For over a decade, I have written articles for our quarterly newsletter. Those articles are archived here, and new articles will be added occasionally. Please check back often and visit our yoga studio in Herndon, Virginia.
It is time for another change.
I began taking classes at the Health Advantage Yoga Center (HAYC) in 1994 when it was owned by Betsey Downing, the founder. She had four teachers, and the studio had two yoga rooms and a small mediation room. When I bought the studio in January 2001, HAYC had grown to three yoga rooms and eighteen teachers.
It has been quite a ride, and the constant has been change. I took over as the yoga boom was beginning, and yoga was moving from fringe to mainstream. As yoga became more popular, we needed more space. In 2006, we expanded to 6,000 square feet to fill the entire top floor of our building. Since I became the owner, we have had over 55 teachers who led a wide variety of weekly classes, plus more who led workshops. Thousands of students passed through our doors. Some we only saw for a class or two; others came and went, and many returned again; and some were regulars for decades. Our biggest shift was in 2020, when due to the pandemic, we moved online, and then we lost our studio space in 2022.
People are starting to move on, and it is time for another big change. The online classes will end on June 30, however the videos will remain online and for sale until June 2026. I will continue to teach under the Health Advantage Yoga Center name for the Mexico trips and for my private lessons and classes, and several of the teachers will be moving to their own platforms. Pat Pao and Carol Ann Sonnenfeld will switch beginning on May 1. I will be happy to connect you with them, and you can email me at haycvideos@gmail.com
I am deeply grateful to all of you who have supported HAYC throughout the years. It has truly been an honor.
Susan