LOVE PROFILE: Red Tail Power Yoga

LOVE PROFILE: Red Tail Power Yoga

LOVE PROFILE: RED TAIL POWER YOGA

Edited by Tashya Knight

PROFILES

LOVE PROFILE: Red Tail Power Yoga

We are so excited to chat with Maureen Benedict, the owner of Red Tail Power Yoga in NY! You can catch the full interview via our YouTube link, and here is an excerpt of our fun IG live chat we had about what it is like owning multiple yoga studios, surviving the pandemic, and great things coming up in 2023!

Iana
We are chatting with Maureen, owner of Redtail Power Yoga here in New York. Yoga Love magazine is based in New York City so we love supporting our local studios. It’s never easy as a small business owner but it feels extra challenging now.

Maureen, tell me about your studio. You’ve been open for a few years before the pandemic hit, so at least you had a couple of years to get your bearings before the pandemic. What was that transition like for your studio?

Maureen
We opened here February of 2018, and we had pretty much just celebrated our second birthday and then March 2020 hit. We were already live streaming from here because I had a friend and colleague who was the original brainchild of Vivaya Live and had this idea probably two years before the Pandemic hit to have an interactive wellness website, and she asked if I would help launch it. So basically in 2 hours, I had every single class up and live streamed.

Iana
You’re the first studio owner I’ve spoken to who was set up basically before everything happened. I feel like in 2018, people would have been like live streaming yoga? That sounds odd. And I love that you were open to this new idea and embracing this technology to reach your community.

Maureen
Yeah, it was really interesting. She had this idea, and I told her, well, I teach through the body, is that okay? We don’t put a mat down and demonstrate. It’s just the nature of how we teach with our eyes and our words and often our hands. So I taught live classes. I would teach the people on Zoom and the people here. Then I realized my teachers also had to stay healthy and connected to the community, and the community would miss them, too. So they learned to teach live. And so when it was that we weren’t really coming back into this physical space, then it was “from our home to yours.”

I moved the furniture, the dining room out, and that was the yoga studio. My old golden retriever, he would do savasana every time. My cat would do meditation every time. We did that pretty effortlessly. And then in June, I got a permit from the town because I knew these humans needed to get together in the community and right up the road there’s a park. So we taught outdoors four times a week. Even when we were outdoors, we still live streamed the class.

And then in August, we were back in the studio with the restrictions that New York State had, and we thought, what can we do to keep people healthy? What can we do to keep people connected? And so we still live stream every class,  every single class on the schedule has the option to choose in person or view broadcast.

Iana
I love that that’s still being offered. Did you find that a lot of your community moved away during the pandemic? And have they come back or have most people stayed?

Maureen
I think in the beginning, everyone was so connected and together on the screen and really in support and then when it went on a little longer, people tended to drop off. I think in yoga in particular, there’s so much about community and connection and togetherness. We put the zoom classes on gallery view and then they were socializing and introducing their pets. When we came back in, there were still people online socializing. I think people are really ready to be in community, in connection. So, it’s been an interesting challenge.

Iana
When things got challenging, how did you get through those moments? Was there a person, a mantra, a pet, something that helped if you felt overwhelmed in that moment?

Maureen
There were definitely moments, lots of them, lots of emotion. It feels a little like despair, right? A lot of people would say, “oh, it’s so great you could keep your studio open when so many closed.” It was a conscious decision to keep the studio open. I was here to be of service for my community and my teachers, and so whatever it took to keep this place open, which meant balances on credit cards and financial commitment to hold the line.

So what was my mantra? What was my guiding faith? I have “Walk With Grace” tattooed on my arm. I actually got it for my birthday last year, because the Red Tail Hawk is my spirit animal and he always tells me to rise above, to look at the big picture, and that this too, shall pass. And that in the moment, I wanted to believe it. We’re spirits having a human experience. So to allow this human and all of the humans to have whatever experience they’re having right now is what I felt was my calling to just be space for them of love. Space of love for every human to go through whatever their human journey is taking them through right now.

“So what was my mantra? What was my guiding faith? I have ‘Walk With Grace’ tattooed on my arm. I actually got it for my birthday last year, because the Red Tail Hawk is my spirit animal and he always tells me to rise above, to look at the big picture, and that this too, shall pass. And that in the moment, I wanted to believe it.” 

Iana
That’s so beautiful. And that faith, that feeling has to be so strong within you to keep moving forward, and that’s why you’re still here. It broke my heart when I would hear of a studio or a partner that had closed. It felt like a punch in the stomach every time I heard about it. And then the ones that did stay open, it was like this joyful release. 

