We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sydney Schutzman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sydney, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

My own practice began during a difficult chapter of my life, when yoga became more than movement – it was my way back to balance, clarity, and self-trust. Over time, I pursued extensive teacher trainings in classical and modern styles like Dharma, Rocket, and Ashtanga Yoga, not just to refine my skills but to understand the roots of this practice. What I found was that many studios focus heavily on postures (asanas) and fitness, but often leave out the rich philosophical, meditative, and breathwork traditions that make yoga a complete path to self-realization.

I knew there was a need for a space that could hold all of it — a place where advanced asanas and deep rest could coexist, where pranayama and philosophy weren’t “extras” but integral to the experience, and where people of all backgrounds felt welcomed and seen. I wanted to create a studio where the yamas and niyamas aren’t just mentioned in teacher trainings, but lived and felt in daily practice.

What excites me most about Yathā Yoga is that while I may have opened the doors, its evolution is shaped by the people who step inside. As my teacher Sri Dharma Mittra says, “Imagine the best.” For me, that means creating a space like a womb of creation — a place where we can co-create in real time and explore what it truly means to be interdependent. This isn’t just any business; it’s an involution — an inward journey rooted in applied compassion and intentional action that ultimately blossoms into authentic expression.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Sydney Schutzman, the founder and owner of Yathā Yoga, a yoga studio in Historic Ellicott City, Maryland dedicated to holding space for both the traditional depth and modern adaptability of the yoga practice. My journey into yoga began during my active duty military service, when I found the practice as a way to balance physical demands with mental clarity and emotional resilience. Over the years, I immersed myself in multiple teacher trainings — including 200-hour, 500-hour, and 800-hour programs — with a strong influence from Sri Dharma Mittra’s Dharma Yoga and David Kyle’s Rocket Yoga.

Yathā Yoga offers a range of classes for all levels — from Dharma and Rocket Yoga to pranayama, yoga nidra, and even sound baths. Beyond public classes, we also host workshops, wellness events, private instruction, and immersive teacher trainings. Our intention is to create an environment where students don’t just “take” a class, but engage in a practice that builds self-awareness, resilience, and authentic expression — both on and off the mat.

What sets Yathā Yoga apart is our approach to yoga as a complete practice, not just a workout. We integrate physical postures, breathwork, meditation, and yogic philosophy into an accessible, supportive space. Every detail — from our pricing that keeps yoga accessible to our focus on local community connection — is intentional. This is a place where the postures may bring you in, but sincerity, compassion, and interdependence keep you returning.

I’m most proud of building Yathā Yoga as a space that truly belongs to the community. While I opened the doors, the studio’s involution — its inward journey — is shaped by every teacher and student who walks in. My role is to maintain a space like a womb of creation, where people can co-create in real time, practice applied compassion, and grow into their own authentic expression.

For anyone considering visiting (or joining our live stream) know that you’re not just signing up for a class — you’re joining a living, evolving community rooted in inclusivity, adaptability, in keeping with the principles of yoga.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In 2017, while serving on active duty, I completed my undergraduate degree in under two years. The following year, I was accepted into Navy Officer Candidate School — a dream I had worked toward relentlessly. But during training, an injury forced me out of the program. I was returned to enlisted status, placed on medical hold, and ultimately medically separated in 2022.

It was devastating. In a matter of moments, the identity I had built, the career path I had envisioned, and the sense of purpose I had fought for felt as though they had been pulled out from under me. I had to learn to let go of the title, the uniform, and the role — and recognize that the skills, values, and experiences I had gained were still mine to carry forward.

Yoga became my bridge out of that darkness. It gave me not just physical relief, but a systematic way to reclaim peace and purpose. It taught me that leadership can take many forms, and that integrity is most powerful when aligned with service to others — whether within an institution, a community, or a small room full of students seeking stillness.

I came to understand that the ripple effect of your actions — right where you are — can be far more impactful than the masks you wear for the outside world. The practice reshaped my understanding of resilience: life doesn’t necessarily get easier, but you do get better at living it. Yathā Yoga is the result of that pivot — my effort to show, in both small and meaningful ways, that a better world can exist.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was placing my value in finite things — roles, titles, accomplishments, even relationships — believing they could fill that innate human desire to feel whole and connected. The truth is, they can’t.

What I’ve learned instead is that devotion — in its truest form — is what satisfies that need. Devotion can take many shapes: God, Jesus, Shiva, a partner, a vocation. It’s anything you pour your whole heart into with complete surrender. That kind of wholehearted attention has the power to move mountains and, in its own mysterious way, align the heavens in your favor.

I’m still practicing this every day. It’s a moment-to-moment awareness that what I’m seeing is God looking through my eyes — seeing every “beautiful stain” exactly as it is. That perspective expands your capacity for compassion. It softens you. And it reminds you that nothing finite can ever define your worth — only your capacity to be present, devoted, and aware.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yathayoga.com/home
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yathayoga?igsh=MW92eWVuMWNla3duOQ==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yathayoga
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sschutzman
• Twitter: https://x.com/YathaYoga
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thepathasis
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/yatha-yoga-ellicott-city

Image Credits

Jalisa Roslyn