Shelves of Aeaea offers whole-self wellness in one shop

In Homer’s “Odyssey,” the mythical island of Aeaea was a place of profound transformation. Today, two sisters have brought a slice of that transformative magic to Wausau’s west-side river district. Opened late last year, Shelves of Aeaea isn’t ruled by a Greek sorceress, but by a shared vision of “whole-self wellness” — blending a curated bookstore, an authentic Ashtanga yoga studio and botanical apothecary.

Since opening its doors on Nov. 15, Shelves of Aeaea is an ambitious business model designed to break down barriers and welcome those interested in wellness practices — whether that’s reading, moving or healing. Owner Angelique Sandas said the guiding principle behind the different parts of the business is “whole-self wellness.”

“That means you having wellness in all aspects of your life, spiritual, physical, social and connected to community,” Sandas said.

The front of the store is filled with the business’ titular shelves, housing a variety of books, including romance, yoga and spirituality, social and cultural, health and wellness, and art sections. Sandas’ sister, Amy Bird, manages the store and curates the books. Bird is also a historical romance author. Sandas said learning through non-fiction subjects is important, while reading fiction also provides valuable insight into other perspectives.

“It’s about being inspired and being creative as well as being aware of the world, being aware of other cultures and other people within your own community that are different than you,” she said. “Whether that’s racially or gender identities or sexual orientations, and just wanting to create a space that allowed for exploration of self in all of those areas.”

The back of the shop features a wide and diverse herb section. Sandas spent three years studying herbalism with Rosemary Gladstar, the “godmother of modern herbalism.” Shelves of Aeaea carries custom tea blends, herbs and botanical products like cosmetics, creams, lotions and oils.

Recently, Shelves of Aeaea has begun offering workshops, too. So far they’ve offered workshops on bath salts and sugar scrub creation, and are planning a teas and tinctures workshop this spring.

In back there is also a small, intimate yoga studio where Sandas leads small group classes and private lessons. From the start, it was important for Sandas to offer a beginner-friendly, affordable community class.

“I’m really capable of teaching the class to who’s there at the time,” she said. “If a bunch of beginners walk in one day, then that’s the class we teach. If it’s people who have been practicing for years, then I teach to them. It’s only a $10 drop-in.”

Sandas has more than 20 years of experience in yoga instruction. While she offers a variety of classes, she specializes in Ashtanga, which is a traditional, physically-demanding form of yoga. Sandas offers Ashtanga sessions three times a week. She is one of only a few hundred yogis in the world authorized to teach the Ashtanga method.

“The head of the [Ashtanga] lineage resides in India, so I’ve made several trips to study there, for months at a time, to study with the guru of the practice,” Sandas said. “I was given his blessing to share this practice outside of India.”

Shelves of Aeaea also offers popular Vinyasa flow yoga sessions three times a week.

Now that the sun is shining and the weather is warming up, Sandas said the store is getting a lot more energy and flow through its doors.

“When people come in, we hear that they just love it,” she said. “They love the space, the vibe, it feels good, it smells good, they find the books they want, they find the teas they want. So the energy around it has been really, really positive and really exciting.”

Shelves of Aeaea is open Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. It is located at 404 S 2nd Ave, Wausau. For more information on yoga schedules and upcoming events, visit shelvesofaeaea.com. Bird, who writes under her maiden name Amy Sandas, shares novel and writing updates at amysandas.com.