In 2019, Elizabeth Carter turned off of CA-1 onto Route 27 to visit a friend and found instant resonance in Topanga Canyon’s curving roads and mountainside magic. She knew it was meant to be. At the time, Elizabeth was living on the water with her partner in San Diego on a sailboat the two of them had refurbished together. She says the gritty, salty remodel was “the ultimate test� of patience, persistence, and teamwork for her and her sixth-grade sweetheart, Bailey, who reconnected in their late teens. As things often do in Topanga, the circumstances of their move fell miraculously into place, inviting them to settle into their new reality with a sense of ease and confidence. Growing up on forty acres near Mt. Shasta, Elizabeth has always been rooted in natural living, often using only materials from the Earth to cook, heal, care, and play with since she was young. After high school, she studied aesthetics and tried her hand in Med Spa before returning to a more holistic practice. Now, she runs Honest Rituals Holistic Skincare, which has been primely situated in Pine Tree Circle since March. Here, Elizabeth offers healing treatments such as a Contouring Facial Massage, a non-surgical procedure that “lifts, tones, firms, and rebalances the facial posture� using a mixture of organic plants and oils; as well as Sugaring, which is an ancient, natural hair removal treatment for women. Located right next to the Honest Rituals Studio was an open unit—and an opportunity. Loving their new home base, Elizabeth and Bailey found just one thing was missing in Topanga: a yoga studio. This prompted them to create Ethereal Yoga Studio, which opened its doors in August. Their ambitions for the studio reach beyond a place of pracice. Elizabeth and Bailey see Ethereal as a space that serves the community: where Topangans can gather to connect with themselves and each other, balancing their bodies and their sanity during this time of collective limbo. The studio offers a collection of yoga classes, in addition to weekly workshops such as soundbaths and blindfolded yoga. In the short time since they opened the studio, Elizabeth and Bailey have already proven that their patience, persistence, and teamwork can translate from the sea to the studio. Ethereal Yoga Studio is located at 120 North Topanga Canyon Blvd., Suite 105, Topanga, CA 90290; (619) 316-2994, etherealyogastudio.com. —Jenna Sweeney