Asana Expands: Eat, Breathe, Do Yoga

Deb Williams, who lives in Montclair, and her partner Charles Secallus own and operate the Juice Bar Yoga Lounge. The Juice Bar has grown so popular it's now turned into a Juice Bar Cafe and Boutique. As a result, the owners have moved the yoga program just three doors down to accommodate the expansion. 

Operating as a juice bar yoga lounge since 2008, Asana House’s motto was and continues to be “Eat, Breathe, Do Yoga”, only they will be teaching and practicing yoga in a new studio space. The business of a juice bar yoga lounge was about serving fresh juices, wheatgrass shots and all natural smoothies during the day and clearing the space for an early morning yoga program as well as holding evening yoga classes several days a week. Moving the yoga was a natural progression and with the additional equipment at the juice bar, Asana House is prepared to accommodate a growing lunch clientele calling itself Asana House Juice Bar Café & Boutique.

With the expansion, the juice bar menu includes more vegetarian options. There is a boutique with the health food supplements as well as new and unique rings, inspirational necklaces, T-shirts, clothing, hand crafted baby gifts, yoga mats, rugs and bags as well as creative gift ideas. Gift cards are a new addition to the juice bar sales, which are great for gifts or a convenient way to purchase for the frequent juicer.  More information on Asana House can be found at www.asanahouse.com.

Montclair Patch thought this was a good idea to do a Patch Q&A with the owners. If you know any other businesses who would like to be featured, please email Shelley@patch.com.

1) What makes Asana special?

Always fresh juice and tasty combinations, creative informed people who work there, good music, interesting decor to give the environment a nice feel and now you can freeely browse around the shop while you wait for your juice or food.

2) Why did you decide to expand?

Moving the yoga out gave the juice bar and the yoga program some room to grow. The juice bar exansion was inevitable as we were just bursting behind the bar. We have this new "Bay Marie" which just makes eveything we do so easy and more refrigeration for more fresh veggies. We worked hard at switching gears from yoga to juice bar and back again every day for 3 1/2 years and when the opportunity presented itself to give the yoga program a home very close to the Juice Bar (three doors down) we went for it.

3) What do you like about working in Montclair?

First and foremost it is our home and our businesses are close to our home. It makes it very easy for us to be available to our clientele at the juice bar and now to our new yoga studio. The business is an extension of what we do and what we are passionate about.  Montclair is great because there are people who are knowledgeable about juicing and being vegetarian and then there are those that come in to try something new.  Some have never had a vegetable juice or smoothie without additives or ice and we educate and have people try things. They are open when they come in and we find that the people of Montclair enjoy the freshness of the place and the surroundings. 

4) What are some of your favorite places in Montclair (besides Asana of course)? 

We like Sushi and go to Dai Kichi all the time. Also we enjoy having Sofra in the neighborhood. They have a great bean salad we enjoy. We mostly do takeout. I forgot to mention the all time favorite, Enzo's. Love their soups and pizza too.

5) What may people not know about Asana?

We have a great cleanse program and you won't go hungry either! And that you can get a salad, wrap and now something off our new panni press to go with your juice or smoothie.