In a modern world that can feel dominated by division, master yogi Laurie Donelson strives to cultivate unity one movement at a time. The mission of Half Moon Yoga, her studio in Waxahachie, Texas, is to “encourage peace and serenity in our world, family, and life by first finding it within ourselves.”

This spirit of unity is at the heart of the yogic tradition — a practice that aims to integrate mind, body and spirit through physical poses and breathwork. This integration is something that Donelson has become deeply acquainted with throughout her 20 years of practicing yoga. 

A self-described gym-rat, she always loved her post workout stretches, but when she was involved in a serious car accident, with her then small children, “I started looking harder at yoga,” she said. 

With three bulging discs and considerable back pain resulting from her accident, she had been sentenced to a back surgery she desperately wanted to avoid. “I felt like, given enough time, I could heal my back without surgery,” Donelson said. 

Her quest not only resulted in the healing of her body without surgery, but it also altered the course of her life.

A class in action on the outdoor section of the Half Moon Yoga studio. Photo by Hannah Potter | @hannahpaigepictures

Each journey begins with a single step

In searching for the perfect fit for her budding yoga practice, Donelson hit the local YMCA, but quickly discovered that she needed a more hands on approach. 

In taking the first steps on her path, she found someone offering private lessons, just as the ancient yogis who passed down the practice individually from teacher to student. This was just what she needed to build her strength and love for the practice. 

Of those first sessions, Donelson recalls, “I had no core strength, at all. I was young and supposedly strong, but yoga will show you where your weaknesses are hidden.”

In continuing her journey, she eventually found a studio she aligned with that taught Vinyasa yoga. As her dedication and practice deepened, the studio owner eventually encouraged her to take a 200-hour teacher training session with Live Love Teach, a national yoga teacher training school, which opened the doorway to her teaching career.

Spurred on by her ever-growing passion, Donelson continued with more and more training as she taught her community in local studios. As of today, she has over 800 hours of training and over 1,200 hours of teaching. “You never finish your ‘yogi’ journey,” she explained. “Training is ongoing.”  

As her yogi journey evolved, it braided itself more into her life journey. By the time Donelson had been teaching for 8 years, she felt she was ready for a change. “I was ready to branch out on my own and try running my own boutique studio,” she said.

Donelson leading a class through a ground series. Photo by Hannah Potter | @hannahpaigepictures

Close to home

In crafting her vision for the studio, Donelson said, “I loved the idea of having it in our backyard, where we spend most of our time.” This would also facilitate a smaller setting — something she longed for in the days of teaching 30-60 students in a class. 

By comparison, at Half Moon Yoga the maximum class size is 10-12 people. This is one of her favorite parts of running her own studio, saying, “I love how I can assist people with their practice on a more personal level to help them cultivate their potential.”

The studio has been a labor of love from the outset, not only by Donelson, but by her husband Rob as well, whose skilled hands have been instrumental in building Half Moon Yoga from the ground up.

Personal touches and attention to each small detail shine in the studio; a result of vision and hard work from the pair, who did most of the remodeling work themselves. 

These touches include handcrafted and wood-burnished yoga blocks, wood floors planked by careful and calloused hands, and natural wood view windows that were obtained from an online sale — resulting in a mad dash north to Chicago for pickup.  

The result of these efforts has been Donelson’s vision being brought to life with the opening of Half Moon Yoga in 2019. 

Carefully crafted designs bring the studio to life. Photo by Hannah Potter | @hannahpaigepictures

From the beginning, she has felt the support of the community she has been a part of for the last 30 years, saying, “I have lots of friends who were gracious enough to join my studio and help spread the word.”

However, Donelson’s dream studio had only been open for a few months when the world was rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic.

While things looked bleak, she called upon the strength and flexibility that is emblematic of the practice she dedicates herself to. The studio began offering online yoga classes — something it still does. 

She also stated that, “Once things finally opened up, I offered special pricing to attract customers to the studio,” noting that, “I wanted yoga to be available to people at an affordable price and I didn’t want anyone to give up yoga because of the cost.”

Laurie Donelson is all smiles while doing a backbend. Photo by Hannah Potter | @hannahpaigepictures

Continuing evolution

While Donelson tends to embrace the more traditional side of yoga, she is open to the continued evolution of the studio and her business. 

As for the many trends in yoga she says, “I tend to stick to traditional yoga. It has worked for thousands of years,” but notes that, “the studio continues to evolve.”

One way she fosters this evolution is through collaborations that encourage continued learning, saying, “These days, I bring in a lot of guest teachers so that I can participate in sessions and not always be teaching.”

She’s also been collaborating with a wedding event planner to offer pre-wedding yoga sessions for brides and grooms.

Additionally, Donelson has also offered various workshops, customer appreciation events and beginner yoga series designed to extend a welcoming hand and foster a strong foundation with the practice

These are the yoga innovations that interest her — not bringing change to yoga but changing lives through yoga. Just as yoga has changed Donelson herself. 

Laurie Donelson of Half Moon Yoga in Waxahachie, Texas. Photo by Hannah Potter | @hannahpaigepictures