While Little Compton has seen the shuttering of popular mainstays such as the Commons Lunch, Earl’s seasonal ice cream offerings and Henhouse Studios, excitement has grown this summer with the launching of the new eatery Elsie’s on the Commons and the addition of The Hot Spot (Hot Yoga and More) on Meetinghouse Lane in the former Shethar Real Estate building. The opening of the new studio, a welcome addition for yoga enthusiasts, grew out of a newfound passion from longtime town resident Ellie Field.

When Field’s son took her to a hot yoga class in Bristol a few years ago, she knew it was going to be a challenge, but she was up for.

“At first I thought it was going to kill me, but I kept going back and became hooked,” she said. Before long Fields, a massage therapist in town, had discovered a new passion, which she has brought with The Hot Spot, where both yoga classes and massage services are offered under one roof.

For Field, a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) who for more than 17 years operated her Have Table Will Travel massage services, one of the appeals of hot yoga, held in a 105-degree room, is its predictability.

“There is just something about the discipline and consistency of using two breathing exercises and the same 26 poses every time that allowed me to push myself in ways I hadn’t before.”

Originally Field saw The Hot Spot as a space for hot yoga and massage services, with the building’s first-floor, large open room used as a community wellness space. But with both the Little Compton Community and the Wellness Centers in town, it made more sense to use it for additional yoga classes.

Those classes include mat Pilates and all levels of vinyasa and gentle yoga, taught by seven instructors, some from the recently closed Henhouse Studios nearby, and each bringing with them experience in a different specialty. They include Sarah Frances Dillon, Shirley Killian and Julie Atwood.

“I feel that the space has a peaceful spirit as soon as you walk in,” says Field. “I knew we would be comfortable here.”

The studio itself fit her vision and required little structural work — just some painting, new floors, and the addition of radiant heating panels on the ceiling, with solar panels planned for the fall. She soon brought on board fellow LMT-certified Devin McElroy.

“I was so happy to have Devin join us. He is an incredible massage therapist as well as a gifted artist. He created all of our signs.”

For her website, logo and “all things technical,” Fields enlisted the help of Lily Derbyshire, from Clarkshire Media, who has also worked on projects with the Little Compton Historical Society.

A decades-long sailing instructor and skipper, Field sees a unique parallel between sailing and yoga.

“It’s all about focus,” she says. “When I’m racing, I can see the horizon the whole time, and I’m always super focused. And when I do yoga, it’s the same. It’s a different kind of focus, but you need it for both.”

The whole venture is a learning curve, she says. “It’s exciting. I feel so lucky to be part of such a caring and supportive community here in town. It’s just a good place to be.”