A practice for everyone: Yoga as an act of mindfulness and mercy

Published 4:52 am Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Yoga may have the reputation of being a complicated, skilled practice, but The Mantra Yoga Center is working to redefine the understanding of yoga in Southwest Louisiana.

Mantra Yoga has quickly become a familiar presence across the city. Whether at the Alzheimer’s Walk, the Wellness Expo, or other community events, representatives from the studio are easy to spot. And when they are spotted, they will be sharing their mission of making yoga accessible to all.

The studio offers monthly free classes on a donation basis, alongside special events designed to welcome newcomers and seasoned practitioners alike. As instructor and yoga-lover Anna Marcentel explains, “Yoga is for everybody.”

Mantra’s mission is simple, but profound. They aim to make yoga an uplifting and meaningful part of everyday life. 

The studio provides a warm, open space where participants can connect, breathe, and form community. With 10 different instructors, each class offers something unique. One might even bring out the yoga drum to deepen the experience, Marcentel noted. Classes are tailored to all levels, from beginners to seasoned practitioners.

“The mission of Mantra is to make yoga an accessible, uplifting and meaningful part of your everyday life. Space connects, grows, allows you to breathe and just form community with people,” she said.

Yoga is a reset for the mind and spirit that calms the nervous system and puts one into a “rest and digest” mode, she explained. Breathing and mindfulness practices help improve focus, cognition, and clarity, while also supporting emotional well-being. Research continues to explore yoga’s role in longevity and healthy aging.

Even better, yoga is a suitable workout for those who may have physical limitations.

“You can sit in a chair and do yoga. … It’s not standing on your head.” Yoga has been shown to ease anxiety and depression, improve pain tolerance, and even protect brain health —potentially reducing the risk of dementia.

That isn’t to say yoga doesn’t provide physical health boons. Yoga builds functional strength, lowers heart rate and blood pressure, and improves cardiovascular health, sleep quality, mobility, and joint health.

Prenatal yoga, offered Fridays at 10 a.m., is one of the safest forms of exercise during pregnancy, she added. Studies show it can lower birth complications and reduce pain. Yoga’s adaptability makes it suitable for every stage of life, whether restorative, athletic, or healing.

The practice fosters spiritual connection as much as physical health. In a world dominated by social media, yoga offers a chance to slow down and reconnect.

While the space of a yoga space is serene, yoga can be integrated into everyday, 0ffering a moment of solace amongst all the hustle and bustle.

Chair yoga during a lunch break, mindful breathing before a meeting, or simply pausing for self-awareness are all ways to integrate the practice into daily routines. Marcentel’s favorite yoga quote captures this spirit:

“Everybody gets this idea that an advanced practice is standing on your head … but an advanced practice is sitting still for 10 minutes and being OK with that,” she adds.

Mantra opened two years ago, but Marcentel’s journey with yoga spans 15 years. She became a certified instructor in 2021, balancing her teaching with her career as a nurse practitioner.

What began as a hobby became a calling.

“I can be a high-functioning type A person, and so I think what drew me to yoga is that it allowed me to give myself a little grace,” she reflects.

Yoga has taught her to embrace vulnerability.

“It’s OK not to be OK. It’s OK to be overwhelmed or to feel what you are feeling.” Through yoga, she has learned to identify emotions, sit with them, and connect body and spirit. “Your emotions are within you and you learn how to work them up. You sit with them and really learn both your body and your spirit because you become all connected.”

But Mantra is more than a yoga studio. Deep friendships form within its walls, she said. 

“If someone takes a vacation, you know it. … You just have a whole new set of friends or a whole new community that comes together beautifully,” she said.

The center it’s a sanctuary for growth, healing, and connection. With classes for all levels, a welcoming community, and a mission rooted in accessibility, it continues to shape lives in ways that extend far beyond the mat.

“We start where we are, not where we want to be.” She emphasizes that yoga is free of judgment: “There is no judgement in yoga.”