Centro La Paz Maintains its Vision of Creating a Community Atmosphere

Although you walked in blindfolded and didn’t read that the place is called Centro La Paz, your body automatically relaxes as you crossed the threshold. It’s a sensation akin to when you’re driving westward and finally catch sight of the coastline. The space, redundant as it may sound, exudes an atmosphere of peace.

Officially, Centro La Paz is a yoga and Pilates studio. But in reality, it has become much more. It’s a comprehensive wellness space which, in addition to yoga and Pilates practices, offers massage therapy, facials, doula services, and eyelash treatments.

The delightful aroma of freshly baked bread from Trigo Bakery, which crafts artisanal breads, cakes, and desserts, contributes to the overall sense of joy.

Vivienne Miranda, the owner of Centro La Paz, was born in Ecuador and raised in California. She is the daughter of a first-generation Nuyorrican mother and an Ecuadorian father. She has been based in Puerto Rico since 2007. Her experience and background are as diverse as the services offered at Centro La Paz. Vivienne studied theater production in New York, lighting and costume design in California, worked as a circus performer in Spain. Eventually her passion for alternative medicine led her back to California to study acupuncture. There she ended up studying sports, reproductive, and therapeutic massage.

During her visits to her family in Puerto Rico, (she has ancestry in La Pica, Sábana Grande, Cabo Rojo, San Germán, Guánica, and Lajas), she fell in love with her husband, a Puerto Rican from Maunabo who was studying Agronomy at RUM. She was a therapeutic massage teacher in Mayagüez. They settled in Rincón, had two children, and have since been active members of the community. They have been involved in the ideation and execution of projects that still remain, such as the agroecological market. It is an initiative based on a cooperative model among farmers and continues in Rincón every Sunday, promoting local products and foods.

Centro La Paz maintains its focus and vision of creating a community atmosphere of respect and teamwork. A conglomerate of business projects coexist in the space, supporting each other and sharing the building and operational expenses.

Currently, Ismayra Santiago from Centro Bohiti offers acupuncture, naturopathy, and Tai Chi services. Annette Santana provides facial services, and Kirat Beauty Co. works on eyelash extensions. In the Centro’s lobby, you’ll find Alma Gitana Gypsy Soul Boho Shop, a clothing boutique, alongside Trigo Artisan Bakery.

When asked what she likes most about the west, she speaks without hesitation of “the tranquility of living here,” the family atmosphere, getting to know people, and everything feeling within reach, just 15 minutes away from stress. Since its foundation, Centro La Paz has been a meeting place. Many women have come with their pregnant bellies and many children have been raised. Both in the space that offers wellness services such as midwifery, perinatal education, and post-surgical recovery work.

The space also hosts and celebrates concerts, sound baths, meditations, women’s circles, among other events. Any workshop that one wishes to offer to the community is provided free of charge.

If you’re seeking community, tranquility, calm, and harmony, you can find them at:

Carretera 115, KM 14.1 in Barrio Ensenada de Rincón.