SOUTHAMPTON — A brightly lit interior, colorful murals painted by community members and a collection of various yoga gear are part of what makes the welcoming environment of the Traveling Yoga Company studio, right in the heart of Southampton.
Since Kathy McCarthy opened her studio at 2 East St. in August 2025, she says it has grown into more of a community center than just a place to host yoga classes.
“Yoga is a big part of it, but it’s a community center, basically,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy, a Southampton native, integrates various yoga practices in her classes, with the ultimate goal of being accessible and open to everyone. Whether someone wants to exercise, relax and connect with themselves or have some fun, McCarthy wants her customers to find what they are looking for.
While she hosts most classes at her studio directly across from Town Hall, a big part of the Traveling Yoga Company, as the name suggests, is taking classes on the road throughout the Pioneer Valley.
“I’m the Traveling Yoga Company, so I have classes here and then I do classes at other places,” McCarthy said, such as Northampton, Easthampton, Chicopee and elsewhere.
While yoga is the main component, there are few limits to the classes that McCarthy hosts. For example, in the spirit of Halloween, McCarthy recently held a “witchy gathering” with tarot card readings that integrated yoga practices. She also recently held a class for youth hockey goalies to recover from competition.
“Yoga is so awesome because there’s so many different types of classes and you can use your own creativity to make something,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy’s main yoga classes include slow flow, beginner, chair yoga, yin, restorative, sound baths, meditation and more. Participants can bring their own equipment, but McCarthy provides equipment to reduce additional costs. Slow flow yoga is one of the more common classes, McCarthy said, where she instructs participants to pause in different poses to connect with their breath.
Another component McCarthy often integrates into classes is Reiki, a Japanese practice that involves the instructor gently placing their hands on participants during a yoga class to harness energy to different parts of the body.
“Reiki helps to relieve pain better than a placebo,” McCarthy said. “Even if you’re not in pain, it’s just so relaxing. My hands get really warm and I’m just a conduit for the energy.”
McCarthy said one of her most popular classes takes place during the summer at the Northampton River Valley Co-op on the deck outside. McCarthy leads participants through a yoga class with Reiki while her husband, Tommy McCarthy, plays music. McCarthy said the classes generally draw older women but everyone is welcome, and she also loves working with children, hosting a yoga and art class specifically for kids.
McCarthy also likes to keep class time flexible. She sends out an update with class times each week, with a typical week having classes at 2:30, 4:30 and 6 p.m. on Monday through Wednesday. On Thursday, Friday and weekends, class times vary depending on different events.
McCarthy, now retired from nursing, has more than 40 years of experience as a nurse working in schools, various hospitals and as a visiting nurse. She fell in love with yoga after taking classes with a friend and found the motivation to open her own studio in retirement. McCarthy has accumulated more than 400 hours of yoga training and is taking another 300-hour teaching program.
A pose that specifically resonates with McCarthy is “Shavasana,” a Sanskrit term that translates to “corpse pose,” where someone lays with their back flat on the ground.
“With Shavasana, I thought ‘Wow, this is amazing,'” McCarthy said. “Being a nurse, a lot of my job can be stressful, so I think I needed stress relief.”
McCarthy said her nursing background heavily influences how she runs her classes, making it a point to take care of all participants.
“I want to take care of people and the restorative with Reiki is a very nurturing class,” McCarthy said. “People say, ‘I really felt like you took care of me.'”
While McCarthy now lives in Russell, she was born and raised in Southampton. She said being able to open her studio in her hometown has been a dream come true.
“I live in Russell but the reason I got this studio in Southampton is because I grew up here. I love Southampton,” she said.
Class prices start at $20, with individual sessions and other events varying. To learn more, visit thetravelingyogacompany.com or email McCarthy at thetravelingyogacompany@gmail.com.
