By Cashmere Morley
For Aubrey and Art Schupbach, a little goes a long way. It is a little mindfulness, in the form of a friendly check-in with a yoga patron they haven’t seen in a while. A little stretching in the morning, to get the body in the right mental and physical space to move about the rest of the day. A little meditation session in the afternoon to remind oneself that the quiet times are just as important as the loud ones. The Schupbachs have found that these little moments are what create the foundation that supports a larger community. It’s these moments that help make Zion Well what it is: a studio rooted in community, mental health, and purpose.
Ann Arborites that originally met at Planet Fitness, Aubrey and Art’s path to owning a wellness studio actually began down south. Living in North Carolina, Aubrey began taking yoga classes that were a “huge benefit” to her mental health. “I kind of dragged Art along to come to yoga with me, and then our love and our passion for yoga really started to evolve. We found yoga as a pathway to stabilize and support our mental health… that’s kind of how the initial, I would say, birth of the studio, came to be,” Aubrey explained.
Before they opened the doors to Ypsilanti’s Zion Well location in June 2019, both Aubrey and Art wore a lot of hats. Aubrey managed a Lululemon store. Art was deep into marketing and advertising for Aubrey’s family’s truck driving school and was also a personal trainer for four years. Both spent years teaching at various places in the Ann Arbor community, which explains why education and mindfulness is such a big part of their approach to wellness.
Zion means “sanctuary” or “refuge” in many cultures, and that’s exactly what Aubrey and Art wanted to create—a safe space where anyone could come to find peace, both inside and out. The pair explain that their use of the word Zion has nothing to do with politics or religion. Instead, it’s about nature, harmony, and the idea that you can carry your own sanctuary with you, wherever you go.
Art and Aubrey approached the vision of Zion Well in different ways, though both partners found Zion’s root to be in inclusivity and community. Said Art, “I think for me, my biggest experience that kind of helped shape the direction [of Zion Well] was an experience that I had with meditation.”
Art explained, “I had a neck injury that happened before we ever opened the studios, and it made it so that I couldn’t practice yoga, and I couldn’t do the exercises that I liked to do. It kind of forced me to slow down and dive a little bit deeper into the meditation practice, which at the time, I wasn’t as acquainted with, and I just really, really fell in love with it, and so it was something that we always wanted to interweave into the studio.” He continued, “Even in all of our yoga classes, we have some element of meditation and breath work and just that guiding someone a little bit deeper, if that makes sense. I’m always go, go, go, and sometimes I need to be, like, slowed down a little bit… so I’m grateful for that moment.”
Aubrey said it was not one experience that led her to Zion, but a culmination. “I knew that I always wanted to help people in this world and support people,” she said, “And I think that my ability to be nurturing and caring and to help people and provide access to themselves and in their bodies was always important to me. The difference that it can make in other people’s lives… I think that’s what shaped me and also motivated and inspired me to kind of keep sharing the practice and being a part of the practice, myself, too.”
These days, we see the word “inclusivity” thrown around as more of a buzzword than a word that holds actual weight. Inclusivity isn’t just a catchphrase to boost likes and feed some algorithm at Zion—it’s a cornerstone to their philosophy. Aubrey and Art have gone out of their way to make sure everyone feels welcome at Zion Well, and it starts with the instructors that they hire who come from diverse backgrounds. The duo also started the GiveWell equity program which offers free memberships to people who can’t afford them, funded by other members who want to help. They also give out scholarships for teacher training, especially to folks from underrepresented communities—BIPOC, LGBTQ, and single parents. When they say, “access is everything,” they mean it.
During February of 2023, the pair opened their Ann Arbor location. They note that being surrounded by creative, diverse, and open-minded people in both cities—artists, teachers, dreamers, and more, all connected by the thread of wanting to better their bodies and minds—make them feel lucky to be part of such vibrant communities, and they’re committed to giving back.
“Art and I want to be able to stay in the practice of yoga until we die,” Aubrey said, “So the practice of longevity is really important to us. And it brings us back to inclusivity. Something that we implement in our studio that is very different from other studios, is we utilize a lot of props, such as blocks, blankets, straps. We really educate ourselves on varying types of bodies and injuries in order to be able to provide inclusive adjustments during class.
“Being able to support bodies that have knee replacements or pelvis replacements or torn hamstrings, or, like Art mentioned, being able to support people who have never had access to yoga, offering different tools and therapeutic practices so that they can be with us in the studio is something we really hold dearly,” said Aubrey. “I think that the way that technology has evolved can sometimes create barriers to access for people to be able to come to the practice of yoga and see themselves in the practice of yoga. And what we know about yoga is that it’s not one size fits all.”
Art added, “Our mission is finding ways to offer these tools to people in this inclusive community, creating more safe spaces where people can explore not just movement, but personal growth, mental health, mindfulness, and reflection generally, so that they can go out in the world and be a better community member for themselves and their family.”
Running a business while staying true to their spiritual values isn’t always easy, but Aubrey and Art have found their own balance. They don’t want to be seen as “gurus” on a pedestal. Instead, they’re friends, neighbors, and fellow travelers on the path, with you, for you, because of you. Compassion and generosity guide their decisions. Aubrey said the pair put “people and their wellbeing before tasks for the business” even if that means spreading themselves a little thin at times.
