Here, on Bridgeton Pike in this small suburb just outside of the city of Philadelphia, a community of health and wellness lovers come together in 105 degree heat to share their love for all things fitness, holistic healing, wellness and, perhaps most important, one another.
Every day, Tribe Hot Yoga offers a diverse array of challenging classes ranging from Hip-Hop Yoga to Pilates to HIIT to Galaxy Yoga and more. The jam-packed schedule starts at 5:30 a.m. Things don’t let up until close to 10 p.m.
Every workout is meant to encourage a new side of the yogi.
On Wednesday evenings, Galaxy Yoga begins around 8 p.m., when the lights inside the studio flicker off and are replaced by a colorful projector shining stars and solar systems onto the ceiling as the yogi becomes entranced with soothing music and slow, calm breathing powered by cohesively smooth moves.
Wednesdays are for the soul, but Monday mornings are for the body. On Monday and other weekday mornings, yogis are encouraged to sign up for more powerful, fitness-focused courses such as HIIT and Hip-Hop Yoga, a heavy blend of powerful movements with core and ab workouts intertwined.
When thinking of yoga, one might assume she or he is in for a calm, relaxed series of stretches and poses. Tribe rejects all of these stereotypes.
“My face is getting red just admitting this, but I used to say things like, ‘I’m too high strung for yoga,’ and, ‘It’s just not enough of a workout for me.’ I’ve had to take lots of breaks in some of these not-so-tough classes,” Maureen Morrison, a high school English and middle school ESL teacher, said.
Morrison travels 26 miles to get to Tribe, but she says her long commute isn’t uncommon.
“I used to be unique in my 26-mile drive to Tribe, but word is spreading and more people are passing by other hot yoga studios to get there,” she said.
Tribe Hot Yoga opened in May 2018. Owner, Melissa Molloy Jackson, had been practicing yoga for years, but did not decide to open the studio until a huge life change triggered a need to find community and solace. Jackson is an inspiring fitness fanatic, business owner, wife, daughter and mother.
“My reason for taking the leap of faith to open Tribe came after I lost my dad suddenly in December 2017,” Jackson said. “I needed a place, a community to heal, and didn’t have one at the time. I had already been a yoga teacher and was in love with the practice. Even before my dad’s passing, I dreamt of a place where people could come to practice yoga and feel included no matter their background or experience. A place where you would absolutely leave feeling better than when you arrived.”
“Once I began practicing yoga in 2012, I fell in love quickly and deeply. The dream of Tribe was there for years, but pursuing it took my dad’s death to give me the push to do it,” she said.
Jackson decided to start Tribe in honor of her father, Francis Molloy, 61, who she says “helped a lot of people in his life, even despite his own struggles.”
“I wanted to do the same after he died. I looked at life differently at that point,” she said. “We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow, so I decided to go for it and open a place to help people - mentally, physically, and emotionally - it was what I needed at the time and what I wanted to gift to the community around me.”
To Jackson, Tribe’s story is “a special one” and “a dream come true.”
Entering Tribe, you would never know just how much went into its existence. Everyone is thrilled to be there and overjoyed to celebrate community through fitness.
But the story goes deeper than just fitness and friendship.
“The type of community and space that I envisioned has come to life,” Jackson said. “It took a lot of work, blood, sweat, and tears, but when I receive feedback from members saying how much Tribe helps them, I have to pinch myself. I know my dad would be proud.”
Lauren Keiper, a data analyst for the small business lending department at TD Bank, has been teaching yoga at Tribe for three years now. Tribe is where she received her certification training after being a yogi and feeling compelled to engage further with the practice.
“Any time you walk through those doors you are greeted with smiles, hugs, compliments, and genuine love, even if they are strangers. Everyone there is truly rooting for each other,” Keiper said.
For her, the atmosphere and sense of community is what keeps her coming back again and again.
“I’ve never been to a place like Tribe. The workouts are challenging and yet healing. The people within the community are all so kind and supportive. There is truly no place like it and no place I will ever want to be,” Keiper said.
At Tribe, there are healing opportunities for all, even those who may never have been previously disposed to fitness. Jenn Mancuso, an administrative assistant at Gloucester Terminals, never had a passion for fitness until Jackson opened Tribe.
“Tribe has helped me so much with my anxiety and to just be a better human all around,” said Mancuso. “I mean, I have my moments of struggle, but I always leave feeling better.”
To Mancuso, Tribe is a “place she can go when she’s happy or sad, somewhere she knows she will be welcomed with open arms” every time she returns.
“Tribe has given me so much more confidence in myself and has helped me find myself. I’ve made some great friendships along the way and I can’t thank Melissa enough for the space she has created,” said Audrey Spence, a senior project manager of e-discovery.
Tribe is currently home to 15 instructors, all certified yoga teachers; each is required to have a Yoga Teacher Training certificate. Tribe hires both experienced and new yoga teachers, and every year, they offer a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training certification program.
“Tribe is like a piece of my heart detached from my body,” Jackson said.
“I am unsure of the future, but I am committed to spreading the Tribe’s love to more people. Just,” she said, “not sure what that looks like yet.”