5 minute read
A believer in breathe
DONNA FARCHIONE
Jason Klaiber
During a motivational speech he gave in Boston years ago, the late self-help author Wayne Dyer asked those gathered to individually pick the one topic they would unearth if given an uninterrupted day for research.
In the crowd that day was Donna Farchione, who said she had driven in all the way from Syracuse only to grow flustered that nothing definitive was coming to mind.
She kept pondering the question to no avail, scrounging for the unexplored field of interest that excited her most— whatever it was.
The next morning in the shower, however, a sudden curiosity about the ancient practice of yoga sprung into her head, and she knew right then that she had her answer.
At that point, she had never stepped into a yoga studio to the best of her recollection and Baron Baptiste VHS tapes had been her only exposure to the discipline. But that shred of familiarity soon evolved into regular training sessions with Skaneateles-based instructor Judiann Cesta.
Sometime in 2008, while on the road to Erie, Pa., to visit her daughter at Gannon University, Farchione would end up taking her first but not her last step into breathe, the combination yoga studio, organic juice bar and retail boutique in Rochester that Cesta had given her stamp of approval.
What remains Farchione’s clearest, fondest takeaway from that auspicious afternoon at breathe was the moment her class instructor read a passage from Melody Beattie’s book, “Journey to the Heart.”
“It was about being a square peg trying to cram itself into a round hole and how sometimes the best thing you can do is leave a situation,” she said.
Upon mentioning that the message had resonated with her, she was taken aback when the teacher ripped out the page from the book with no hesitation and handed it to her to keep.
“That generosity and just the way I was treated as a stranger really blew me away,” Farchione said.
Move ahead to 2022, and not only has the Syracuse native held onto that page and purchased her own tear-away copy of Beattie’s meditation book, but she also co-owns the only breathe establishment outside of the five in Rochester.
The space at 6823 E. Genesee St. in Fayetteville was officially opened by Donna and her husband, Rick, in 2017 following a series of conversations the couple had with franchisor Cyndi Weis. Beforehand, Donna had been running a speech pathology company while at the same time going to Syracuse University for a master of arts degree in marriage and family therapy and racking up hours as a part-time yoga instructor in Camillus.
Sticking with the soft, lowercase stylization of its logo for its facade, the family-run wellness hub next to Wegmans has welcomed in everyone from high school students to retirees regardless of their level of yoga experience.
Visitors will see an archaic South Indian door leading to the yoga studio, a touch meant to bring to the business both a sense of reverence to the original yogis and a connection to them through time.
The studio employs a contemporary spin on those preserved elemental teachings, using Baptiste’s methods as inspiration for an adaptable approach centering on physicality, self-inquiry and personal authenticity.
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One style offered at breathe is restorative yoga, a type of routine characterized by full-on relaxation and the use of props such as bolsters and blocks.
People looking for the next step up would gravitate toward yin yoga, which involves three-to-five-minute periods of stretching and a focus on the connective tissue between muscles. The Fayetteville studio also hosts an active but relatively “slow-paced” class called “Foundations” as well as two different power classes focused on exercises that build cardio endurance and strength.
Either before or after their conditioning sessions, guests will select from a choice of smoothies, juices, teas, coffee roasts or one-ounce wheatgrass drinks just a few feet away at the beverage bar. They can also treat themselves to gluten-free and vegan snack options or some other menu items containing honey.
The attached retail side features “carefully sourced” crystals, candles, books, ornaments, essential oils and clothing from cashmere sweaters to graphic tees embellished with expressions of positivity.
Now nearly five years into operating the ternary business, Farchione said she sees the threads that weave through her credentials as a therapist, speech pathologist and yoga trainer, and even her earlier aspiration to be an actress: that being the importance of vulnerability, the task of getting in touch with the psyche, and the emphasis on bettering the relationship with oneself.
Week in and week out, she goes back and forth between breathe and her therapy practice in the Lyndon Office Park on the same street, always keeping in mind the “line of integrity” that both directs and corrects her actions.
Reflecting on the last year-and-a-half stretch, Farchione said the Syracuse breathe made it through months of the pandemic and accompanying restrictions in large part by switching to outdoor yoga sessions held on the nearby lawn and in local parks.
She said it helped on that end that the summer of 2020 produced a negligible amount of rain-related cancellations, that Wegmans paused its use of pesticides on its grass, and that participation for several of those sessions revolved around charitable donations.
As the days have gone on, the business has voluntarily continued to maintain a temporary half-capacity limit for its yoga studio, which can ordinarily fit 70 yoga practitioners at max.
Even so, Farchione said the location has not lost its purpose as a non-competitive haven in the area for anyone looking to reduce feelings of stress and isolation.
Similarly, the 57-year-old business owner has not abandoned her own intention to make the practice of yoga and the unlocking of its benefits her lifelong pursuit, from now until that last Shavasana pose. SWM
