WESTERLY - While many businesses close on Thanksgiving, Tamsy Markham decided to open her new business, High Street Yoga, on that day.

"It seemed like a perfect, perfect opportunity," she said, noting that a day devoted to gratitude and reflection is perfectly suited to yoga. "It felt so right."

Thursday morning at 8 a.m., the Stonington resident will hold her first class in her new yoga studio, which is located at 44 High St., the building that once housed the Revival House theater. In keeping with the spirit of the holiday, the class will also be a fundraiser for Recovery Yoga, a yoga and meditation program for inmates of York Correctional Institution in Niantic.

Recovery Yoga was started by fellow yoga instructor Elizabeth Johnstone, of Stonington, who was inspired by her own yoga experiences to help others. Yoga is a tool, she said, that helps the inmates cope with their past and move forward into a more fulfilling life. It's particularly helpful in York, a women's prison, she said, because about 70 percent of the population has suffered from some type of abuse.

"There's a lot of low self-esteem," she said. "It's incredibly helpful to them."

With the proceeds from this fundraiser, Johnstone said she hopes to start a new class for the 35 pregnant women now housed in York. The new class will be taught by Recovery Yoga instructor Shaun English.

Both Johnstone and Markham are certified in Baptiste power vinyasa yoga, a technique taught by internationally known yoga teacher and author Baron Baptiste. Johnstone described the technique, which is practiced in a 90- degree room, as simplified and accessible to all fitness levels.

Markham said the high temperature makes yoga easier, because warmer muscles bend easier and are less prone to injury. The sweating is also detoxifying, she said. And unlike in other studios, she said High Street Yoga has no mirrors, no music, and no chanting.

The excitement in Markham's voice was palpable as she talked about this opportunity to share her passion with the community.

"It changed my life because I no longer doubt myself," she said, adding that it showed her just how abundant her life really is. "It's opened my eyes more than anything else."

She hopes that others will also learn to "step outside of what you think you can't do, because there's something amazing on the other side," she said.

For those who want to join Markham on Thanksgiving morning, the class will be held from 8 to 9:30 a.m. All ability levels are welcome, and participants should bring a mat, a towel, and a water bottle. The fee for this first class is whatever you choose to give.

Click here for more information on High Street Yoga. Click here for more information on Recovery Yoga.