Article contributed by
Cindy Beth Davis-Dykema
The Monarch Yoga and Community Movement Studio has opened its doors at 408 S. State Street in downtown Hart. This glass-encased, community wellness studio is housed in the former 1956 Hart Congregational Church Day School. This space is dedicated entirely to yoga and dance, exploring living and traditional arts, intergenerational wellness and the creation of community through movement. They’ve begun operations with a full schedule of 20 classes per week for all ages and stages of living, from preschool mini movers classes and elementary dance to chair yoga.
Local Hart native Cindy Beth Davis-Dykema won the entrepreneurial campaign, “Pitch for Parcel,” held by the Hart TIFA this spring. As part of winning that award, Davis-Dykema took on a lease for the building in mid-September with the intention of creating the studio for public use. In the past nine weeks, with the help of many community members, the former “Robinson building” has been renovated into a community space that honors the mid-century modern architecture.
This creative thinker’s competition also earned Davis-Dykema the chance to purchase all three historic buildings at the Hart Congregational Church, a process that is underway by The Monarch in Hart, LLC, with plans to renovate and restore the 140-year-old historic campus for multiple purposes in the future. Current expansion plans, once renovations and accessibility have been funded and completed, include using all three venues to host many types of community events and organizations, theater, music and dance programs, family reunions, weddings, movement programs and retreats at the 1885 historic Pentwater brick church. Partnering lodging will eventually be available through the original 1887 parsonage onsite, and access to farm foods will support local growers as part of a farm stand model that starts as part of Stage 2 at the yoga studio in the spring of 2026. Phase 1 included a complete reflooring, which was partially funded by the Happy Farmers Art of Living support funds.
Current weekly class offerings at the studio include 20 classes offered by over a dozen of the area’s movement guides. Featuring gentle movement for all ages, along with strength-building classes, Zumba and Zumba Gold, restorative yoga that focuses on cultivating relaxation, yin yoga which targets the connective tissue and joint health as well as cultivating presence and the very popular Chair Yoga for All Ages, which supports bodies that may need additional accommodation or struggle with limitations or are recovering from injury or surgery. Preschool Mini Movers and elementary dance are being offered through the Creative Kids Movement Network on Friday afternoons, and sliding scale dance programs begin in January.
Additionally, for those new to yoga or movement, Davis-Dykema offers a Beginning Yoga class on Wednesday evenings at 5:30 that focuses on the mind, body and spirit connection, with evidence-based insights for whole-self wellness. A more individualized therapeutic mode of Beginning Yoga is offered on Thursdays at the same time by yoga therapist Rob Eschbach. This class works from the Medical Yoga Manuals and is a unique offering from many traditional modern yoga classes and local yoga studios.
Classes range in price from donation for Qigong to $8 for Zumba Gold, $10 for Chair Yoga and Zumba and $13 to drop-in for yoga, with class passes available at a discounted rate of $11 when bought in groups of five or 10. The Monarch in Hart is an inclusive and welcoming space to all that aims to create community bonds, born from the opportunity to engage with neighbors and friends regularly as we work towards community care and community wellness. Their mission is to celebrate the uniqueness of Oceana County and their historic site, which is an iconic community building with connections to many local citizens, all as they work to strengthen community ties through connection to the arts and accessibility to movement and wellness.
As such, classes are made deeply accessible to meet everybody who enters the room while making students feel warm and welcomed and perfect exactly as they are, and teachers are willing to work one-on-one with all students to ensure their involvement despite times of injury or financial difficulty. Anyone interested in learning more about the reciprocity, donation classes or pay-what-you-can options can reach Davis-Dykema directly at themonacrhinhart@gmail.com Registration is currently onsite, with advance registration systems being built for online and advance registration, which should be available in the weeks ahead.
“We are humbled by the opportunity to build The Monarch in Hart in our hometown, where I graduated just 25 years ago. There are so many wonderful people in Oceana County, and we love to be in community with our neighbors. It has been an honor to begin work on transforming these community landmarks into venues aimed at even more social engagement and health and wellness in the future for every generation in Oceana County. From preschool movement classes to chair yoga and everything in between, we truly offer something for everyone at the studio. We hope that everyone in Oceana County will find a way to make The Monarch a part of their lives, and we hope to be here for a very long time into Hart’s future,” said Davis-Dykema.
The Monarch in Hart Yoga and Community Movement Studio is hosting a Jazzy Open House at the studio on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., free and open to the public, with no need to register. There will be live jazz music from vocalist Shelby Mason and snacks as well as raffle prizes donated from Craze in Pentwater. There is no need to register in advance for yoga or for the open house, and more information is available about booking private yoga, about public events, the class schedule and pricing at theMonarchinhart.com or by reaching out on social media at The Monarch in Hart on Facebook or Instagram.
