As construction on the studio begins winding down and we find ourselves in the final, more bureaucratic stages of opening the studio, we wanted to take a few minutes to tell you five reasons why this studio is special and why we think you'll love it!
1) Our Philosophy - Friendly & fun. We've heard so many people say that the reason they stopped going to their gym/yoga/fitness studio was because they either felt intimidated or it just stopped being fun. We feel like there's no reason you can't have fun while still getting a good workout in. Our style of yoga is intended to be approachable to all levels, while still being a challenge to even the seasoned practitioners. But most importantly, we keep it light hearted and entertaining. We want to see smiles and laughter during our sessions, we even encourage it! On the other side of that, shaming or intimidation will not be tolerated, by either staff or members. Our motto of "Every body's in at EveryBody Zen" means exactly that...we want you to join us regardless of fitness level, demographic, or political/religious/cultural affiliation. In our studio, the goal is to have fun and get fit, and to leave your worries/drama at the door!
2) Some Like it Hot (Some don't) - Hot yoga has become very popular in the past 20 years and many will argue that the benefits of hot yoga are myriad, including increased calorie burn and flexibility. Of course, as with everything in life, practicing yoga at 95 degrees just doesn't appeal to everyone. We totally get that and we wanted to create a studio in which it is YOUR choice as to whether you want to be hot and sweaty...or maybe a little cooler while you practice. Most classes at EveryBody Zen Yoga & Fitness will give you the option of using one of two rooms (what we affectionally call our "Sweaty Room" and our "Not-As-Sweaty Room") that will run the class simultaneously. How can we accomplish this? Our "Sweaty Room" is equipped with 15,000 watts of state-of-the-art infrared heating panels that make you feel like you're standing in the Carolina sunshine. Infrared heat warms surfaces (like your skin and our beautiful brand new waterproof wood floor) instead of the air, so most people say that it feels much more comfortable than standard, air-heating systems. Additionally, the nature of infrared heating allows us to open the door between the two rooms so the instructor can move around freely and give individual attention as needed. Not many studios can offer the luxury of moving from a balmy 95 degree heated yoga room into a 75 degree "normal" room in a matter of feet!
3) You'll Like the Sound of This! - Music can set a mood, help you focus, and even get your body moving without you even realizing it. We like to mix up our playlists to give each class a unique feel and we knew a good sound system would be important to delivering the best yoga experience we can. Both rooms have full surround sound with streaming music delivered by wifi; so no more skips or audio glitches that are common when using bluetooth to deliver music. When both rooms are being used by students, the instructors have wireless microphones to insure that nobody misses a pose.
4) Amenities - There's more to a yoga studio than just the yoga! We want you to feel comfortable during all aspects of your time with us, so amenities are a big part of the studio experience. We have two bathrooms, one with a shower for those occasional quick turnarounds between your workout and your work. Is it your first class or forgot something? We have you covered with rental towels, mat towels, and Manduka brand mats. Looking for that 'Down Dog' shirt that you see the instructors wearing or a cold, healthy post-workout beverage? Grab one from our store. We'll also have Senita Athletics brand yoga apparel. Senita Athletics is a small, women-owned company that produces fashionable and affordable high-quality clothing. Finally, we'll offer a variety of yoga mats made by Manduka and Gaiam. It's a one-stop shop for your yoga needs! The best part? We will have a customer loyalty program that builds points on your membership profile each time you attend a class or other studio event. Build enough points and you'll get discounts on merchandise, free class passes for your friends, or future discounts on your membership! This will all be automatically tracked through our custom-branded app on your smartphones that you can also use to check the schedule, book/cancel classes, or communicate with the staff.
5) Plans and Classes for Every Body! - While some classes are more strenuous than others, we encourage all ability levels to attend any of our sessions. Every pose has variations that can make it easier or more difficult, and our experienced instructors will be more than happy to guide you in the right direction. Remember that our ultimate goal is for you to have fun while getting a great workout! We'll be offering classes 7-days a week. Some start as early as 6:15 for the early birds and most days we have evening classes as well. Twice a week we'll offer family classes for parents and children to enjoy yoga together (although the parents get to sweat it up in the Sweaty Room while the children get their own instructor in the Not-As-Sweaty Room). We're planning more specialized classes in the near future including prenatal yoga and maybe even goat yoga! Ultimately, this is your studio and we'll consistently evaluate our class schedule and make changes to best suit our member's busy schedules and needs. Finally, we offer a variety of membership plans or class packs to suit your needs. If you're too busy to regularly attend classes, grab a multi-class pack and come when you can. If you want to get that yoga fix multiple days a week, go for a monthly, tri-monthly, or yearly membership. Pricing plans are always clearly written and upfront, and we even offer your first in-studio class for free to all Charleston County residents! We want everybody to try the studio at least once to see if it's a perfect fit for you before you commit to a long-term membership or class pack. Ultimately, it's not our studio, it's YOUR studio.
We hope to be making the grand opening announcement VERY soon, so in the meantime keep a check on our social media pages as well as our website for updates. See you all soon! Stay healthy and happy!