Our Next Steps

Over the last few weeks, I have received numerous messages from members of our community asking about our reopening. From these limited conversations it occurred to me that underlying this drive to reopen is a deep sense of loss, one we are all collectively experiencing, perhaps without even realizing it. As human beings, even while gripped in the throes of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, we have the extraordinary ability, and unique opportunity, to reframe this conversation.

So, how can we learn to accept the simultaneous impacts of a pandemic, economic uncertainty, and systematic social injustice? How can we accept the fact that these situations are figuratively and literally tearing us apart? Does the answer lie in our physical spaces? Or, instead, does it arise from the many ways we can come together as a community, sharing a sense of familiarity and practicing a level of safety, without risking the well-being of others.

As a yoga studio, we are here to help guide the members of our community toward an acceptance of who we truly are. Through our teachings we learn how our mind can wreak havoc with our happiness and how our thoughts can ‘reason’ us away from feeling uncomfortable. We have purposefully built a space that provides each of us with a safe place to sit in that uncomfortability and learn how to truly acknowledge the genuine, authentic self. And it is from this value system that we will continue to base all of our decisions on how we move forward.

With that in mind, we have taken advantage of this opportunity to recognize and embrace more positive health-related outcomes. We are aware of how critical face-to-face relationships are to our ongoing mental and physical well-being and we are aware of the critical role our studio plays in that for many of you. With these ideals in mind, we will continue to focus on keeping our business sustainable while remaining true to our values. Some of these many steps include:

1. Financially securing our physical space during this crisis.
2. Creating numerous potential plans to reimagine and enhance our physical space.
3. Modifying our products and services to better align with the future of Yoga.
4. Offering additional cash saving benefits for everyone.
5. And very soon unfreezing all membership and series to give you the benefits of our classes.

Our studio is quite different from other yoga studios and we take pride in the unique differences that we offer. We recognize that these differences are part of what draws members to our physical space and we remain committed to providing an expanded space, physically and virtually.

We are steadfast in our commitment to help people feel a sense of belonging and we realize how urgently important that work is to help manage and prevent further mental and physical maladies. Be assured that, while certain steps in this process may be taking longer than we would wish, we are prioritizing what is most important – the health and safety of our teachers, staff, and community.

Over the next few months, we will be announcing changes to how we operate our business, but we need your support and participation. To help in that regard, please don’t hesitate to email us your thoughts and concerns at this time. You may write as much as you want or keep it brief. Everything shared will be held in strict confidence and will be used to help us learn more about what is happening with you and what your needs are at this time.

We are grateful to all and we strive for your continued human connection in these trying times.

Categorised in: Blog, Ethics, Grief, Philosophy, Social Injustice, Wellness, Yoga

This post was written by Michael Ruccolo