March 6, 2025

By Wendy Carlson

Photograph by Wendy Carlson

There wasn’t a defining moment in Silvana Da Luca’s life that set her on the path of yoga and wellness. “It was more like three roads converging: my personality, my upbringing, and years of unresolved trauma,” says the new owner of Charym in Litchfield. 

Born in Bulgaria, Silvana grew up living in different places in southern Europe, where she walked everywhere, hiked, biked, skied in the winter, and swam all summer. Even now, if she goes too long without physical or mental activity, she feels restless. Throughout her teens, she was a jazz ballet dancer and played volleyball. Then in her 20s and 30s, she discovered Pilates. “Yoga came later, in my 40s, when my body signaled the need for gentler practices. With scoliosis and two epidurals behind me, Pilates and yoga have been essential for keeping my core strong and managing back pain,” she says.

Wellness has always been a throughline in her life. She grew up on a vineyard with a small farm, where family meals centered on homegrown fruits and vegetables. In fact, she hadn’t tried eating cereal or fast food until she moved to the U.S. in her early 30s. So it was no surprise that Litchfield, with its organic farms, hiking trails, and rural beauty, felt like home to her when she first visited, more than eight years ago. At that time, she was also in the middle of that journey of self-discovery, and was healing from a toxic marriage and divorce. Reconnecting with nature, slowing down, and returning to her roots has helped her find balance and peace. 

Silvana and her current husband, Jeff, have raised four kids—all in college now. Despite having a full-time corporate job in New York City and running a global nonprofit for digital commodities, she found herself looking for the next challenge. The opportunity to take over Charym last year came at a serendipitous intersection of timing and shared need—both for her and for Bruce Schnitzer and Alexandra Champalimaud, the husband-and-wife team who were the studio’s founders and are owners of West Street Yard, where Charym is located. 

Silvana envisions Charym evolving into a sanctuary for holistic wellness, a gathering place that nurtures mind, body, and spirit. Under the Charym brand, she is expanding the studio’s menu to include therapeutic massage, acupuncture, nutritional counseling, Ayurveda, and other modalities that promote overall well-being. She has been working with local businesses to organize the first Health and Wellness Festival this summer, set for July 5 and 6. It will be a step toward her goal of making Litchfield a health and wellness destination. 

“Ultimately, I want Charym to be more than a studio—I want it to be a cornerstone of healing and self-discovery, where everyone feels welcomed, seen, and cared for, no matter where they are on their path,” she says.

“I truly believe that when you infuse a place with good intentions, positive energy, and love, it transforms into something special.”