Norton Resident Takes Holistic Approach

Norton residents Angela Vernaglia and her sister Kayla have quite a few accomplishments under their pompoms. Not only do they have a legacy as New England Patriots cheerleaders, but they are also celebrating their one year anniversary of opening Mind Body Barre, a fitness and healing studio located at 227 Plain St., Rehoboth, suite 300. 

On May 26, they are holding an open house to raise money for the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation.

To learn about the business and their fundraising efforts read the Q & A with Angela Vernaglia below:

How long have you been living in Norton?
I've lived in Norton since the age of 6!

What got you into running this type of business?
I always knew we would set out to do something that would inspire and uplift the community, I can literally remember dreaming of performing in front of a crowd, interacting and speaking with groups from the time I was a very young. I grew up in a very spiritual household, my mother taught us to use our intuition and to practice living life for our highest and best intentions, she taught us that we are always connected and to use our talents for healing the world. I would say that it was my passion for holistic health and my own ability to achieve things I never thought were possible (such as making the Patriots Cheerleaders with absolutely no dance experience) that brought me to idea of Mind Body Barre Fitness & Healing Studio, I wanted to show people that if you believe in your dreams they can become your wishes fulfilled.

In 2006, I auditioned for the New England Patriots Cheerleaders and made the team. During my three years with the team, I traveled to Arizona to perform during Super Bowl XLII. I was also chosen for Operation Seasons Greetings 2007 with the United States Air Force Reserve and traveled to Iraq, Turkey, Germany and England to perform for the U.S. troops. During the summer of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, I was lucky enough to travel among five other ladies to China to promote the NFL and train aspiring dancers for the Opening Ceremonies.

Following shortly thereafter in 2009, my sister, Kayla (co-owner of Mind Body Barre) set out to audition for the same team, and made it. Six years later (and 2 Giants vs. Patriots Super Bowls later) We will be celebrating the One Year Anniversary of our local Fitness & Healing Studio which offers a new innovative way to workout.

What is your specialty/most popular program?
Our most popular class at the studio is Mind Body Barre (our signature barre class) This full body workout is composed of resistance training exercises that focus on the alignment & strengthening of the body using free weights, ballet barre work and finishing on the mats for core work and seat exercises. Every one of the classes at MBB is followed by a 10 minute meditation, infused with Lavender Oil aromas and Reiki Healing from the instructor, a great way to end your effective workout.

“Our most frequently asked question: I’m not a dancer, and I have never taken ballet or yoga classes, do I need to have this type of training to take a “barre” class? The answer is, No, No and No! This is NOT a dance class. In our regular MBB classes, you will get the look of a long & lean dancer’s body without having to dance. The method focuses on the principle movements of ballet, but there is not “dancing”. Barre classes are becoming more and more popular. I think you will start to see them pop up at other studios as well, but what makes MBB so different is the genuine intent to build an empowering community of people looking to get to know themselves, asking themselves...what do I really want and how can I help to make the world a better place? We do however offer and separate Cardio Hip Hop Dance class called STRIDE. Two of our instructors were STRIDE certified last year with Shaun T, the maker of Insanity. People are entering into a great shift in the world we live in, they want to become more connected to their mind, body and spirit together and we are here to help them with that. You can't compartmentalize those things in your life, they are always working together. We want our workouts to be effective and healing at the same time”

The studio offers an array of fitness classes ranging from our signature fitness class, dance & yoga inspired workouts, to our personalized workouts for people of all ages and body types. You can also book massage therapy, Reiki & Reflexology treatments.

What will your open house entail?
We will be accepting donations at our Open House on 5/26 for Gloria Gemma as well as raffling off prizes such as local business donations to autographed New England Patriots Merchandise. 100% of those proceeds will go to Gloria Gemma. We will be holding a free barre fitness class that day, from 10:30-11:15am for New Clients. Donations to Gloria Gemma are recommended. Please email to attend as space is limited.info@mindbodybarre.com. More information can be found on the website, mindbodybarre.com. We will also have complimentary reflexology, reiki and massage therapy that day. 

We have been fortunate to have received a great amount of donations to help us sponsor this event. Anyone making a donation will receive something great from one of these sponsors: Pop Chips, Yogi Tea, TRIBE Hummus, Whole Foods, KIND Bars and more.

Is there a reason you chose to donate to the Gloria Gemma Foundation as opposed to others?
We are doing a lot of work to help raise money for the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation in Rhode Island, the community they have built is very dear to our hearts. We met Gary Calvino, the Director of Development and Maria Gemma, Executive Director last year and it was as if we had known them all of our lives. We feel a very special connection with them and that they are connecting the community in a very spiritual way, in a manner that teaches people about HOPE and LOVE. 

For more information about Mind Body Barre check out their website and Facebook page or call 774-565-0382.