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With a strong foundation, my studio and teaching practice are growing up – and changing. What will support my students and our evolution?
BY MAGAZINE COLUMNIST BARBARA DENOWH
The second year of being a studio owner already feels so different. For the first year I had no real expectations. I knew how I wanted to studio to feel, I knew the kind of yoga I taught, and I knew how I wanted to price classes. It wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns. It was a lot of hard work, constant striving, and being there all the time. Even with all of that, it seems to have gone smoothly. There have been no real disasters, no real problems, nothing really stressful.
Now what?
I no longer feel that manic energy of having to make it work. It is working. The ground now feels a little more stable under my feet. So, what do I do with that stability? What makes a great studio?
Year two has entirely changed my perspective
In year one I found myself falling back on the, “Hey, it’s $5 yoga, what do you expect” when it came to the studio aspect. The tangible things. Like props. I have ten bolsters, ten blankets, and ten straps. Or, the creepy back room…um, just ignore it. I was positive that these things didn’t really matter, and I guess they really don’t. I’ve never had some one not come back because the linoleum in the back room is ugly.
But, to me, they are beginning to matter more. I want to invest in more props so if you want an extra blanket you can just grab it. You don’t have to wait to see if your neighbor is going to use his.
Or, a bench by the door so students have a place to sit to take off their shoes. Simple things. Those things that make the studio feel more established. More real.
My biggest investment will continue to be my education. Between my advanced teacher training and teaching ten classes a week, I am feeling a shift in my teaching. Just like the shift in the lil’ studio from year one to year two. I feel the ground firming up under my feet.
Barbara Denowh is a yoga teacher in Helena, Montana. You can find her in cyberspace on Facebook or at her website denowhyoga.com. She also rambles about yoga, teaching, her wonderful husband, and her hound at babsbabble.com
