Yoga Still Going Strong page 4

Home > Features / previous / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 /

Yoga Apparel

Apparel seems to be a non-issue, anything goes. As opposed to the serious spiritual yoga practitioner that may frequent pure yoga studios, most fitness yoga practitioners make due with their normal fitness clothing. Since so many pursue yoga in addition to other fitness activities at the fitness facility many may be jumping to or from a vigorous aerobic or strength training activity and simply do not want to change.

According to Anne Marie Miller: "they're not going in for specialized Camisole Unitard yoga clothing. They may come off a treadmill into a yoga class for instance and then go do some other activity."

With all of this said however, there are a number of beautiful items that can be added to your pro shop for the fashion conscience, don't overlook this segment.

The Importance of Temperature Control For a Yoga Class

The key to profitability is flexibility of your assets. Your aerobic studio should be retrofitted with a zoned temperature control if it isn't already. You may be sandwiching a yoga class in between two aerobics classes: "Yes, you'll need zone heat for the studio, need to be able to turn the heat down for an aerobics class and up for a yoga class. Warmer is better [for yoga]", says Margaret Decker of the Salem Athletic Club.

Bikram Yoga is popular with the hard core segment, if you add it, you may need a dedicated room. Currently it's very popular in Hollywood, if your members want it, it will place a strain on your ability to hold differing studio classes in the same room.

Bikram Yoga is the style taught by Bikram Choudhury who achieved fame as the teacher of Hollywood stars. This is a system of 26 postures, which are performed in a very standard sequence in a room heated to 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit supposedly to mirror the temperatures of India which makes the joints supple.

Sound Barriers Make it Better

If you haven't built your studio yet, remember that mind/body programs love quiet. Noise isn't an issue with most other aerobic programs, the high volume music drowned out any ambient noise. The appeal of yoga lies in it's stress release. Annoying ambient noise goes counter to this. So, if your studio is next to the gymnasium, pool, or public areas where noise can infiltrate in, consider adding thicker sheet rock to your walls, thicker glass in any windows, and thicker doors with seals all around.

What's is Store For Yoga In the Next Couple of Years?

There is a lot of growth remaining for yoga. If we were tracking a bell-shaped adoption curve, we're at the early majority stage and climbing. There's still a lot of boomers that can be attracted to increase memberships. In a parallel stream, traditional practitioners of yoga have followed their art for years and years and still do. So, this is not a fad.

Of the near term prospects for yoga, Anne Marie Miller of TSI said, "It hasn't hit its apex... It's been around for a long time, thousands of years ... there's been a recent surge in public awareness, the public is increasingly aware of its benefits. It will continue to be popular because it's more than empty exercise... People's spiritual side has been pushed aside by technology, boomers are now making more of a commitment to regaining it back."

Members will migrate between the various mind/body offerings and switch to Tai Chi or Pilates. There will be morphs and hybrids. For instance, TSI will be bringing out "yoga-lates" which combines elements of yoga and Pilates.

Beth Shaw of YogaFit® keeps evolving. She's already brought out a "Level 2" course and "Yoga Butt", and she's planning a release of Level 3 soon.

Capstone: An Interview with Beth Shaw, President and Founder of YogaFit

Around 1994 Beth Shaw had the idea to develop a form of yoga that would embrace all of its positive attributes but be adapted for use in fitness centers where the central theme is physical fitness and the upbeat, often noisy, ambiance tends not to be that of a sedate yoga studio. The result of that was the formation of her company, YogaFit Training Systems Worldwide Inc.

They feature a YogaFit signature studio in Hermosa Beach, CA. Beth's top-selling book and video were launched by Human Kinetics Publishing last fall and she now lectures and trains fitness professionals internationally and has been published in fitness magazines worldwide.

A long time fitness and yoga enthusiast, She holds certifications in various health and fitness disciplines including Hatha Yoga, Integrative Yoga Therapy, Indoor Stationary Cycling, Reiki, Massage and Personal Fitness Training. Beth has a Bachelor of Science from Long Island University and has completed coursework at UCLA's Fitness Extension Program.

FitCommerce.com:
"So, what's next? Why will members continue their yoga practice? What can clubs be doing so that they don't get bored?"

Beth Shaw:
"Members will continue their yoga practice, more hybrid mind body classes like my latest trademarked YOGA BUTT class will come to the forefront. Yoga will lead members to more mind/ body modalities. Yoga will become a way of life for everyone in the health club setting. People will slowly start to wean themselves away from aerobics and outward classes and turn inward."

FitCommerce.com:
You're developing a Level 3 course, can you share what it will offer?

Beth Shaw:
Level Three offers practical lifestyle advice: right/ left Brain, Fung Sui and the simplification of life, nutritional information, alternative health care options, and anti-aging.

FitCommerce.com:
What have you learned since the light bulb went off in 1994 to adapt yoga for health clubs?

Beth Shaw:
I have learned that even in the business of yoga there
is stress :-)

FitCommerce.com:
Did it follow the original course that you had imagined?

Beth Shaw:
It is getting there but I'd like to see more "yoga mind/body" rooms in health clubs ... this is slow to happen and only in the more advanced and higher end clubs....

FitCommerce.com:
Any predictions for the year 2003?

Beth Shaw:
Better lighting in fitness clubs, softer design, more mind/body rooms. More onsite counseling on nutrition, anti-aging, and alternative care. More senior programs, more social programs integrating new information with social events.

www.yogafit.com

Spread the wellness

About Al Valente

Go to the Author's Page

Home > Features / previous / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 /