Inner Peace | Whitney Gundrum
Written by Brendan Douglas
Long before twenty-four-hour fitness gyms, the dominance of the pharmaceutical industry which claims they have the pill for any illness, ancient techniques such as Tai Chi, and even before the formation of religion, there was the art of spiritual discipline known as Yoga. An artform steadily growing again around the world from many looking for its mental and physical benefits, it is really the harmonization of oneself to the universe that is the true goal of a yogi.
Born into a family of artists, Whitney Gundrum was handed a paint brush at an early age and told to paint whatever she wanted. Her brother, the family genius, was her source of inspiration and encouragement and Whitney fell in love with the big, in-your face works of art like that of Franz Kline. Art is truly an expression of emotion for Whitney and she found abstract painting as a way to free herself from everyday reality, open her mind and let her emotions materialize on a canvas.
Struggling with depression throughout her life, her art has been a way to unapologetically let it out. She learned over the years she does not have to explain herself or her work to anyone. What lays on the canvas is an expression of her soul.
Whitney has been a hairstylist since 2009. It was another way to connect with inner and outer beauty. Feeling pleased with a nice haircut can go a long way from feeling good about yourself to a positive outlook on the world. She continued to paint for personal pleasure and felt driven to creating and finding new artistic outlets of expression that also strengthen one’s soul.
In 2017, Whitney was introduced to yoga in which she found inner peace as well as another way to release emotions and it would become a way of life as she replaced bad habits with the habits of yoga.
Being covered in tattoos, Whitney never expected to truly fit in anywhere, especially a yoga studio. But Natasha Walters, owner of Bodyworks in Logansport, welcomed her with open arms and to her surprise, it became her sanctuary. Yoga was another avenue to release emotions and the techniques it taught would branch through all areas of her life.
Whitney is now a certified Yoga Teacher with specialized training in Yoga Anatomy. She devotes her time to painting, hairstyling, marketing and teaching yoga at Bodyworks.
Creating is where she draws her energy and Bodyworks has given her that space to do just that while also earning an income. Rare is a place like Bodyworks where one can stop in for some yoga, get a fresh haircut, buy a painting and meet the artist. The community around Bodyworks, full of uplifting yogis who strive for the best in one another, has been amazing support for the soul. With her embracing community, her artist husband Adam Gundrum who is always full of love and encouragement, and her personal guru and bestie Natasha, Whitney is surrounded with the support and inspiration to continue to create.
With a bright future ahead, Whitney continues to search for more self-reliance. Over the course of our current global pandemic, she began to garden and learn about growing her own food to end any dependency on relying on a market with unknown sources. She hopes to one day live off local food only and that others around the world will join that mission and release the pollution that stems from our food supply chain.