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In Ayurvedic medicine, optimum health is achieved through harmony between the three doshas, called Vatta, Pitta, and Kapha. These “humors,� as they’re also known, represent a transmutation of earth, water, fire, air, and space, and together they represent one’s psycho-physical balance.

If this all sounds a little esoteric, not to worry, because in San Luis Obispo, three friends have come together to help make sense of this 5,000-year-old Himalayan philosophy. Combining their individual knowledge of fitness, nutrition, and spirituality, they’ve started a business that aims to provide modern methods for balancing one’s “cosmic anatomy.� The Tri-Dosha Healing Center, which celebrates its grand opening January 20, is a place where mind, body, and spirit come together to create wellness as a way of life.

For years Michael and Corinna Brevetz and Peter Sterios talked about opening a center for health and wellbeing here in SLO County. But establishing another business seemed impossible, given that they all spent the majority of their time on the road, Peter as a world-class yoga master and the Brevetzes as gourmet caterers/massage therapists for world-class rock stars. Still, their friendship provided them with a sense of community whenever they returned to the Central Coast from long trips, and as life on the road gradually lost its appeal, the three started believing that this dream of theirs could become a reality.
“The road was great. Our crew was our family. But we knew we were ready to recreate ourselves.� says Michael, who adds that the birth of their daughter really forced him and Corinna to reevaluate the lives they were living. “We’d come back from a trip and find that we were strangers in our own home. We wanted to come home for good.�

Located in the former John Ramos art studio on Archer Street in downtown SLO, Tri-Dosha is a meditative hideaway, gracefully set back from the noise of the surrounding streets by a tree-shaded courtyard that will eventually serve as an open-air, holistic cafÈ space. The interior, designed by Sterios (who, in addition to his yoga practice, is also a skilled architect), is spacious and warmly lit, a peaceful retreat with extra-high ceilings and rooms for exercise, dance, music, meditation, and massage. Sunshine pours into the main yoga studio, blending sky-blue walls with the sun-filled sky.
“We want to make this an inclusive experience,� explains Sterios, “not like a spa, where you go away for a weekend. This can be part of a person’s everyday routine.�

The Tri-Dosha staff is made up of only the highest quality yoga instructors and massage therapists, handpicked using standards Michael and Sterios have always held for their own practices. The daylong schedule of yoga and movement classes offers something for all levels and abilities, plus specialty classes for kids and community classes that run on a donation-only basis. Daycare will be made available for busy moms, and a lunchtime yoga/massage package is in the works for the nine-to-fiver in need of a quick re-energizer.
“We have so much in store, it’s really a work in progress,� Michael explains, as he runs through the list of possibilities. “We’ll have whole, natural foods, child care, drumming classes, we’d even like to grow our own food someday.�

Starting January 20, Tri-Dosha will celebrate with a weekend-long festival including live music by local and guest musicians, chair massages, giveaways, and samplings of some of Michael’s star-tested recipes. And as an open-house bonus, all of the yoga classes from January 23rd to 29th will be free.

As plans were being drawn up for Tri-Dosha, the three friends found out that three streams of water run beneath the ground where the building sits. Silly as it seemed, they couldn’t help but see this as proof that they were finally home. Michael says it was a reminder of that need for balance, of energetic harmony. “We’re so lucky to have this. Now we just want to give it back.�

For more info about Tri-Dosha Healing Center’s upcoming events, call 544-8120 or go to www.tridoshahealingcenter.com.

New Times staff writer Alice Moss compiled this week’s Strokes & Plugs. Tell her what you’re doing at [email protected].