With everything you went through, and then you turned around and supported our business, which was amazing. Our business only survived, because you paid it forward and supported us. So thank you for doing that and for continuing to be that. It feels like a miracle!

Maureen
It is a miracle, right? Every breath we take is a miracle.

Iana
How has your personal practice changed in the last couple of years?

Maureen
I love getting on my mat with my teachers. We’re a family of teachers. We’re a team. So every teacher here is trained by me personally and then by each other, and they usually rise up through the community. We don’t do teacher training as a regular money maker, but we do two teacher trainings a year. I’ll do teacher training when I have people that come to me and want to give back to the community and they want to share what yoga has done for them. In their classes I show up as just love and support for them in whatever stage they are in their teacher training journey and their teacher journey.

I did an apprentice program with two people recently that also allows my teachers to step into leadership as a mentor. So I’ve gone from studio owner, mentor, and now I’m a professional life coach. I’ve stepped into those shoes this last year as well. It just was the natural evolution of me.

Iana 
What did you do before you owned the studio, what was your previous life?

Maureen
It’s so funny because I like to say that I’m a cat, so I’ve had so many lives. I started as a young person in fashion sales in New York City for one of the biggest manufacturers. I was a sales executive for Liz Claiborne back in the day, and then I raised three sons. I made the conscious choice to stay home and raise my boys. During that time, I had a boutique baking business, and then I worked for a nonprofit, the Eleanor Roosevelt Center up in Hyde Park, New York. It’s the nonprofit arm that does international girls leadership and I was the assistant to the director, and then I was a  yoga teacher who taught from here to Stanford, and was a Lulu ambassador for two terms. I’ve had a lot of lives.

Iana
What would one piece of advice you would give someone that’s maybe looking for a little bit of guidance to get towards their dreams or their goals? One quick piece of advice you could leave them with.

Maureen
One piece of advice for anyone that they can use at any time to move forward: Your path is where your feet are. It’s today, the present moment. If I’m opening my eyes, I’m actually focused on the present. The possibilities are there. If I’m not in fear of the future or regret of the past. Your path is where your feet are right now.

“One piece of advice for anyone that they can use at any time to move forward: Your path is where your feet are. It’s today, the present moment. If I’m opening my eyes, I’m actually focused on the present. The possibilities are there. If I’m not in fear of the future or regret of the past. Your path is where your feet are right now.”

Iana
Thank you for chatting with us this morning. Thank you for supporting us and helping us continue the work that we’re doing as well. I’m so happy to hear all the amazing things you have planned.

Maureen
Thank you for the good you guys do, and I’m honored to be a partner.

LOVE PROFILE: NICOLE BYARS

LOVE PROFILE: NICOLE BYARS

LOVE PROFILE: NICOLE BYARS

Founder Honest Yoga

PROFILES

Mimis-Yoga-Kids-profile

As we prepare for our June release of our print issue themed LOVE, we reached out to our amazing community to share with us a few thoughts on love. Our feature celebrates Nicole, owner of Honest Yoga in Plymouth, MN. Nicole describes herself as a struggling overachiever turned yoga educator and studio owner and shares: “Not to be dramatic or anything – but yoga saved my life. If we rewind a decade you would find me struggling with an eating disorder while balancing first-time motherhood and an unhappy marriage. Yoga was ultimately what got me through that challenging time. I ended up getting my teaching certification, started training other teachers, and built Honest Yoga to be a space for all of us to heal, evolve, grow, and thrive together.”

Share with us what you love about what you do:
There is so much variety in what I do, which is why I love it! I am a yoga and barre teacher, a studio owner, a trainer, a studio cleaner, a community builder…you get the picture! Every day looks different and each day keeps me on my toes. I love being able to guide a more serious and intentional yoga class, and then crank up the music and dance in high energy barre class. Some of my days are spent working in the studio which allows me the opportunity to tap into my creativity by creating blog and social media posts. Honesty, I love the energy of the community we have created at Honest Yoga. There is a vibe that I bottle up every time I leave. It’s a vibe of light, fun, and love. It’s my home away from home.

Share with us what you have learned about LOVE:
LOVE is a big word with a lot of depth, yet it is so simple. My journey with love has been through many ups and downs. In my 20’s I was at war with myself and was seeking love outside of myself. I was looking for love anywhere but myself. My yoga practice is what opened my eyes to loving me again, which was an ever-so-slow practice and a practice that ebbs and flows. I believe that we must love ourselves wholly and unconditionally before we can truly love those around us. Every morning I wake up I say, ‘I love. I am love. I choose love.’

