Dancing Mind

After an inspiring Level One training with Baron Baptiste in February 2007, owner Paula Baake quite literally “opened her doors” to the public in May of that year in a newly cleared out room in the upstairs of her family’s home. With enough mat spaces for 9 students, Paula offered 3 to 4 classes per day, six days a week. With the help of a few fellow yogi’s, two patient pups (Rocky and Apollo), and a husband who whipped up dinner as the evening classes came to a wrap, it was clear that Paula had outgrown her nine mat home studio. It was time to look for a real home for Dancing Mind Yoga.

In May of 2008, Dancing Mind Yoga moved into their new space and officially made the City of Falls Church “home”. In 2010, we doubled our studio space and tacked on an official “office” and in 2011 studio 203 was added along with a storage room for our DMY goodies. Even then, DMY continued to grow at a humbling rate.

In November 2012, Paula was presented with the opportunity to expand DMY once again, and even though she wanted to say no, the universe spoke much louder with a big YES! She signed the lease for an 8,000 square foot space and after 10 months of planning and building, we opened the doors to our new space on September 17, 2013.

Dancing Mind’s space was designed to embody our mission statement to “inspire and empower.” Our studio is also designed for fun and represents Paula’s passion for yoga, athletics and zest in leading the way into the fitness realm. Moreover, we feel that our new home also reaffirms that “what is possible” is as limitless as what the mind can imagine. With the shift in space came a shift in name, and Dancing Mind Yoga became Dancing Mind – offering Yoga, CrossFit, and Cycling.

Dancing Mind is a community destination where people experience an alternative way of living life. Authentic. Real. Without judgment, anger or fear. Our mission is to inspire and empower individuals to create new possibilities and find community. Today, Paula knows that her experience at Level One with Baron and his team was service. It was a passion for service and for empowering people to be so strong that it spoke through everything they did. She felt it. It touched her and it transformed her, the people around her, and the relationships she had. And that is what we aim to share at Dancing Mind.