Oak City Yoga brings pay-what-you-can classes to downtown Raleigh

After years of pop-up yoga classes and events in Raleigh, Oak City Yoga has a brick-and-mortar space to call home.

Paula Fraschetti, a graduate of North Carolina State University, founded Oak City Yoga in 2017 with a goal to create an accessible, diverse yoga community.

For more than five years, Oak City Yoga has provided pop-up, free and pay-what-you can yoga classes on rooftops in downtown Raleigh.

The new 1,782 sq. ft. studio at 303 N. West St. is located right beside a set of railroad tracks and offers an urban downtown Raleigh vibe to match Oak City Yoga's name.

Fraschetti, who studied design and business administration, began practicing yoga in college in 2015 and became a certified instructor soon after.

A crippling autoimmune disease that sent Fraschetti to the hospital multiple times in the middle of her college experience inspired her to make some lifestyle changes. That's when Oak City Yoga became a vision.

"My body just kind of collapsed in a way," said Fraschetti, who was diagnosed with Addison's Disease her sophomore year when she began suffering brain fog and difficulty breathing. "I needed to do things that were healthier for my body. That's when I turned to a more holistic, healthy lifestyle."

The diagnosis was a wake up call for Fraschetti.

"I loved yoga, and it definitely helped what I was battling at the time," she said.

Her number one goal is to make yoga accessible to everyone despite their income level.

"Financially I struggled a lot, so it's always been a mission to make yoga as accessible as possible," Fraschetti said. "For a lot of people who need it the most, yoga is not really accessible or affordable."

For this reason, the cost of classes or membership at Oak City Yoga are below market value, and free yoga pop-ups will remain a staple.

"You don't have to pay anything if you don't want to ... you can just come as you are and do some yoga," Fraschetti said.

The classes are also made to make everyone feel comfortable, including men and people who may be new to yoga.

Oak City Yoga classes often incorporate beer, wine and mimosas -- even adoptable dogs and cats, because Fraschetti loves animals. It's a laid-back, open environment that encourages networking and fellowship.

As the new space grows, Oak City Yoga will incorporate wellness services, like massage and acupuncture.

The space also sells high quality athleisure and athletic streetwear with an Oak City Yoga logo Fraschetti designed herself. The clothing is either upcycled or made in the United States or Italy.

"Everything is ethically and sustainably sourced," said Fraschetti, who hopes to make a difference by raising awareness of fast fashion -- cheaply-made clothing that is wasteful or made in factories with poor work conditions.

The warehouse space is too big for one entrepreneur, so Fraschetti found Enrique Valenzuela of Oak City Nice Guys on Instagram when she was searching for a business to fill a space in her studio. Valenzuela's business, which sells CBD and THC products, has a big focus on mental health and fits well with Oak City Yoga's mission.

Valenzuela wants to bring awareness to what he calls street PTSD, often suffered by people exposed to gang violence, crime and other trauma.

"Being a man, it's kind of taboo to talk about your feelings or what you're going through," Valenzuela said. "I want to break away from that."

Fraschetti wants her yoga studio to support other small businesses, yoga teachers and like-minded individuals who can use their own teaching methods to make a difference and help people.

Fraschetti was very excited when her space first opened. Now, she says she is in overdrive.

"My mindset is let's get in here and get to work," she said. "Let's do so much more with the space than we have ever imagined."