Rooted In Zen
Just beyond OU’s campus lies a tucked-away wellness sanctuary
By Luciana Avila | Photos by Lilly Cochran & Nora Dahlberg | Design by Ally Parker
Front of Serenity Roots Yoga Studio, Athens, Ohio. Oct. 23, 2025.
Just a 10-minute drive from campus, students can find an escape from the craziness or chaos of college life. Serenity Roots Yoga and Wellness Center sits on four acres of gardens and woods, housing a variety of yoga classes and other activities. It’s a place where students and community members can come to relax, de-stress and wind down. Whether it’s simply sitting by the fireplace or partaking in a yoga class, Serenity Roots has something for everyone.
A little over two years ago, Serenity Roots opened its doors. Founders and fellow Ohio University alumni Carin Painter and her husband decided to move back to Athens to give back to the community. They now run and operate Serenity Roots. After her father’s death, Painter searched for a safe space to heal. She found this through the wellness center.
“Serenity Roots became a sanctuary for my healing,” she says. “A combination of yoga and meditation and being surrounded by four acres of gardens, woods and nature helped me through the grieving process.”
Courses are taught in a large room in the studio that overlooks a tall hill and vast nature. The windows let in natural sunlight and a view of trees and wildlife. On the property, you can find flower beds, a goldfish pond, a bonfire, a natural amphitheater and many quiet areas, which are all part of what helps make up the peaceful atmosphere. Several types of yoga classes are offered at Serenity Roots: radiant body yoga, gentle yoga, trauma-informed yoga, Qigong, Reiki and other types of feeling, touch and breath work. The instructors are there to guide the classes as well as to serve as a support system to listen and encourage. Painter welcomes anyone to come.
“The instructors are so good about teaching,” she says. “Whether it's the first time you're taking yoga or you're more advanced, they teach at all the different levels and so many different styles.”
Meditation and focusing on holistic health can offer various benefits. Not only does it serve as a de-stresser, but it also helps improve overall physical and mental state. It helps to clear the mind and focus on the present. Painter acknowledges the importance of holistic health and how it can have a positive impact on oneself. “It’s about realizing how you can help treat and heal your own body and learning more and more about what you can do for yourself,” Painter says.
The scenic atmosphere of Serenity Roots allows the space to be used for other events and meetings. Businesses and organizations can host their workshops, retreats, relationship-strengthening sessions and other events there. The tranquility and seclusion of it allow for a more intimate and nature-based experience that can be hard to get at a hotel, a conference room or other venues. The wellness center also hosts its own events and workshops that include activities like candle making and tarot card reading.
Serenity Roots also houses two book clubs. One of them focuses on health and self-improvement. It’s a space to share and discuss holistic and wellness ideas. Past topics include Mediterranean diets, learning more about yoga and Reiki and how to improve at meditation.
OhioHealth HomeReach Hospice hosts its grief book club at Serenity Roots. The club meets monthly, discussing a different book each meeting. Every book covers topics of grief and healing, and how they may look and differ in varying situations. The club creates a safe space for community members to engage in conversations about death and personal experiences.
Discussions are led by OhioHealth HomeReach Hospice bereavement counselor Kelsey Funk. She has been with OhioHealth for six years and is very passionate about grief. She met Painter while searching for a place to host the club.
“I happened to meet Carin at the hospital, essentially. And we just connected,” Funk continues. “She was very happy to be able to provide a space for us to have this important topic in our community.”
Funk is in charge of leading the discussions. Her role as the facilitator is to ensure that the meetings are productive and meaningful. Attendees are not required to speak or share their last name or any personal information at the meetings.
Funk encourages everyone to attend, regardless of age or whether or not they’ve experienced a loss.
“So I think that it's incredibly important for young people to start thinking about these things and just get comfortable about it,” Funk says. “We have such a death-denying culture, such a grief-denying culture. We need to talk about it at all ages.”
Serenity Roots Yoga and Wellness Center is a yoga studio, events venue and the home of two book clubs. Whether it’s taking a yoga class, hosting a retreat or simply sitting by the goldfish pond, Serenity Roots has something for OU students and Athens community members alike. b
