The Closing of the Sacred Space of MindBodySoul Yoga Studio

The winds of change are strong. Now is the time for deep trust to see where they take us.

Many things and people are leaving our lives and many things are coming into our lives. It feels swift and unexpected. Especially if we had been holding on to what was meant to go.

For me, that is our lovely physical studio. Do you see the image above?  That is me. I’ve been holding onto it with tight fists, which I now am trying to soften and release.

I am sharing with you today my decision 

I have decided to close the doors and turn in the keys.

 This decision did not come lightly. It arrived after months of prayer and hope.  We came close to renting the entire studio to the NYSCA for satellite classrooms. That did not happen. Re-opening is not allowed, but after six months of closure and when yoga studios are allowed to open, occupancy limitations, expensive ventilation systems and sanitation protocols simply make untenable an already low-margin business. 

Most importantly, the landlord and I could not come to an agreement that would not burden me with excessive debt and personal financial risk.

The yoga industry is changing, especially in NYC. Perhaps you saw this NYT article?  If not, check it out. It is also our story. I don’t believe this is the end of the NYC yoga studio. My hope is that it will be rebirthed in a new way. What will happen is a mystery right now...we will all see together.

The last two days I have seen so many of you and told you the news in person. It is indeed, sad news to share.

 I have had my heart cracked open again and again as I heard stories of how the studio made an impact in your life.  

💚  The woman who started day one of her 365 day yoga journey at MBSY.

💚  The man who said attending classes at MBSY helped him stop drinking.

💚  The woman who made a silent friend drinking tea every Saturday morning after the 8:30am class. 

💚  The couple who met and fell in love. 

💚  The woman who chose her apartment in Washington Heights based on its proximity to our yoga studio.

💚  The friendships made while drinking tea after class that remain strong to this day.

💚  The children of teachers, and my children, who grew up knowing this space as a second home with loving people. 

Coming together in our magical space has added light and goodness to many lives in our community--including mine and all the teachers and staff. We are all sad to see the space go. 

 But home is where the heart is; not the body.  Yogis know that every physical form changes, and eventually dissolves. What does not change is our hearts and our connection. 

We are still a community and we will continue to practice together in our ZOOM ROOM; just as we have done for the last six months.

There will be some schedule changes that will be announced next week. The changes that I made are in alignment with attendance patterns and previous survey results.

I am excited about what is possible for our online community of students and teachers. These past six months have taught us that community is where your heart is, not where your body is. We’ve become a smaller community in some ways, but a much stronger community in many ways.

So many of you donated to our Om From Home Fund. So many of you have paid “supporter rates” for series and workshops. I want to share what your generosity enabled me to do.

• The chronic injustices against the black and brown communities and the lack of representation of BIPOC teachers in the wellness industry compelled me to create four full scholarships for our teacher training program. 

• We received fourteen extraordinary applications. Among them were teachers in low income districts seeking more tools to serve their kids, social workers, clinical therapists for children with trauma, educators, and social justice activists. 

• Four scholarships was not enough. So I doubled it to eight and offered the remaining candidates a partial scholarship. 

• Generosity gets paid forward in ways we don’t know sometimes. I wanted you to know that you helped make that happen. This beautiful, generous, heart-centered community inspired me to give even when I was uncertain about so much. Generosity of heart opens up possibilities. Generosity inspires more generosity. 

This is who we are. This is YOU. This is ME. This is US.