Valerie Blohm owns Alchemy Yoga & Reiki, a holistic healing space dedicated to intertwining the practice of yoga with the healing arts. Given a diagnosis of thyroid cancer in 2007, Valerie started listening to her body and trusting her intuition and she sought treatment, ultimately overcoming her stage 1 diagnosis.

“The experience opened me up to all the things I wasn’t dealing with,” Valerie says. “I saw the significance of how our physical bodies as well as our emotional and mental health all work together.”

She was constantly called back to the practice of yoga, meditation and holistic spiritual practices. “I opened up to all the things I was stuffing away and not dealing with, like peeling away the layers of an onion, and crying,” she says. 

After receiving her certification in yoga training in South Florida, she taught independently for five years. She decided to open her boutique studio Alchemy Yoga & Reiki after moving to Asheville with her husband.

Alchemy Yoga & Reiki is unique in its holistic somatic approach, emphasizing the connection between body and mind. Located close to Biltmore Park on Hendersonville Road, Valerie says their one-year anniversary party is March 8 and they will offer free, retail discounts, membership specials and other wellness businesses sharing their services. “After the storm, we didn’t know if we would make it, but we have grown a lot since then,” she says. “We’ve had a big influx of students coming through.”

Many of her students have been with them since day one. New students are welcomed wherever they are on their wellness journey, Valerie says. “You won’t be a mat in the back of the room. We are a small studio and we know your name. We care. We want to know what’s going on in your body and with you.”

Various healing practices, including Reiki (energy healing), sound healing, meditation and Ayurveda, are offered in their classes to create a comprehensive experience that nurtures both physical and emotional well-being.

“By integrating these modalities, we offer our students a multidimensional journey that enhances relaxation, promotes self-awareness and fosters personal growth,” Valerie says. 

“Our classes are designed to resonate with each individual’s unique needs, allowing participants to explore and release tension, find inner peace and cultivate a deeper understanding of themselves,” Valerie says. “Everyone wants a place where they belong and feel like they matter.”

To find out more, go to alchemyyogareiki.com or visit at 900 Hendersonville Road, Suite 101-A, Asheville, NC 28803.