Oak Ridge Provides Pathways Towards Inner Peace
Kinetic Wellness programs encourage wellness through mindfulness and movement.
For Kendra Reynolds, making the decision to open a community wellness studio was part vocational calling and part leap of faith.
“I prayed about creating a place where people could come together, embrace and empower one another and work out in a judgment-free zone,†she says.
The result is Kinetic Wellness, a holistic fitness studio in Oak Ridge that offers a variety of group exercise programs, family and marital counseling, nutritional and pharmaceutical consultations, and balanced birth classes.
“I try to provide what people need, and so far, it’s been wonderful. Although we have only been open since June 2019, we are off to a great start,†she says.
Challenging the Mind & Body
With more than 16 years experience as a clinical pharmacist, Reynolds’ foray into the world of alternative wellness began with an introduction to essential oils. Reynolds found their healing properties to be more effective than traditional medicine when it came to combatting her chronic shoulder pain and eventually, she accepted an invitation to join a yoga class.
“That was a tough sell. Although I was no stranger to exercising, I was used to workouts that were more cardio-based and intense,†she says. “Eventually, I fell in love with it.”
In 2016, Reynolds completed a 225-hour certification program to become a yoga instructor and was teaching at a local gym when she decided to open her own studio. Many of her clients followed her, and today, Kinetic Wellness offers a wide range of yoga programs, including restorative practices geared toward deep relaxation, sculpting yoga to challenge the mind and body, as well as Holy Yin and Holy Yoga designed to strengthen one’s relationship with God.
“Although Kinetic Wellness was founded on Christian principles, we are nondenominational. What you believe is what you believe. We just encourage you to come and let God’s love be part of you so that you can experience it for yourself,†she says. “I’m just a seed planter.”
Reaping What is Sown
Reynolds may call herself a seed planter, but she is also effective at cultivating what is sown in her studio. When clients asked for a barre and Pilates class, she prayed about it and then added it to the schedule. When clients requested massage therapy and nutritional counseling, she hired professionals who could offer those services to members as well as drop-ins.
In addition to having a licensed doula and dietician on staff to help with specific needs, Kinetic Wellness is also home to Gray Bryant, a clinical therapist who practices mindfulness-based stress reduction and is working toward her Reiki Master certification so that she can expand her practice to include this service to her clients.
“We believe in giving our clients plenty of personal attention and responding to their needs,†Reynolds says.
Members are encouraged to choose, explore and embrace their road to wellness with a plan that suits their needs. They can attend an unlimited number of classes each month for $59.95, take a single class for $10 or try out an unlimited number of classes for $30 over 30 days.
Reynolds says Kinetic Wellness exists to fulfill a commitment to encourage wellness at every level and cultivate an environment of healing, awareness, flexibility, strength, balance and meditation. She said she doesn’t know why God chose her to take this journey into wellness, but she feels that it is her vocation to share what she has discovered with others in the Oak Ridge community.
“I feel so blessed to live and work here in Oak Ridge. It’s a great place to raise a family and the chamber has been so great in reaching out to me, helping my business grow and supporting me in a number of ways,†Reynolds says. “They are very community focused, and they are happy to have us. There is a lot of goodness to be found here locally, and we are proud to be part of it.”
If you’d like to learn more about the Oak Ridge area, check out the latest edition of Livability: Oak Ridge, TN.