What inspired you to support Yoga Love Magazine?
I love Yoga Love Magazine and the editor Iana and fully support their mission to celebrate diversity, to inspire, and create community. Who wouldn’t want to support that mission! And, I love their social media page. It always makes me smile. 🙂

Learn more: thehonestyoga.com

LOVE PROFILE: KIMBERLY ALEXANDRESCU

LOVE PROFILE: KIMBERLY ALEXANDRESCU

LOVE PROFILE: KIMBERLY ALEXANDRESCU

Founder Sacred Space Astoria

PROFILES

Mimis-Yoga-Kids-profile
As we prepare for our June release of our print issue themed LOVE, we reached out to our amazing community to share with us a few thoughts on love. Our feature celebrates 

Kim is the owner of Sacred Space Astoria. A chakra-based yoga teacher since 2012, Kim is also a reiki master, Urban Zen Integrative Therapist, intuitive reader and end-of-life companion. Her scientific background and clinical research experience gives her a uniquely grounded approach to yoga and energy work. Born in Michigan, she’s made Astoria her home since 2006, raising her three children in the neighborhood she so dearly loves.

Share with us what you love about what you do:
I love the connections that Sacred Space Astoria, the yoga studio and healing space I own, provides for both the community and myself.  Being in a safe space where we can show up authentically as ourselves and feeling held is so crucial for growth and healing.  The feeling I get from meaningful connections and conversations while I’m fully in my body and open-hearted after a yoga practice, reiki session or providing death support is unparalleled!

Share with us what you have learned about LOVE:
When we can show up fully as who we are without risk of judgment, magic can unfold.  In my end-of-life work, it quickly became clear that my only job was to show up and unconditionally love the person who was dying; seeing, hearing and supporting their process was all that was needed.  Simply put, my presence is enough; I am enough.  That understanding facilitated more healing than I can put to words.

What inspired you to support Yoga Love Magazine?
I love to read, and I love the practice of yoga!  I’m also a big proponent of supporting small businesses/operations, especially when they are female-run.  I think it’s important to be active in AND support our community, so becoming a sponsor of the magazine was an easy choice!

 
Learn more: www.sacredspaceastoria.com

SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: Yoga on the Mountain

SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: Yoga on the Mountain

SPOTLIGHT FESTIVAL: Yoga on the Mountain

Sept. 28-Oct 1, at The Lodge at Magazine in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas

FESTIVALS

LOVE PROFILE: Terri Speck
Looking for something to do this Fall? We are thrilled yoga festivals are back and can’t wait to check out all the amazing events taking place around the world. This week we had a chance to connect with  Krista DeBuhr, Founder of Yoga on the Mountain Festival (YOTM) in Arkansas who we are thrilled to partner with! As a special exclusive gift to our community, save 10% on your ticket purchase via code YOGALOVE10% off tickets:  one day, two day, three day and all 4 days. 

What inspired you to create a festival? 
Unite the Arkansas yoga community. As yoga was growing, I felt the energy of an event would keep the momentum and inspire people to live healthier, more fulfilled lives. People come from all over the Southwest. YOTM was in Aspen/Snowmass for 3 years (2017-2019) before the pandemic. 

What makes your festival unique? 
It’s small, intimate, and the event lodge, cabins and trails are nestled at the top of the mountain without other businesses or housing. The moment you turn up the windy Ozark hills, it feels like home. The gathering feels like family. 

What offering/presenter or class are you most excited about for this year’s event? 
We are excited it’s YEAR 10 and I love the variety and social events we are able to offer with so many local teachers: Sunset Social, Farm to Table Picnic, Opening and Closing Jams, Meditation, Sunrise Flow, Highest Point Hikes, Music themed Power Flow, Handstands, YIN, Mala Making, Writing, Sound Bath, Restorative, Yoga Nidra + live guitar, massage, Yoga Therapy, and more! 

Learn More:


https://www.facebook.com/yotmfestival  
https://www.instragram.com/yotmfestival 
https://www.yotmfestival.com/ 

LOVE PROFILE: Terri Speck
LOVE PROFILE: Terri Speck
LOVE PROFILE: MIMI’S YOGA KIDS

LOVE PROFILE: MIMI’S YOGA KIDS

LOVE PROFILE: MIMI’S YOGA KIDS

Edited by: Tashya Knight

PROFILES

Mimis-Yoga-Kids-profile

We are so excited to chat with Camelia (Mimi) Felton, the owner of Mimi’s Yoga Kids  located in Atlanta, GA. You can see the full interview via our YouTube link, and here is an excerpt of our fun IG live chat we had with her!

