Raising the bar for Mindfulness

A golden circular sign hangs from a brick building, lining the cobblestone streets in Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom district. The sign reads “Mindfulness Bar”. The double entendre name interests those that walk by. It certainly doesn’t look like any dive bar from the outside, enticing one’s curiosity to find out more.

If one was to open the old double doors and descended downstairs into the space, they would find themselves in a silent sanctuary from the city center above. With whitewashed walls, and splashes of colorful paintings, pillows, and meditation mats, it would quickly be evident that this is not the place to buy a drink. However, patrons at the Mindfulness Bar are quenching their thirst in a more spiritual manner.

“No, we don’t serve alcohol. But, the knowledge and experiences we’re serving up, you’re not going to get anywhere else. Just because it’s cool to be in the world, doesn’t mean you have to be a product of the world. That’s why we took the most popular place people go to escape suffering and have fun, and turned it into a space to have fun finding your truth and yourself instead,” said business owner Yedda Stancil. Stancil has more than 20 years of knowledge and experience in behavior change, health, fitness, and business. She has created the Mindfulness Bar in hopes to share this experience with others.

“I have realized behaviors do directly impact the bottom-line for us all, as individuals and as companies. The greatest and most lasting way to change and improve behaviors is by incorporating mindfulness, which allows you to literally rewire your brain,” says Stancil.

It is this incorporation of mindfulness that sets this business apart from the run-of-the-mill yoga studio. Customers will be able to embark on a journey to find out what mindfully living truly means. Some of the services offered are one-on-one mindfulness coaching, guided meditations, and yoga classes. The “menu” for the Mindfulness Bar is play on words in conjunction with the name of the business. With services offered such as “mindfulness on the rocks”, a silent group walk along the James River trail system.

It is this combination of the bustling riverside city district, and the serenity of the Mindfulness Bar that Stancil wants to embrace. From the experienced yogi to the business person on their lunch break, the Mindfulness Bar’s doors are open to everyone.

“We are creating a fun and interesting place to allow for curiosity and wonder on how mindfulness works. You cannot experience what you do not know, so we provide the knowledge and the experience of mindfulness for anyone who walks through our doors,” Stancil added.

With the Mindfulness Bar just opening its doors to customers, this is only the beginning. Stancil believes that this will soon become a staple of mindful exploration and meditation practice in the Richmond area. Over the years, Stancil wants the silence consciousness found in the Mindfulness Bar to be spread through the community of Richmond.

Stancil says, “Silence is unconditioned consciousness, and this is where all love and creation comes from. It is this love and creative power that can heal the world.” The Mindfulness Bar will be looking to heal the world, one “drink” at a time.