She was unable to sell her business when COVID arrived. Yet, there’s a silver lining.
On June 30, Yoga for Life & Centered Wellness closed its physical doors permanently — a transition that had been planned since late 2019 and took a different direction due to COVID-19.
Near the end of last year, owner Karen Williams announced she was looking for a buyer for the West Morehead Street yoga studio and wellness center.
Although talks with interested buyers were progressing, so too was the coronavirus.
When businesses shut down in March, so did the purchase talks.
At that time, Yoga for Life, like many local studios, transitioned to an online platform.
Without a buyer, Williams waited until the end of June to make sure that all of her Wellness Center staff was able to find other work. Once that happened, she announced the permanent closure of the facility.
An 11-year journey
Williams bought the existing Yoga for Life studio 11 years ago, after retiring from practicing law. She expanded its offerings by adding a wellness studio with six wellness practitioners practicing a variety of talk therapy, massage therapy, coaching and esthetician services.
The transition to offering online classes has been what Williams described as an “organic wind down”. She had always hoped to continue teaching yoga following a sale of the studio, and the indefinite switch to online classes allows her to do that. “Of course this is not what I had planned, but personally and for our community of wellness, recent months have proved to be a lovely transition,” said Williams. “It is a relief to not have to charge a specific price for classes to cover rent and other expenses. Yoga for Life’s current subscription structure eliminates all financial barriers to students’ ability to access classes.”
In order to account for the financial hardships that many in the community are experiencing, Williams has opted to implement a pay-what-you-can subscription model, with monthly suggested amounts highlighted on the Yoga for Life website. She also includes a note, ”If you are financially unable to pay for classes at this time, please join us anyway … pay later when you can.” Williams shared that she has been overwhelmed by the generosity her students have shown.
“With location no longer a factor, we welcome students from all over the country. One student moved to Colorado just before the start of COVID, but she still attends the same 8 a.m. class each week,” said Williams. “She told me that despite being two time zones behind, she wakes before the alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. on Thursdays because it feels like Christmas.”
The Yoga For Life community is just that, a community. With COVID restrictions prohibiting a send-off party, Williams instead opened up her studio by appointment, for individuals to come and get their photo taken doing their favorite yoga pose. More than 50 students showed up to have a commemorative photo taken by Williams’ photographer husband Chris Koonts — including the studio’s original founder, Mary Lou Buck, who is in her 80s.
Classes are taught seven days a week by Williams and three other instructors and a detailed schedule can be found on the Yoga for Life website.
