Main Street News

Empty Space, a new studio in Old Chatham, offers yoga, sound meditation, and breathwork classes. 

Empty Space founders Alex Artymiak and Anna Yang both have vast experience in the health and wellness realm. Alex is a dedicated yoga, meditation, and breathwork teacher who has taught over 7,000 classes, led retreats around the world, and spearheaded lectures on yogic philosophy and meditation in teacher trainings. 

While his experience in yoga may have begun as a pursuit of strength, balance, and flexibility to enhance his surfing skills, it soon evolved into a deeper exploration of the mind-body connection. For Alex, yoga is an energetic practice that unfolds throughout the body, and he utilizes this philosophy to inform his teaching style. 

Anna is a creator, entrepreneur, and beverage innovator in the health and wellness field. After taking a journey into sound meditation, she found herself dreaming of a space where she could bring the community together. With a rich history and professional training, Anna has led sound meditation sessions on both the West and East Coasts, sharing her expertise with countless individuals.

“We have been practitioners of sound meditations for a few years and are part of a large nationwide sound community,” Anna explains. “Having felt the deep states of calm that happen in a sound meditation, we wanted to share these experiences with the community and help bring awareness to the power of deep listening. We have both been guiding sound meditations for two years informally and decided to start having regular classes to give our community more access to these opportunities.”

Anna and Alex explain that the name “Empty Space” was chosen to evoke a sense of clarity and possibility. “We love the simplicity of emptiness as a starting point to think intentionally rather than out of reactivity or pattern,” Alex says. 

About the classes 

Empty Space is currently offering two sessions of breathwork and sound. Breathwork with sound, clocking in at 60 minutes, combines breathwork and sound, where participants engage in two to three rounds of active, conscious breathing to focus attention into “the sensations of the body and the present moment.” 

According to Alex and Anna, breathwork stimulates the vagus nerve – a part of your parasympathetic nervous system that carries signals between your brain, heart, and digestive systems – which allows participants to drop further into relaxation. That way, when they make the transition into the sound portion of the session, participants are more “receptive and at ease.” 

The other session, dubbed Sunday Sound Meditation, is longer (clocking in at 90 minutes) and more focused on sound. It incorporates a shorter duration of breathwork, as well as vocal intoning, to encourage participants to be engaged in the sound session. “The intoning brings awareness to the feeling of vibration and resonance of sound to support listening not only with our ears, but with our bodies,” Alex and Anna explain. 

Empty Space is also offering two yoga classes, both of which are 60 minutes. Yoga flow is an all-levels practice that combines intentional movement and breath to build heat from the inside out. “This dynamic class invites you to move with care, refine alignment, and deepen awareness as you transition through mindful sequences. Expect to feel grounded, energized, and more connected to your breath and body by the end,” Empty Space writes on its website. 

Restorative and sound yoga is meant to help participants unwind, relax, and reset through a gentle, restorative yoga class. Guided by Alex’s supportive instruction, participants move through a series of fully supported poses that are designed to help release tension, calm the nervous system, and promote deep rest. “The practice closes with an extended sound experience featuring overtone-rich instruments, offering a meditative soundscape to support deep relaxation and energetic balance. This is a space to slow down, soften, and return to yourself,” the Empty Space website reads. 

Empty Space also hosts workshops with others in the health and wellness industry to offer experiences, practices, and information to the Chatham community. Coming up, they’re hosting author Alicia Johnson for “A Morning of Sound Meditation & Healing,” on Saturday, June 28 from 10:30am-12pm. Alicia Johnson is the author of Buried Treasure, which is part memoir, part scientific research, and part strategic action – all designed to provide a guide for working through trauma. 

“Drawing from Buried Treasure’s practices of hope and healing, this intimate gathering demonstrates how sound becomes a pathway to revelation, creating space for both literal and metaphorical treasures to surface,” Empty Space writes on their Instagram. “Through guided sound meditation, we’ll explore how vibration can awaken wonder – that expansive feeling that opens pathways to play, discovery, and imagination.” 

(Read Main Street’s coverage of Alicia Johnson’s Buried Treasure at this link.)

Community and collaboration 

Ultimately, Empty Space’s goal is to have both a home base to host events, as well as to travel and collaborate with others in the mindfulness and wellness industries. “The feedback we get from participants is the most rewarding. It’s incredible to hear about their experience and how peaceful and clear they feel in the end,” Alex and Anna say. 

Many participants from the community often return to Empty Space to tell Anna and Alex that they felt the effects of the session for days and have been more restful since their session. “Many of our students believed they couldn’t meditate before coming to us. We want everyone to know it’s possible and we are here to offer you guidance and support for your journey.” 

To learn more about Empty Space, visit them in person at 632 Albany Turnpike, Old Chatham, NY, or on their website here. Keep up with them on Instagram @_emptyspacestudio.