Haiti’ cause, giving Pachkowski the opportunity to visit Haiti.

In March of 2014, Pachkowski along with members of Alluem Yoga will visit Haiti again for a Yoga Retreat and Cultural Trip along with some service.

“Haiti is a gem,” Pachkowski explained. “I want to bring people back to see what beauty is there.”

When it comes to Alluem, Pachkowski says it’s all about finding the right class for you. The studio will work with students to find the class that works for each individual.

Several of the students at Alluem have been with the studio since it has opened.

“I see so much growth in people,” Pachkowski

 said. “It warms my heart and reminds me why I do what I do.”

Student Jean Fitzpatrick of Alluem Yoga described the studio as, “a place I never want to leave.”

She went on to say it is one of the most comfortable places, where you can be yourself and nothing else matters.

Fitzpatrick said, “you feel away when you come here.”

Alluem Yoga is named after Pachowski’s three kids, Alexandra, Luke and Emma Grace.

A full list of classes, packages and fees can be found on Alluem Yoga’s website. For more on the organization Off The Mat and Into the World, visit their website, here.