Said Art, It involves “actually reaching out to community members and being like, ‘hey, how have you been doing? It’s been a couple weeks, we were thinking about you.’ Anytime that thought pops into my head, you can ask Aubrey, I will email or text someone, right away. Even if it’s just, ‘hey, I’ve been thinking about you, we miss you, let’s grab a coffee sometime.’ At the end of the day, what we have is each other.”
“I think one of the hardest parts, not just of business, but of being a human, is our own self-management,” said Aubrey. “I am a giver and a nurturer by nature, and you know, at times, also remembering to take time for myself, and give to myself, and let myself slow down is probably one of the most challenging things. But it’s been such a large piece in my life that has allowed me to support others in that way, too.”
Aubrey and Art joke that classes often start late because everyone’s busy catching up and laughing together—a true marker for them that they are creating something special at Zion. For the couple, those moments of connection are the real measure of success. They want people to feel seen, heard, and valued—not just as students, but as human beings.
During the pandemic, Zion became a lifeline for many. With so much isolation, the studio offered a rare chance for real human connection. Some members relayed to Art and Aubrey that their weekly class was the only time they spoke to anyone all week. That’s the kind of impact for which they are most proud. “We’ve been in a lot of yoga spaces where it feels like there’s either the owners or the teachers or these guru people that you can’t talk to, and that’s never what I wanted to be,” said Art.
Aubrey and Art are always learning, always evolving. They see Zion as a living thing, growing and changing with the needs of the people it serves. Their own relationship—“yin and yang,” as they put it—helps them stay balanced and avoid burnout. They support each other, motivate each other, and remind each other to slow down and enjoy the journey. At the end of the day, Zion Well is so much more than a yoga studio. It’s a sanctuary, a classroom, and a community hub. It’s a place where people can heal, grow, and connect—one breath, one conversation, and one act of kindness at a time.
“Something I like to think about, and this is just in general, not even applying to business ... when someone has their own vision or their own idea to bring to life, I want you to try to think about it in reverse,” said Art. “So, if the studio never existed, what would be missing from humanity? Apply that to something that doesn’t exist yet. You know, we had one of our community members who wanted to start a farm that was for cancer patients. And I said, ‘think for a second about that impact and all the people that would be helped, and all the people that would be connected, and then imagine it going away, and how sad that would be, and how difficult that would be.’ And so, you can kind of look at things that way, in reverse. What would life be like without Zion Well? That is such an important, impactful thing that exists, and how sad for it to go away. It helps you remember why you started in the first place.”
Art said he also encourages business owners to lean into some aspect of service. He notes that while that will look different for every type of business, being able to give back to your community is “one of the most rewarding things about owning a business,” and for Art, it “fuels you in a way that just making money cannot.”
Looking toward the next few years, Aubrey said the future looks different, but mostly the same. “We want to continue to move and go deeper with our community, and continue to expand our training programs, offer more meditation mindfulness trainings, breath work trainings, and expand our retreats a little bit as well.”
Aubrey and Art host about four retreats each year—19 in total so far—and consider them one of the most rewarding parts of their work. Each retreat offers an opportunity for participants to slow down, connect, and immerse themselves in nature alongside a community of like-minded individuals. From Zion and Sequoia National Parks to destinations such as Costa Rica, Iceland, Italy, and Greece, every retreat is uniquely designed to balance wellness, adventure, and relaxation. They handle every detail—from arranging transportation and daily activities like hiking or museum visits to providing nourishing plant-based meals—ensuring that attendees feel completely cared for throughout the experience. Many participants join on their own and leave with lasting friendships, making these retreats a truly special intersection of healing, movement, and travel.
Art adds that they are “always open to collaboration” especially if it brings the “practice to the people.” He notes an interactive immersive yoga event that happened at Stamps Gallery in the fall, and how he never would have thought of that if the idea hadn’t been pitched to him.
For Aubrey and Art, success isn’t about numbers. It’s about the moments when someone finds peace, makes a new friend, or discovers something new about themselves. In a world that can feel overwhelming and disconnected, Zion is a reminder that we all need a place to belong—and sometimes, that place is closer than we think.
“Currently we have 24 teachers, and we really could not do this without their passions. Everyone has a little bit of a different place that they teach from. And I’m so grateful that we have such an amazing team that has this same hunger for knowledge and mental health and just being compassionate,” said Art.
“If you’ve never tried yoga, I’d encourage you to try,” said Aubrey. “There are so many different ways to do yoga and so many different modalities and teachers, that even if you had a bad experience, please let yourself try again with a different teacher, because sometimes it takes a minute to find what really resonates and connects with you. And if you’re a little scared to reach out, I’ll go and take class with you.”
Visit Zion Well online at zionwell.com, or on Instagram @zion.well for open hours, class schedules, scholarship opportunities, and more. Check out their brick and mortar locations at 874 S Grove Street in Ypsilanti and 3384 Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor.
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For Aubrey and Art Schupbach, a little goes a long way. It is a little mindfulness, in the form of a friendly check-in with a yoga patron they haven’t seen in a while. A little stretching in the morning, to get the body in the right mental and physical space to move about the rest of the day. A little meditation session in the afternoon to remind oneself that the quiet times are just as important as the loud ones. The Schupbachs have found that these little moments are what create the foundation that supports a larger community. It’s these moments that help make Zion Well what it is: a studio rooted in community, mental health, and purpose.