We need yoga! support your local studio! by alison Tigges
Lately, I’ve been seeing so many fitness trends having their moments in the sun. Overall, I think it’s great! I personally love that strength training is finally getting its accolades. Pilates, reformers, sculpt classes, all of it has its benefits. Ultimately, as a person who appreciates the importance of movement, it’s all good. There is room for all of it.
I’m part of a worldwide “yoga studio owners” Facebook group, and many of them are feeling this shift in less than positive ways at their studios. Things like struggles with the business competition and closing studios'; it’s all very real. Thankfully, being in the Midwest and having an established and amazing community, we are, for the most part, shielded from of a lot of these hardships (so far!) However, given I’ve been in this game awhile and have seen how quickly things can shift (Hello! Y’all remember the COVID pandemic?!) I want to address some ways you can help your favorite local yoga studio (hiiii) and why yoga is needed now, more that ever.
Yoga studios are only here to help if you support them! We don’t sustain on vibes alone. Come to classes, attend workshops, buy passes when they go on sale, leave positive Google reviews, like and comment on social media posts, bring a friend to class! All of these ways helps us flourish and ensure we are here through the ebbs and flows of this turbulent economy. The midterm elections are coming right up as well! Voting (especially for local elections) is a great way to ensure that the things you care about get prioritized. Small businesses thrive when the economy is in a healthy place and yoga studios are part of this. It’s rough out there and everything is so expensive. We try to keep our prices current with our needs but also reasonable and accessible so that people can make yoga a part of their lives. There are so many ways to support, even if a membership is not in your current budget.
Yoga has been around thousands of years. It’s more than the current “it” trend! We have survived many bright, shiny trends before and will continue to. I get a lot of comfort knowing that this subject I’ve committed my life’s work to isn’t just a passing fad. It’s the real deal that tackles physical, mental, AND spiritual work. It’s the full package, baby!
WE NEED YOGA! Especially when the world feels topsy-turvy and life feels so busy and stressful. Yoga quite literally means “calming the fluctuations of the mind”. The bonus is that you come for the work on your body and stay for the benefits it provides your mind. Yoga, breath work, and meditation help us to sit with the discomfort life can bring. It helps us remain calm despite what’s happening around us. Thank goodness!
Yoga can help every aspect of your life! People are always so shocked to know that yoga isn’t the only thing I do. I lift heavy weights, I walk, I hike. I do a lot! Yoga only helps those things. Yoga also helps my work in therapy, my relationships, my thoughts and my views of MYSELF. It helps me be more empathetic and compassionate to myself and other humans. So, even if a little yoga is all you have time for, that’s perfect. A little yoga is certainly better than no yoga! It doesn’t have to be an “either/or” thing with what you choose to do for fitness or work on the self. It’s a “both/and” situation!
I used to brush off the community piece (yoga is for the self, right?) but I no longer do. It is so importing and life-giving to be around other humans who are doing the same work and want similar outcomes for the world as you. My yogis are some of my favorite people! In a world that divides us and would rather us be isolated on our screens all day, yoga in a room with others is perfection.
Most of our dedicated yoga students know these things, and this is why you continue coming back! We appreciate you and anyone who has walked through our doors, more than you know. Without you, we could not continue to deliver this kick ass, life-changing practice to the community. But just in case you forgot, life got in the way, or it’s been awhile, here’s your reminder. Humans prioritize the things that matter most to them, and what could be more important than you? It’s the best place to start.