Wilmington Magazine Jan-Feb 2023

Magazine or whatever and it’s this young, lean person who’s wearing
the yoga outfit and is a supermodel, blah, blah,” she says. “And I
think part of my strength as a teacher is people see me and are like,
‘Oh, if she could do that, then I can do that.’”
Abbate prefers for terra sol to be appealing to a diverse set of
interested yoga students; she even took an inclusivity workshop to
ensure she was building a space all felt welcome in. “I strive for any
teacher at terra sol to be able to teach anyone who walks in the room,
regardless of their level,” Abbate says.
This was certainly the case for Jim Elms when he and his wife,
Laura, started attending terra sol classes a little over a year ago as
new residents in Wilmington. While yoga was a big part of Laura’s
life at that point, Jim had only dabbled in the occasional at-home
yoga VHS tape and had “no real level of commitment” before terra
sol. Now, he consistently attends at least one class a day, sometimes
joining virtually as he travels often for work. He even mentioned that
he’s shuffled travel plans before to make it back in time to physically
attend his favorite Thursday class.
“The teachers are so unbelievably kind and have such positive
energy that you feel the minute you walk in the building,” he says.
“That is such a boost and alone is enough to make me want to come
back. But also, all the different styles of yoga taught have helped my
curiosity. You’re not just trying to get buff, it’s so much more.”
Of course, yoga is still a form of exercise, so physical changes
are locked in step with the mental benefits of the practice. Elms
describes, “feeling looser and lighter and having more strength”
due to his consistency at terra sol. Another instructor at the studio,
Jackie Lew, enjoyed that yoga allowed him to “feel calm and strong
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