Catching Fire
Led by Jenny Abraham and her team of hot yoga, fitness, and wellness instructors, Studio LIT brings the heat to Newtown.
Jenny Abraham’s interest in hot yoga began in her early 20s while she was living in Philadelphia. Later, after she became the mother of twin daughters, she started doing yoga, weight training, and other fitness modalities outside, so she could take advantage of the sun and the heat.
Those experiences provided the foundation for Studio LIT, the Newtown-based hot yoga and fitness enterprise Abraham opened a little more than a year ago to help members hone their bodies and their minds. The studio has earned an almost cult-like following from a growing community of “sweat lovers,” as Abraham calls them. She humbly credits her “phenomenal team of powerful, caring, and motivating instructors” for Studio LIT’s rapid rise.
Whereas traditional studios that offer hot yoga or other hot classes use forced air or an electric heating system, Studio LIT utilizes infrared heat. Infrared heat mimics the warmth of the sun, using radiant energy to warm the surfaces of objects in a room—practitioners’ bodies and the floor, for example—rather than the air. The environment adds a layer of challenge, while also providing numerous benefits compared with working out in an ambient-temperature room.
Abraham says Studio LIT’s distinctive environment provides seven times the amount of detoxification, as well as an increased and extended calorie burn. The intended results: accelerated weight loss, faster recovery, pain relief in muscles and joints, mood-boosting effects, improved sleep, better cardiovascular health, and even anti-aging skin rejuvenation by activating the regenerative processes in the human body.
“A lot of my clients are new to hot yoga or are just coming back to group fitness,” Abraham explains. “They are just blown away by the results they are getting from our variety of infrared hot classes. They also appreciate that we have an extremely friendly atmosphere with dim lighting, motivating music, and ever-changing imagery to keep them engaged.”
Studio LIT offers more than a dozen different health and fitness classes, incorporating a range of disciplines—from kundalini yoga, to weight training, to rebounding, to meditation. All classes “bring the heat” to raise the intensity and deliver results for members.
“I’m passionate about the physical and mental health benefits of yoga, but I also wanted people to lift weights to gain muscle, which is vital to health and longevity, all while mastering the benefits of one’s breath and meditation,” she says. “We have yoga, strength training, Pilates, cardio, reiki, and more to help people connect to their body and their mind. We also stress the importance of consistency in any fitness routine. If your body is physically fit, your mind will follow.”
Studio LIT has one client who enjoys mountain climbing at high altitudes, so he tracks his cardiovascular health extremely closely. He has become “addicted” to the classes, as Abraham puts it, and is “thrilled by the results” he has achieved in preparing his body for the rigors of climbing.
Given the glowing feedback she has received from members of Studio LIT, Abraham has decided to expand her business. She and strength-training coach Blair Carson have partnered to open a new venture, the Heat Fitness Club, located about a mile from Studio LIT. The new infrared gym will have dumbbells and kettlebells, rowing machines, treadmills, and stationary bikes, as well as infrared saunas, red-light therapy, cold plunges, and more.
Also, later this year Studio LIT will bolster its offerings by adding more wellness options to the lineup and investing in enhanced training for yoga instructors. Furthermore, Abraham is happy to say that she will soon announce a second yoga-and-fitness retreat destination.
Abraham knew she had a tiger by the tail when she opened Studio LIT, but even she didn’t expect it to catch on so quickly. She treasures the role she gets to play in helping others improve their physical and mental health, but the dividends go even further. Every day her young daughters see firsthand that, through tenacity, creativity, and plenty of sweat, anything is possible.
“I am extremely proud to be helping people in my community with their health and wellness,” she adds. “We are greatly improving people’s lives, and they become obsessed, which is all the proof I need. I also love that my daughters get to watch me run a successful business in the health and wellness field.”
Studio LIT
22 Richboro Road
Newtown, PA 18940
studiolitfit.com
(215) 431-2945
Studio LIT
22 Richboro Road
Newtown, PA 18940
studiolitfit.com
(215) 431-2945
Photo by Alison Dunlap
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, February 2023.
