This article is part of our Create & Cultivate 100 List created in collaboration with KEDS, you can view the full Wellness List Here.

Giving us a master class in feeling good. 

Sometimes life is what happens when you’re on your way to something else. Or in the case of Taryn Toomey, when you’re late to something else. “After years of ‘running to yoga,’ I left my corporate fashion job to pursue yoga teacher training,” says Toomey, who previously worked for both Ralph Lauren and Dior. “That's when I discovered my love for teaching movement.” The “movement” she’s referring to is the genre-defying blend of cardio, yoga, and high-intensity interval training that Toomey developed after a few years of teaching yoga while also longing for “a practice that involved more FIRE and expression.” It's known now as the cult-beloved workout phenomenon The Class.    

Toomey started out modestly, teaching an invite-only version of The Class in the basement of her Tribeca building. But thanks to the yogapreneur's unique blend of targeted muscle-sculpting poses, bursts of high-energy movements, and her secret weapon, moments of soul soaring emotional catharsis, word of The Class spread like wildfire. Toomey credits her mentor, Mama Kia, with whom she studied in Peru, and the birth of her two daughters, with giving her the push she needed to pursue her passion. Her practice also evolved out of a more personal struggle, and as a form of self-therapy. Though she doesn’t go into detail on record, Toomey says she felt a strong need to develop a practice that released pent up negative energy, or what she refers to as “the sludge.” She lists self-doubt and vulnerability as challenges she has faced, explaining “The Class was created because I needed something for survival. It was all about survival.”

“My main goal for the future is to help people FEEL better.”

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It seems that Toomey has not just figured out how to survive, but thrive: The Class with Taryn Toomey, as it's now called, boasts devotees like Christy Turlington and Naomi Watts and is currently taught every day in both Los Angeles and New York City. The latter is a city where Toomey recently opened her first flagship studio in Tribeca, decked out with crystal-embedded floors for optimum energetic flow. She also recently expanded into other wellness-adjacent areas, launching The Airelume, a handcrafted fine jewelry line, The Retreatment, luxury wellness retreats to destinations around the world, and The Layer, seasonal nutritional cleanses with an emphasis on anti-inflammatory and ayurvedic practices.  Toomey credits daily meditation and regular practice of The Class with both her personal and professional growth. “My career in wellness has expanded very quickly and organically,” she says. “I did not originally realize that I could have such an impact on so many people. I now see my ability to inspire, help people discover their intentions and even reach their goals.” As for Toomey’s own goals for the future? She has plans expand The Class to Vancouver and hopes to someday teach The Class live accompanied by one of her favorite musicians.

On a larger scale she says, “My main goal for the future is to help people FEEL better.”