Photo by Justin Criado

 New North Shore yoga and cycling gym looks to provide more than just a deep burn

By Justin Criado

When Sharon Skittle says you have more power than a star in outer space you actually believe her.

“Everyone giggles when I give my star speech, but we actually have more energy in our bodies than a star does,” Skittle said.

As co-founder and owner of the recently opened Urban Elements & Cycology gym on 208 Federal St. in North Shore, Skittle is passionate about helping people find their inner-self through yoga and cycling.

“We both share a real need to empower people that walk in here. We wanted that when we created our place,” Skittle, 49, said of the gym’s mission statement. “We wanted people to feel powerful and willing and loved.”

Skittle admits she wasn’t always in to such a healthy and spiritual lifestyle since she didn’t start regularly working out until her mid-30s when she joined a gym in Bridgeville. It was there that she met Brittany Troyer, whose mother owned the gym.

“Sharon and my mom have been best friends for ten, twelve years,” Troyer, 25, said of the start of their friendship. “Sharon was the one that got me in to the heated yoga.”

The two wanted to bring their knowledge and practice of well-being to the Northside where Skittle says she feels it will be embraced.

“It’s such a tight-knit community and everybody seems to really pull for each other,” Skittle said. “One of the things I really wanted to do was build a community in an area I really didn’t know. I don’t really know anyone over here. I love this location. I love the energy over here.”

The gym opened in mid-January and the response has already been positive, including many first-timers, according to Skittle.

“We knew there was a corporate crowd here (in North Shore), but we weren’t necessarily thinking of all the residents,” Troyer said. “That really got us excited.”

The bikes that the gym features are the best on the market as they lean and turn unlike many stationary bikes, and the combination of cycling and yoga allows individuals to experience a workout, both mentally and physically, unlike any other, according to Troyer.

“We go, go, go so fast every single day,” Troyer said. “We’re always looking ahead and when you can come in to that yoga room and truly be present on that mat, the shift in your life is just, oh my gosh.”

For more information, and class schedule visit www.uecpgh.com

Photo by Justin Criado

Brittany Troyer (left) and Sharon Skittle of new North Shore gym Urban Elements and Cycology.