Tell us a little about your background and your yoga journey…
The very first time I heard about yoga was at a music festival in Northumberland. At the time I was living in a fairly rural part of Yorkshire and the only course I could find was an hour’s bus ride away… but I made the trip every week after that. A few years later, when I moved to Newcastle, the world of yoga really opened up to me. It was a far cry from what it is today with only a handful of teachers, but for the first time there was a choice of classes I could attend almost any day of the week if I wanted. (which I did!). In Newcastle I met my first real teachers with whom I worked closely in a mentoring style before undertaking the first of many certified training courses in London. I had originally planned to continue in creative psychotherapies, but the more I did yoga, the more I realized it was the path for me. In 2014, the time was right to move from teaching to something more structured and engaged. And there you have it, the first studio!
What inspired you to open Yoga X Life and when did you open the studio?
The initial motivation for opening our first studio was consistency. In three different collectives and many church halls we were already teaching full-time – the only problem was that we were all traveling between full-time classes too! And what’s more, we were subject to the room’s existing schedules. We wanted to be able to open our schedule to early morning classes and weekend events and training, and also expand our ability to work with various community and charitable groups in the afternoons with the reflexivity that having our own keys would allow front door.
What is your mission with Yoga X Life?
Our mission has been pretty much the same since day one: to create a true resource where people can go to practice, find connections, and foster community. We evolved our name from Yoga Therapies to Yoga x Life to reflect this belief that rather than a topical application that can be applied when things get stressful and then forgotten afterwards, yoga is truly at its most powerful when it is fully integrated into our lives and core.
How is Yoga X Life different from other studios?
In many ways, I don’t think Yoga x Life is that different from other studios; we all work to help people connect to the transformative practices of yoga and meditation. We care about creating safe spaces, making practices accessible, and building true community. We are often praised for the diversity of our community and for welcoming people, perhaps this is one area where we stand out. People are encouraged to have a “point of difference” as a business, but often this is done by narrowing the scope rather than truly offering something that stands out.
What advice would you give to someone considering opening their own studio?
In today’s climate, I would advise someone to first make sure they’ve done the math correctly! Beyond that, I think I would ask them if they were sure a studio was what they wanted. I think many places open because a teacher wants to create their own ideal environment for teaching, rather than actually wanting to open a studio. Running a studio is actually a completely separate thing from teaching yoga classes and there are already many truly amazing spaces that are underutilized. I guess my ultimate question would be, “If you weren’t teaching in this space yourself, would you still want to open it?” »
Do you have a quote or mantra that you live by?
Uh! There are so many that come to mind! One quote that always stands out is one I’ve loved for years from Merleu-Ponty: “The body is our general means of having a world. »
To learn more about Yoga X Life:
Website: https://yogaxlifestudios.com/
Instagram: @yogaxlifestudios
