139: What It Takes For a Locally Owned Yoga Studio to Survive with Deb Flashenberg
I have been an active participant in the yoga industry since the early 2000s, and I have never really understood how brick and mortar yoga studios, especially locally owned ones without corporate backing, made it work.
I’ve been curious about it, and I have seen a few studios run incredibly well and last a long time, but we all know those are the outliers. These spaces are so important for us as teachers and students, and for the wider community as well, but they so often struggle to survive the impact of late stage capitalism.
And that was true even BEFORE the pandemic, when so many of our favorite local businesses closed down. There are not that many yoga studios that have been around for a long time, but we are VERY lucky today to hear from one of my old friends, Deb Flashenberg who has had a thriving locally owned yoga studio in New York City since 2002. AMAZING.
(and if you want to listen to my previous episodes with Deb please check out 31: How To Work With Pregnant Yoga Students and 104: Postnatal Considerations in Asana with Deb Flashenberg)
In this episode you’ll hear:
what the vibes were like back in 2002
what changed in the landscape between 2002 and 2019
how and why Deb and the Prenatal Yoga Center survived COVID
what the “comeback” post-COVID been like
what thoughts and advice Deb has for people thinking about opening up a brick and mortar space now
Learn More From Deb:
Recent Podcast Episodes
How do we pour into ourselves so we have enough energy, time and focus for all the people who need us?
How do we stay connected to our practice, since it should be the foundation our whole teaching life is built on?
How do we stay inspired in our teaching without investing thousands of dollars in continuing education each year!
It is not easy! But creating time for our own practice and study is essential.
Today on the podcast ,I am going to share a story from a retreat I was on in Thailand. I was two weeks into a three-week trip when I realized I was as busy and exhausted as I was at home. The truth hit me like a ton of bricks, and that moment was the beginning of a lot of change for me.