Dr. Emily Greene, an HCC/HCPS employee and entrepreneur, has started a holistic wellness practice called Ordinary Guru.
This business is focused on mental and spiritual wellness, as well as doing exercises for the body. Located in Hickory, the wellness practice is hosted in the Lunar Bay Energy Health Center.
Greene says she got into energy wellness because, “I was naturally flexible and angsty as a young teen, so I started practicing yoga poses from a book I received as a gift. It worked really well for me, so I started studying the ‘magic’ behind the movement.”
When she started to get older, she realized how much she enjoyed yoga and wanted to continue exploring wellness through it. “I trained to be a yoga teacher in 2008 while I was a school counselor on the Eastern Shore. Shortly after, I moved out of state and opened a fitness business while I pursued my doctorate. After making a great connection with a local practitioner in my own personal journey and looking back to some of the holistic roots in my family, I opened Ordinary Guru in 2022.”
She shares the space with other women who also enjoy spiritual health. “I use the studio only one or two days a week to stay current, so I wanted to extend studio time to other like-minded practitioners. Now, three other practitioners use the space throughout the week.”
For Greene’s sessions in the space, she said, “In yoga therapy plus, I use my varied skill set to provide a framework that allows people to set themselves free of grief and misunderstanding in their lives and replace those feelings with creativity and lasting wellness. Individual or group sessions are available.”
She shares the space with Ms. Jennifer Keene, who does therapeutic sound bowls. She describes that, “using the resonance of the bowls around or touching the body, resistance and illness fades away in this transformative session.”
Another guru, Ms. Sara LaHatte, also introduces, Teach, Inspire, and Grow yoga sessions to the studio. “Blending yogic movement and social skills training methods, clients of all ages can not be more well in their day to day lives,” she says.
The idea for the business came quite suddenly, but has worked out well so far for Greene. “Ordinary Guru is just one facet of my career. A few years ago, I was resetting some of my career intentions and I realized putting all of my ‘eggs in one basket’ turned out to be very draining for me. So, like the name, I decided to split my time between several passions to maintain my own high level of wellness and creativity.”
Several passions are true; Greene balances a lot, as she stated, “So, in addition to OG, I also write children’s books, work with dual enrollment at HCC, as a fitness instructor, and as a college professor online. I try to ‘walk the talk.’ Being a jack of all trades enhances my work and empowers my work with others.“
Greene wants this business not only to be a place for her to practice her hobbies, but to share it with the world around her, and ultimately try to make it a better place. While she has had success overall, she has struggled. “I tend to be the ultimate altruist, so gain is usually my biggest struggle. I also want the business to stay boutique and personalized, despite pressure to standardize. I try to stay true to the mission and vision of the business and step along the path of inspired action in times of uncertainty.”