We are so excited to introduce you to our latest Meet a Mom, Lisa Troknya! Lisa and her husband Mike are the owners of Yoga Synergy and Physical Synergy, a long standing business here in Fairfield. They recently opened a location at the Sportsplex for hot yoga and reopened their original yoga room for non hot classes. Yoga Synergy also offers Rooftop Yoga for those who want to practice outside on Tuesday nights! Yoga synergy embraces the art and tradition of yoga and combines it with the philosophies of Physical Synergy. Yoga Synergy was created in conjunction with Physical Synergy as a place of whole-body health and wellness, where students can maintain a healthy lifestyle, rehabilitate an injury or help keep athlete’s injury free.
Our classes focus on building strength with core-based alignment, body and breath awareness, and mindfulness. All taught by dynamic, knowledgeable teachers who give informative and constructive instruction. The power couple Mike and Lisa run two locations in Fairfield while holding down a family. Read more below about Lisa!
Where are you originally from and how long have you been in the area?
I am originally from Windsor CT and over the years after high school, I sort of naturally migrated south and ended up in Fairfield in the early 2000’s.
Children / Age(s)
We have two boys, ages 9 and 11.
One thing people would be surprised to know about you?
Everyone gets surprised when I tell them that I am also a part-time elementary art teacher in Westport. I guess it’s because I just don’t seem to talk about it much because I’m so wrapped up in our businesses.
One thing you wish someone would have told you about motherhood?
That’s a tough one. The biggest thing that I’ve learned is to just enjoy them every step of the way, because it really is so fleeting. And EVERYONE did tell me that, but when you’re in it, it’s hard to really hear that advice. Now I know, it just took me a while to realize it. My yoga practice really helped me with that one.
Favorite local things to do in Fairfield?
Fairfield has so much to offer in terms of things to do. I think my favorite thing is probably experiencing all the fun dining and restaurants that are around. Especially sitting outside in the summer.
What’s your favorite thing about raising a family in Fairfield?
This piggy-backs off my previous answer. There is SO much to do! I did not grow up around here, so I can really appreciate it (and I remind my kids of that often) It’s hard to get them to truly appreciate what they have. Beaches, restaurants, ICE CREAM SHOPS, parks, Lake Mohegan, our country club The Patterson Club and of course the school system.
Do you have a favorite family friendly restaurant? Date night?
Yes! We actually really loved Plan B, which is now closed to our disappointment. Our new spot has been Local Kitchen in the Sporstplex, and for date night, Mike and I love going to Artisan, especially when you can sit outside.
What is your go-to activity for your family? For yourself?
We all love climbing at the Adventure Park at the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport. We are also a family of snowboarders, so like to do that as much as we can in the winter. This was brought on by me, as I was big into snowboarding when I was younger, so I sort of forced it on everyone, but they took the bait! For me personally, it’s yoga and fitness. My first priority when I have time to myself is for running and yoga.
Best mom hack that makes your life easier?
Off the top of my head, I think it might be parmesan cheese. Anything healthy my kids don’t want to eat, I just put parmesan cheese on it; broccoli, green beans, salmon, roasted chicken. It’s the best!
Name one thing you regret when learning the ropes of parenthood and what you learned from it?
I regret not just chilling out more. Like my answer on the previous question, early on parenting when kids are under 5, it’s so easy to get overwhelmed and stressed out wanting to be perfect and having everything just right. My yoga practice; ie, meditation practice (meditation is a limb of Yoga) has really brought me to a place where I can chill out and not care if the house is messy, or there’s piles of laundry, that will all get done. As long as everyone is happy that’s really all that matters.
Tell us about your business, when & why you started, and the reason behind it?
It’s really all my husband’s doing. He opened Yoga Synergy inside his already established chiropractic office, Physical Synergy, 11 years ago. I had never even done much yoga before meeting him! He also loves to remind me of that. His philosophy was to have a full wellness facility, which it is, and a place for his patients to rehabilitate and prevent injury. Yoga Synergy soon took on a life of its own and became a thriving business. That is when I came in, became certified, and have been practicing yoga on an almost daily basis now for the past 11 years. It became a lifestyle and a passion of mine, and I truly love teaching it and sharing it with others. We expanded in 2019 to our current location at the Sportsplex. The studio there is very large which helped with spacing during this time and all classes at the Sportsplex are Hot and Humid. The humidifying unit we have over there emits therapeutic, moist heat, which is SO good for opening up and soothing muscles. It truly is therapy in itself. We managed to stay afloat during Covid, but our little studio we call “the Circle” was closed in March of 2020 and is reopening this month, on the 10th.
How did you both decide that this was the right career move for you while having a family to raise?
My school teaching job provides us with the health insurance we need for our family, so that career move is really the most important for the family; however, the yoga studio is my true passion, and right now I am fortunate enough to be able to do both.
Can women do yoga when pregnant and how does it help with pregnancy?
Yes! One of the most important things with pregnancy I believe, is to stay active and moving. Among other things, it will improve strength and flexibility of the muscles needed for the child birthing process. Not to mention easing stress and anxiety. Hot yoga is of course another story. I know several women who practiced hot vinyasa for the duration of their pregnancies, and delivered beautiful healthy children. You just have to have already had a regular hot yoga practice before pregnancy and of course the advice of your doctor.
How can someone join yoga synergy?
Now you can just walk right in about 15 minutes before the start of any class. Or, sign up online beforehand on our website yogasynergyfairfield.com if you prefer that.
What do we have to look forward to in the future for your business?
On July 10th, we re-opened our original location at 340 Post Road in the office of Physical Synergy. We call this location the “CIRCLE” location. This studio will be offering all non hot yoga classes, along with some warm Yin and Restorative classes. And some super exciting stuff coming this fall including a Yoga Synergy 200Hr Teacher Training program and some really good workshops!