Standing inside her new yoga studio in downtown Steamboat Springs, owner and instructor Mary Bailes explains that Love, Yoga feels like a dream come true.

“We’re about 95% done with the construction,” Bailes said. “A studio has always been a dream of mine, but I just haven’t been able to find the right place, and then I came in here with Collin (Kelley), and there was just something about this space that was special.”

Located at the corner of Yampa and 12^th streets, the new yoga studio is slated to open May 20. Bailes said the business website is still being constructed, but anyone interested will be able to get more information or sign up for classes soon at LoveYogaSb.com. She said those wanting to register for a class also will be able to use the Walla app.

The building, once used as an incinerator, was the birth place of Moots and Ericksen bicycles and the former location of Orange Peel Bicycles Services before the longtime bike shop moved to a new location at Curve Plaza in January.

Today the space has been repurposed and completely renovated by Rob Taylor with Grove Mountain Construction.

The bike repair shop is gone, replaced by a new counter and entry way, and the hook-filled interior walls that once held bicycles are gone and now filled with mirrors. The staircase that once led to the upper floors is also gone, soon to be replaced by a ship ladder that will allow visitors to escape to the upper-floor meditation sanctuary.

“Love, Yoga is more than just a yoga studio,” Bailes said. “It’s a sanctuary for the mind, body and soul. Nestled in the historic walls of what was once a sawdust incinerator, then it became the birthplace of Moots Cycles and later housed the beloved Orange Peel bike shop for several years, this is now a yoga studio, and what may be the last business to occupy the space.”

For Bailes, the decision to establish Love, Yoga was driven by the profound sense of purpose and recognition of the practice of Bhakti yoga that she feels every time she is on her mat practicing or guiding students through a class.

Bailes moved to Steamboat Springs in 2009 with plans to spend a season playing in the snow, but when she tore her ACL, those plans changed.

“I felt like I … needed to stay one more year,” Bailes said. “One more year turned into — I don’t know I’ve lost count — maybe 13 or 14 ‘one more years.'”

She got her teaching certificate in 2016 and got her first teaching job at the Old Town Hot Springs. She has taught there, at the Foundry Treatment Center and at Rakta Hot Yoga Infrared Studio.

Known for her signature power flows, which combine the athletics of ashtanga with the flow of vinyasa, Bailes plans to lead daily yoga classes. She will be joined by a teaching team that is comprised of local instructors Sabra Severinghaus, Taylor Hebel, Nicole Leduc-Idzahl, Erin Kreis, Hanna Albertson, and others.

“With a diverse team of experienced and new teachers, Love, Yoga aims to cater to individuals of all levels, from beginners seeking to embark on their yoga journey to seasoned practitioners looking to deepen their practice.” Bailes said. “The core group of teachers that have come together and the support and enthusiasm they have brought to this new space makes this all possible.”

Classes range from infrared heated vinyasa to yin, restorative to shakti fire, kundalini and sculpt, all infused with the essence of Bhakti yoga.

“It’s rooted in Bhakti yoga,” Bailes said. “Bhakti yoga doesn’t involve extensive physical yogic practices and can be followed by anyone. Rather than being ‘in love’, Bhakti is ‘to be love’. It’s the unity of being in love with love itself. There are no rigid rules to Bhakti, the power of love and devotion happens spontaneously.”

She said the classes at her studio will all have an essence of love whether that is sculpt yoga, the class with weights and cardio bursts that she calls her tough love class, or the Bhakti vinyasa flow class, her devotional love class that she offers on Sundays. She will also offer an l yin-restorative yoga class that she calls her sweet love class.