Our Three Core Values at Emerald Yoga Studio
This week has been wonderful at Emerald Yoga Studio. We have had some amazing ‘wins’ this week that have lead me to wanting to share my three core values for the studio. When I sat down and wrote out a business plan (and let’s be honest it was a scribble compared to how in depth I realize now that it should have been) I put down three things that I wanted to base my decision making, event planning, and marketing around. I want to share them so that you understand the level of caring and commitment that is put into every breath that is taken in the studio. I read over these when I sit in my office. I have a copy written in my planner. These core values have become my mission statement.
The Three Core Values of Emerald Yoga Studio:
1. Help those who haven’t been helped: When I sat down and picked through the reports and demographics of the studio, something became very apparent to me. This is a generalized finding as well. We serve the basic community of women ages 35-55. ‘That’s great!’ I said to myself after jotting that number down. Now where do we go from there? We are already doing a wonderful job at serving that part of the community, how do we open up the brackets? Are there people who haven’t been able to attend a yoga class that would like to? What are their limiting factors? These are all the questions I pondered over for quite some time. I fully accepted that we cannot serve EVERYONE however, how can we help those that haven’t been helped or those who need a little extra accessibility to make it into yoga. What do THEY need? Can we be a little louder in our studio to help those with hearing impairments? Can we be a little bit more welcoming and careful with those who need it? Can we consult with those who haven’t seen a yoga studio before? Do we have accommodations for those that need them? What about men? Why do they hate yoga? Yes. Yes. Yes. and MORE!
2. Open your heart bigger than you think you can: As more studios pop up near our nest here at Emerald, the opportunity arises for us to get in the mindset of ‘lack’. Meaning that we believe there is not enough yoga to go around for all of those who need it. We can fall into a competitive headspace where all we do is try to out-do each other. This takes a lot of time, money, and energy and frankly I like my option B better. Instead of thinking of Yoga as a rare gem that cannot be shared...we open up our hearts bigger than we ever imagined. To open your heart bigger than you think you can is understanding that everybody deserves a chance to love yoga in their own capacity. Whether that be at a gym, a church, a school, a hospital, or a yoga studio. When we open our hearts BIGGER we shine even BRIGHTER. That light shining signals those that are meant for our studio, to see us, what sets us apart, and ultimately the vibe you give off attracts your tribe.
3. Always give more than you take: This is one of my personal favorites because this is curating and crafting of what I can give all of YOU! These are the fun little additional tidbits that I can offer to you at no additional charge. Some of these examples are: Our Emerald Yoga’s Gems group on facebook where we get to share together, the Emerald Yoga Studio Podcast, this blogging section on our website, Facebook Live, the Units section of the Facebook Group with additional information on poses and props, and even a monthly spotify playlist. What do I get in return? Nothing except for the satisfaction that my Emerald Yogis are happy and we are continuing to grow and learn together as a community.
In addition to this giving more than you take also includes the donations that our amazing studio has raised for several non-profits as well as donations that have been made to local schools, local charities, and local first responders. I can’t wait to announce the final number for what we have raised on January 1st in the newsletter. Your contributions to the studio and our success in raising funds has been incredible. If you’re interested in paying it forward to Emerald Yoga Studio please take a look at our Amazon Wishlist this holiday season.