ZenTora Closes Its Doors After a Transformative Journey

For the past 14 months, ZenTora has been a quiet anchor on Rockaway Beach Boulevard—a place where neighbors trained, created, reflected, and grew. Now, the studio prepares for its final farewell, closing a chapter that blended martial tradition, creative expression, and community connection.

Founded by Ekaterina “Eka” Machavariani, ZenTora (translated as “Blissful Tiger”) quickly carved out a unique identity. Equal parts karate school and movement space, it brought together two worlds rarely housed under the same roof: the disciplined rhythm of Karate-do and the flowing, suspended grace of aerial practice.

“It was always about unity—body, mind, and intention,” Machavariani said. “And sometimes, the practice leads you toward change.”

The decision to close the studio grew out of an unexpected season of personal challenges—one that demanded reflection rather than resistance. “When you train in martial arts long enough, you learn to meet what arrives,” Machavariani explained. “This moment simply asked for honesty and acceptance.”

Those who spent time in the space say the closing feels less like a loss and more like a natural turning of the page. ZenTora, they note, always carried the spirit of impermanence and renewal at its core.

Fittingly, ZenTora’s last community gathering was not a class, but an Ebru painting-on-water session—an ancient art where pigment dances atop a liquid surface before transferring onto paper. The afternoon was filled with laughter, tears, storytelling, and a kind of vibrant emotional current that mirrored the studio’s own journey.

Participants described the experience as “the perfect ending”—a celebration of color, movement, and shared presence. “The ripples, the colors—they felt like a blessing over the space,” one attendee reflected. “A release, and a thank you.” The event marked a ceremonial closure—soft, expressive, and alive.

During its time in the neighborhood, ZenTora welcomed students of all ages. Children practiced their first blocks and stances; adults found grounding through breath, alignment, and focused movement; artists discovered inspiration through creative workshops like marbling, sound baths, and meditative practices.

The studio became known not only for its classes but for the culture it cultivated—respectful, attentive, warm, and rooted in tradition.

ZenTora may be closing, but the location will soon pulse with new momentum. The space will become home to Muscle Up Rockaway Fitness (MURF), led by the father of one of ZenTora’s young karate students—a continuity that feels almost poetic.

MURF is set to operate as a boutique-style fitness studio, offering private training, small group strength and conditioning sessions, circuit classes, kids’ fitness programming, day-pass access and, honoring the legacy of ZenTora, aerial hammock classes for both children and adults.

A dedicated recovery corner will provide Normatec compression, Hypervolt massage therapy, and assisted stretching—bringing a fresh, modern approach to wellness.

Before the transition takes place, ZenTora will host one final gathering—a moment for the community to honor the space and carry pieces of it home. The ZenTora Closeout Sale and Farewell gathering will be Sunday, November 23 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 114-06 Rockaway Beach Blvd. Items available include plants, training gear, children’s enrichment supplies, décor, and studio furniture.

“Everything in this room held someone’s effort, someone’s breath, someone’s intention,” Machavariani said. “Passing these objects on feels like scattering seeds.”

Though ZenTora’s physical space will change hands, its influence remains woven into the community—in the students who learned their first bows, in the adults who rediscovered their strength, and in the memories held in movement, color, and connection.

As the “Blissful Tiger” steps off the mat, it leaves behind the quiet lesson that every path evolves—and that endings, like Ebru patterns floating on water, can be both beautiful and full of possibility.