Iana
We’re going to chat with Mimi, the founder of Mimi’s Kids Yoga in Atlanta. So you’re a kid’s yoga teacher, I wish there had been yoga when I was a kid! 

Mimi
I started teaching yoga with the foundation and core of teaching kids. But I have grown now into teaching everybody. So I say “kids” from newborn to 105. It’s amazing how it has turned into that, and so I’m really thankful. I teach babies all the way to seniors, so it’s a great place to be.

Iana
And how did you get started? 

Mimi

I had a yoga practice off and on. I was a stay at home mom, and I would do it in spurts. But then in 2014 something pretty traumatic happened in my life, and yoga was what I turned to. It wasn’t the very first thing that I turned to, but I eventually started doing yoga and I got on the mat and it was just one of those things that really, truly got me through a tough time in my life. And so now it is my goal and mission to introduce that to other people. It’s not a cure all, but it is something with consistency and just making it your practice. Don’t worry about what anybody else is doing, make it your personal practice. I can almost guarantee you that it will change your life. It will impact your life in a way where we’ll make things better. And I’m a living testament to that. 

But then in 2014 something pretty traumatic happened in my life, and yoga was what I turned to. It wasn’t the very first thing that I turned to, but I eventually started doing yoga and I got on the mat and it was just one of those things that really, truly got me through a tough time in my life. 

Iana
I love that you share that it wasn’t the first thing you turned to, I think that there’s a lot of people who will try a couple of things and eventually, if you land on yoga, you kind of never leave. It’s transformative. And you made it your life’s work! What did you do in your “previous life”?

Mimi
I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I’ve done so many different things. I would sell Avon, I sold this, I sold that. I had an organizing business or cleaning business. So I’ve always had that entrepreneurial spirit. I was a stay at home mom, then a single mom, and then I had to go back into the workforce. I worked in the medical field and my last job was in pediatrics so I was around kids all the time. I love kids. And I was in a space where I had a lot of connection with parents. And so that was another thing too, that I knew because I saw kids coming in with anxiety and all these things, and sometimes they just want to give kids a bunch of medication and do different things. And I thought there has to be a different way. I’m not downplaying that in any way because we all need what we need, but in some instances, I think there’s a better way.

And so I just knew that I wanted to do this because I have a grandson. Well, I have four grandchildren now, but at the time I had one grandson and he would do yoga with me, and I saw the benefits that it gave him. So I thought, we need this. They’re our future. And so it just started with one small little party at my house, and then it has turned into this. And we’re thriving and I’m so proud of it. I’m really proud of it because it’s something that’s my purpose and my mission. And when you find that you wake up every day and it doesn’t feel like work, I’m just doing what brings me joy. So it’s a wonderful place to be.

Iana
Did you notice since you were doing this before the pandemic, that during the pandemic, things changed? Did you notice a change in kids and people?

Mimi
The space that I have, I’ve just gotten it, before I was mobile. I was just going everywhere. School, daycare centers, senior citizen facilities, parks, anywhere you can spread a mat out. I would go because I firmly believe yoga is for everybody, and you can do yoga anywhere. So I was mobile, and I still am, because I firmly believe in taking yoga to people. I don’t expect people to come to me. It’s my job and my responsibility to take yoga out into the world. 

So when everything shut down, I was like, how am I going to get to my community, to my people, my babies, my kids? And so we pivoted, and we started doing things virtually. I was able to create a little space that I have now, which is in the basement at first, and I did little camps, little mindfulness breaks, all the things. The only ones I had a hard time getting to were my seniors, because they’re like, “We’re not doing virtual, not doing that.” So we would meet in the park with our jackets on, we would take tables out. And we did that for about a year out in the cold, but we would warm our hands up, we would listen to music, and we would move our bodies. And that was their saving grace, because they were able to be in community. They weren’t alone. They were getting fresh air. They were getting vitamin D. And so that was major because seniors, a lot of times, they’re alone. We couldn’t get to people like we normally could. So we said, hey, let’s just meet in the park.

“… I firmly believe in taking yoga to people. I don’t expect people to come to me. It’s my job and my responsibility to take yoga out into the world.” 

