"It's not exactly the best time to be starting a business," said New Moon's sole partner and head yoga instructor David Morgan, "but then again, when people are stressed, there's no better time for them to take a break, stretch out and relax with some yoga. And that's exactly what appears to be happening."
"Despite an economy in retreat and summer being a traditionally slow time of year for the yoga business, we've gotten a great start," said Morgan. "Specials we ran our opening week provided enough income to cover our expenses for the next couple of months while membership builds." And membership is building. Morgan reports that the studio is on track to being self-supporting by August. "That bodes very well for September, when kids are back in school. Of course, there are no guarantees in business."
Morgan's first experience with yoga was while studying meditation in India on a college program in the early 1990s. "It didn't take," he said, "college kids -- this one, at least -- had different priorities."
"Maybe it's a cultural thing, but the gyms in Knoxville seemed at that time to be doing their best to reduce yoga to stretching exercises. No one was teaching breathing or meditation, and no one was talking about awareness, consciousness, or yoga as a path of self-discovery. Yoga studios, on the other hand, were too expensive for someone on a tight budget who wanted to attend regularly. So I figured I'd get the most bang for my buck by investing in becoming a yoga teacher myself. Thanks to a gift from a generous friend, I was able to attend a yoga teacher training in 2007 at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The idea of owning a yoga studio has been on my mind since that time."
Morgan has remembered his experience as a hungry yoga student in creating New Moon Yoga LLC's business strategy. "It was important for me to create a price structure that would not only support the studio and my family, but also be affordable for people who really wanted to see the benefits of yoga in their lives through consistent practice. Membership fees seemed to be the way to go. And for people who value what we offer, the price we set, $39 a month for unlimited classes, is a no-brainer."
New Moon Yoga LLC offers pay-as-you-go options as well, and newcomers can try a class with no obligation for $5.
New Moon Yoga LLC will hold an open house Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 6:00pm followed by a free "stressbuster"
