Beginning guitar, Watercolors 101 and yoga are just some of classes provided by Good Energy Ranch
01-22-2025
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SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — Carrie Cooke long dreamt of hosting creative classes that "offer people ways to come back to themselves" in this busy and often stressful world.
For years, she looked for a physical home for the "good energy" she hoped to spread, ultimately landing in the heart of the Port San Antonio campus and its fast-growing population of 18,000 professionals across numerous industries.
She also appreciates the vibrant neighborhoods nearby and the increasing number of people who visit the Port daily as it continues to add amenities, such as the science museum, food hall and events venue at the Boeing Center at Tech Port.
Cooke hopes to attract all walks of life to her new destination, which she's dubbed Good Energy Ranch. She offers classes in beginning guitar and watercolors, yoga and meditation.
There's also a 30-minute lunchtime class Cooke calls Zen Fusion, which promises an invigorating midday break of qi gong, breathwork and stress relief techniques.
"It's perfect for tackling the second half of your workday with a clear mind and revitalized spirit," says Cooke, who designed the class so that workers still have time to eat lunch — and can take the class in work attire.
"It's all standing, with some stretching, some breathwork, a little bit of meditation," said Cooke. "It helps you decompress from the first half of your workday, then recharges you for the second half of your day."
While most classes are drop-in, Good Energy Ranch also offers multi-class workshops like beginning guitar.
"You can learn an amazing amount in four weeks," Cooke said. "The first class is only one string, but you're touching the guitar and you're learning a song. You'll learn what the frets are, basic tablature, and that keeps going so that by the end of four weeks, you know six chords, and you can play a handful of songs."
Her roster of classes could change or expand in the future, she said, based on community interest.
Located at 401 Lombard Drive, Cooke has taken great care in designing a welcoming and calming space, one with plush rugs for yoga, meditation and guitar, the other with tables and chairs for classes like Watercolors 101, Beginning Linocut and Introduction to Essential Oils.

A painter and photographer, Cooke has been teaching yoga classes, meditation retreats and Reiki, a Japanese healing technique that uses gentle touch to promote relaxation, for more than two decades.
While working as an imaging specialist at UT Health, she offered classes on a word-of-mouth basis.
"I would say, 'hey, I'm going to do a little yoga here', and then a couple of ladies would join me, and they'd tell others."
Eventually, Cooke began looking for space of her own. She wanted a place where people can step out of their busy lives and take time for themselves, to take part in a little analog creativity and enjoy welcome relaxation.
During her search, Cooke's husband suggested she check out the Port. Both he and his father had worked at Kelly Air Force Base, and he was familiar with the growth happening on the 1,900-acre campus.
The space was perfect, she said, "and everyone at the Port has been so welcoming."
Good Energy Ranch is easy to get to — just 10 minutes south of downtown — and offers plenty of free parking, she noted. "I love that it's a busy city, and then you drive into the Port, and it just opens up. You pass the historic buildings and the trees...it's easy and safe and everybody's so nice."
You can find a schedule of classes at www.goodenergyranch.com, and Cooke also keeps an up-to-date Instagram page.