Iana
You are actually one of the teachers we are featuring in our Atlanta spotlight in our upcoming LOVE issue launching this June. So thank you for that and thank you for joining that shoot. We spotlight at least three cities in each issue and in this issue, we spotlight Atlanta, Tokyo, and Boston. The shoot looked like so much fun. What was that area that you were you did the shoot?

Mimi
Ponce City Market. It’s a really cool space in downtown Atlanta. And so we decided to do it there because it’s just one of those places that it’s nice and open and you get that city feel or vibe, I should say. It was a lot of fun. I was so happy to be in the space again with those other two teachers because we did another event  together. And so it was really nice to have that opportunity. Did you know we had Peace Week here in Atlanta? We did yoga with the mayor. I had picked up the magazine in New York and I was like, oh, my God, this is so nice. I would love to be in this magazine. And here I am, so super excited. I have to shout out Melissa Honkanen for making that possible.

Iana
Melissa is from our team, and she lived in New York for many years and recently moved to the Atlanta area. And that’s how we choose which areas to spotlight, it has to have meaning, and significance to us. Where  did you get the issue of Yoga Love Magazine?

Mimi
My friend Michelle, founder of Yoga Mazia in the Philadelphia area. She invited me to go to SOULFest last October and that was amazing, and I picked up the magazine.. I was also able to meet Dianne Bondy and it was an amazing opportunity. And Shari from Karma Kids yoga, I love her music. I’ve been playing her music since day one. It’s just amazing how life works, right? Everything is just kind of full circle. So I know that this is what I’m supposed to do.

Iana
And that’s such a great feeling when it does! This is why I love talking to yoga teachers and studio owners, and anyone that works in the wellness space. And I say this all the time, people don’t work in wellness because they have to. They do it because they want to and they can’t imagine doing anything else. And there’s so much excitement and so much passion for it and it’s still work.

You make it work, you figure it out and you’re constantly on your toes and there’s so much community and passion amongst the people that you just do it. You do it in the cold in the park and you do it in the rain…

Mimi
And the power of community. The power of community, it was beautiful. It was beautiful to connect and to be in that space.

Iana
So what’s in the future for you? 

Mimi
There’s so much that I want to do. I have a vision board that I just put things down and I firmly believe if it’s meant to be, it will be. So I would love to travel the country and travel the world, teaching mindfulness and meditation and yoga to kids. But my biggest thing is we have to do it here first. We have to take care of our home. I’m big on once I feel like home is good and then I want to go out into the world and just keep providing light and hope and love because this world is a crazy place. It’s a crazy place, but there’s so much love and there’s so much community and there’s so much light that we can still gravitate towards. And so I strive every day to be that light.

Having the community yoga space, just offering yoga free or very low cost for people that otherwise may not be able to afford it or the opportunity. So that’s very important to me. And then my last thing, I need to get into the correctional facilities, that’s part of what I want to do. I wasn’t incarcerated, but my oldest daughter was for a crime she didn’t commit. And so yoga was what kind of kept me going. It kept me in a mental state to be able to not only take care of myself, but to take care of my children, my grandson, and even her at that time. I will always give kudos to yoga. I firmly believe healed people, heal people. And through my own healing, and I’m healing every day, I’m able to create a space for others to heal too. That’s it.

“I will always give kudos to yoga. I firmly believe healed people, heal people. And through my own healing, and I’m healing every day, I’m able to create a space for others to heal too. That’s it.”

Iana
I love that!  I want to connect you with Bre Scullark. I don’t know if you’ve ever met her. She goes into the correctional facilities, and she teaches yoga as well. And so there’s a big network of people that are doing that here in New York. She is an amazing person. The work it’s so beautiful and it’s so needed. Everyone needs yoga. We all need it. We’re all going through something. But when I see it there in those spaces, it’s just my heart is so full, and it breaks a little.

Mimi
Trust me, I know how it can be both because it’s a population that people just don’t really think about, but at the end of the day, they’re human too, and they deserve peace, and they deserve light in the midst of all that darkness. Because at the end of the day, for whatever reason, that’s not for me to judge. That’s not for me. For me, I just want to provide some love and some light and some joy, even if it’s just for 30 minutes, that can change somebody’s life, somebody’s day. So that’s very near to my heart, and the universe is just working. So I’m just like, do what you do, universe. 

Iana
It was so great chatting with you. And I have to say, this morning I was  feeling a little tired and just speaking with you and just feeling your enthusiasm and your love and your light. I feel replenished just speaking to you. Thank you for that and we’re so excited to feature you and your amazing work in our next issue, which will launch in June.