There’s nothing about Atha Yoga Shala’s storefront that so much as hints at the verdant gardens tucked away behind its doors. But founder Cindy Pettinaro doesn’t mind keeping this hidden gem a secret.
“I want there to be some magic,” Pettinaro says as the last scattered raindrops of a South Florida summer deluge pepper the tropical flora that hang over the winding paths of the grounds.
“Magic” is certainly something not in short supply at Atha, formerly the local-favorite Anuttara yoga studio, which Pettinaro purchased in 2021, saving the 4.5-acre property from being bought, paved over, and turned into condos. Instead, it’s an oasis of green space and biodiversity that has quietly evolved from yoga studio to community hub.
We toured the property with Pettinaro, who escorted us on a muggy afternoon through lush, shaded walkways lined with bubbling fountains and exotic plants. The transition from a bare-bones grassy lot to a dense community garden has been a labor of love owed to equal parts grit and creativity from Pettinaro and her staff, directed in the service of a straightforward goal.
“My vision was just, how can we heal people?” says Pettinaro. And while along the way there have been setbacks and compromises, Pettinaro feels that Atha—which she still considers a work in progress—has more than met her aim. “Is it prettier than I could ever imagine? Absolutely. Is the team and the family better than I can imagine? One-hundred percent,” she says.
Since purchasing the property, Pettinaro has added five saunas, a full-service spa, and event spaces that have been utilized for everything from community dinners to weddings. In 2023, Atha introduced its Retreat House, a charming, renovated home within the gardens that can host up to 10 guests for staycations and wellness getaways. This May, Atha also celebrated its designation as a Certified Butterfly Garden by the North American Butterfly Association for its gardens’ variety of plant life that supports caterpillar and butterfly populations.
“It took us three years to get [the certification], but I’m so happy we did, and now more butterflies come,” says Pettinaro.
While there’s much of the unconventional side of holistic wellness at Atha (the spa has on staff a psychic medium who offers readings while clients lie on a crystal light bed straight out of Superman’s Fortress of Solitude), there’s just as much on offer for the more grounded types (hot yoga, massages, etc.). It’s this balance that reflects the opposite ends of Pettinaro herself, whose pragmatism from working in the real estate development and hospitality industries complements her barefoot, free-spirited, hugs-not-handshakes demeanor.
“In a hotel setting, your job is just to make people happy, and to make them have a better day,” says Pettinaro. “I just believe that if we give love and kindness, that’s what’s going to come back to you when you put that energy out there.”
Atha sends its own loving energy into the community with the Atha Yoga Foundation, a nonprofit that provides resources to those in the recovery community, yoga classes for public schools and first responders, free yoga memberships to those who can’t afford them, and support for other area nonprofits. That support often finds its way right back.
“People come out of recovery, and they can’t afford their first month’s rent, so we pay for their first month’s rent,” says Pettinaro. “Then they come and do yoga here, and then sometimes they’re like, ‘We would love to help you weed the garden,’ and so it becomes this community.”
Like the name Atha would suggest (it means “here” or “now” in Sanskrit), Pettinaro is focusing on the present instead of what comes next.
“We’re really happy where we are,” says Pettinaro.
“Everything is just the present moment. If we think about it, it’s already gone. Yesterday’s gone, and if you think about tomorrow, you’re getting anxious.”
This story is from the September/October 2026 issue of Delray magazine. For more like this, click here to subscribe to the magazine.
