The address may be different, the space significantly larger, yet one thing remains the same at Koru Yoga & Pilates: community. A community that has grown so large, so committed and so dynamic that owner Brittney Gouzenne had to find a bigger space.

Space she did find, relocating the business from its long time West F Street location to the now spacious and inviting home at 136 N. Maag Ave., Suite C in Oakdale.

First taking ownership of the longstanding Oakdale yoga studio in the spring of 2025, Gouzenne’s initial challenge was to rebuild the clientele, while continuing a sense of community.

“We were very intentional in how we did everything,” Gouzenne said of when she first became owner of the studio. “It was actually a gift; she just gave it to me. I think that’s the history of Koru.”

‘She’ is former owner Niccol Bauer, who approached Gouzenne with the opportunity.

“I said no. I was so trying to do less,” Gouzenne admitted of her initial response. “I remember my mantra on my vision board was more doesn’t always mean more. More can mean the exact opposite.”

After a discussion with her husband and a bit of daydreaming through a business plan and all the things that would follow, she decided to go for it.

“I knew that I could hold how wonderful and special this is and implement what it needs to get up off the ground, because it was dying,” Gouzenne shared. “I think it happened exactly as it was supposed to be.”

But it would take a lot of work and money as the initial space was transformed to something different, the class offerings were updated and the vibe was something new for Oakdale.

The changes did exactly what she had hoped for. Membership at the time of her takeover was down to seven members. In late January of this year, as she contemplated the move to a larger space, numbers had climbed to well over 200.

“I was trying to ignore that we needed to move,” she confessed.

A look at the schedule and the number of people that would be coming in and out of the space in January, however, helped her realize it was time, recognizing it was going to affect or stunt the growth of the business if they didn’t move.

“I knew what I needed. I longed for a front desk,” the owner shared. “So many ideas that we couldn’t implement because we didn’t have the space.”

One night after feeling discouraged by all they had seen, she had her husband take her through Wendy’s in Oakdale for a hamburger. A self-proclaimed emotional eater, Gouzenne shared she was frustrated.

That hamburger run, though, resulted in her seeing a ‘For Lease’ sign on a location across the street. Two weeks later, they had the keys and renovations began.

“I think the inspiration came from what would make people feel really welcomed and at home,” Gouzenne said of her vision for the new, spacious location. “We wanted the couch, a dining table. I want a place where people can be together. A lot of this came from not having that at the old location.”

While the former space had always fostered community, the location left little by way of room as students would have to rush out following class to make room for the next group. Now, in addition to Gouzenne’s sought-after front desk, there is a lounge area and ample space for clients’ belongings to be stored outside of the practice room.

And if community is the goal, the practice room at 1200 square feet offers ample space for not just a community but a village. Currently they max the space out at 30 students. Gouzenne said there is potential to accommodate more, yet she doesn’t feel it’s necessary at this time.

In addition to building the business, the class offerings and now the space, Gouzenne also added infrared panels to heat the room versus cranking up the thermostat. It was a change she implemented in the former location and has now carried over to the east side.

“The inspiration for infrared panels came from being an esthetician,” she said of her day job, as the owner of BLB Bloom in Escalon. “These panels really affect your health and circulatory system, eczemas, cancer reducing, an infrared system has many benefits.”

Gouzenne further shared that the panels heat the object not the room, which has a different effect on the body than forced heat.

And while she said “the root of Koru will always be yoga,” and lists Vinyasa as her favorite practice, new offerings helped freshen up the business.

“I knew that if I gave people something that felt familiar to them, I could get them in the space and share with them why yoga is so beneficial and why it’s so wonderful,” she noted of her additional offerings when she first took over Koru. “Inferno Hot Pilates was actually created to be paired with yoga.”

Inferno Hot Pilates is precisely what brought the new members into the space. There was nothing like it in Oakdale and as the numbers eventually showed, the community loved it.

“I have been received so well. People have been open and loving and kind,” she said, adding that she makes a practice of not saying ‘me’ or ‘I’ when it comes to the studio. “I am not Koru. This is very much an ‘us’ thing, especially with the history I stepped in to.”

When first contemplating the opportunity, Gouzenne said there was no way to know where it would lead.

“I didn’t see this. I didn’t want it. I didn’t expect it,” she explained. “I just took a huge leap of faith. That makes me look at life in a different way all together. In general, what can really happen for you if you shut up and trust.”

Now, as Gouzenne anticipates the official Grand Opening on Sunday, May 3 with six 30-minute classes beginning at 9 a.m., there will also be a variety of vendors as well as a DJ to add to the party atmosphere. Visit koru_yoga_pilates on Instagram for additional details and info on registering for classes.

“It’s changed everything,” Gouzenne said, wiping away tears as she shares the impact everyone has had on her. “It’s happy tears. The studio and this community have lifted my life in the craziest ways.”

An Escalon resident with a business there as well, Gouzenne is also contemplating a personal move.

“I love Oakdale and I never would have thought I’d want to live here, but it’s drastically changed my life,” she said.

When posed with the question of the past year behind her and the overall effect owning Koru has had on her life, Gouzenne’s response is honest and simple.

“How much this community means to me,” she said with emotion. “How special they are to me, as this is to them. It makes me happy when people are happy.”