construction zones

running a yoga studio takes a lot of hard work.

running a yoga studio while undergoing construction takes a lot of hard work and diligent planning.

but running a yoga studio while undergoing construction that you didn't plan for takes a lot of hard work, diligent planning, and a little help from your friends. that is, help in the form of patience, understanding, and a LOT of moral support.

take, for example, the current plight of two neighborhood yoga studios.

here's an excerpt from an email i received from yoga blend in burbank:

You may have noticed that two of our bathrooms are out of order. For those of you that don't know, someone accidently drove their car through our building into those two bathrooms. Construction will begin soon and we will do our best to stay open the entire time. However, please know that it will not be as quiet as usual during classes. It is a perfect time to practice remaining present and calm even when life gets crazy around us. It is very likely that the hallway will be closed off so you will need to utilize the outdoor entrance to the Shakti studio once you have checked in the lobby.

We will keep you updated as the work begins but hope to make this transition as smooth as possible. Although a slight inconvenience for a short time, we are all so very grateful that no one was hurt.

and if you think that's inconvenient, read this e-mail update from liberation yoga in mid-wilshire:

Some underground pipes have burst and we have been flooded. The damage is quite extensive and for a few days the inside room is unavailable as we try to salvage our beautiful floor. We have to spend this week with all of the blowers blowing and try to get the indoor room to dry and the insides of the walls as well. What this means is that we have to cancel classes as we can't have two at a time.

With hope and a prayer we will be back to the usual business of full schedule bliss by Saturday. The interior floor will be a bit wobbly but dry and then we can hope it will settle without furthur interruption. There will be a fair amount of construction so we ask for your patience a bit more then. THANK YOU ever so for sticking with your practice and with us!

And now the schedule (drumroll)~

MONDAY 2/18
7:00am with Lynn Taylor - CANCELLED
9:00am-10:30am Iyengar - ON
9:00am Ashtanga with Joel Bender - CANCELLED
11:00am Level 1 - ON
4:15pm-5:30pm Gentle Restorative with Jeanne Korn - ON
5:00pm-6:30pm All Levels with Sarah Isenberg - ON
6:30pm Level 1 with Cathie Baker - ON
6:30pm-8:00pm Flow with Ashley Albrand - CANCELLED
8:00pm-9:30pm All Levels Vinyasa with Alicia will be ON with Ashley teaching

TUESDAY 2/19
6:30am with Arun Deva - CANCELLED
9:00am-11:00am Ashtanga with Joel Bender - ON
9:30am with Steven Espinosa - CANCELLED
11:00am-12:30pm Level 1 with Jessie Diaz-Perez - ON
4:30pm-6:00pm All Levels with Jennifer Long - ON
6:30pm-8:00pm Level 1 with Kathleen Ross-Allee - ON
6:30pm-8:00pm Flow with Christine Burke MOVED to 8:00pm and will be ALL Levels
8:00pm Level 2 with Erica Kyriakatos - CANCELLED
8:15pm Meditation class - CANCELLED

WEDNESDAY 2/20
7:00am with Lynn - CANCELLED
9:00am-11:00am Ashtanga with Joel - ON
9:30am-11:00am Iyengar - CANCELLED
11:00am-12:30pm Level 1 with Sarah Hemphill - ON
11:15am Qi Gong - CANCELLED
4:30pm-6:00pm All Levels with Laurie Searle - ON
6:30pm-8:00pm Flow with Ashley - ON
6:30pm Restorative with Jeanne - CANCELLED
8:00pm Level 1 with Christine - ON
8:00pm Flow with Alicia - CANCELLED

THURSDAY 2/21
6:30am with Arun - CANCELLED
9:00am Ashtanga - CANCELLED
9:30am with Steven - ON
11:00am Level 1 with Jessie - ON
5:00pm with Sarah - ON
6:30pm with Christine - ON and will be ALL Levels
6:30pm Level 1 with Molly - CANCELLED
8:00pm All Levels with Mark DeWhitt - ON

FRIDAY 2/22
9:00am-10:30am Iyengar with Pagan - ON
9:30am Flow with Ashley - CANCELLED
11:00am Level with Lynn - ON
4:30pm Gentle with Kathleen - ON
6:30pm All Levels with Christine - ON

and from the 2/22 update:

Weekend Schedule (2/23 and 2/24)~
All Classes will be as usual for Saturday and Sunday EXCEPT Family which will have to be cancelled. So sorry sweet yogi families!

MONDAY 2/25 - PLEASE READ - VERY IMPORTANT!
Lynn Taylor's 7am Level 1-2 will be CANCELLED
Joel Bender's 9:00am Ashtanga will be CANCELLED
Pagan's 9am Iyengar will BE ON
Susan Kaye's 11am Level 1 will BE ON.
As for the afternoon we will know by 1pm if we can have a full schedule indoors or not so please call and check if you are coming for an evening class some time after 1pm.

unbelievable!

anyway, i've since taken classes at both studios and chatted with both christy at yoga blend and christine and gary at liberation. given their circumstances, they're all handling it as well and as upbeat as they can.

while christy lost temporary access through an interior hallway (and could have had some flooding of her own had the car hit the plumbing), christine and gary lost temporary access to their main classroom (and have had to cancel half of their classes!). until things are back to normal, students at yoga blend will have to deal with noise and dust as the walls are being rebuilt, and students at liberation will have air blowers and dehumidified air while the floors are drying out.

honestly, though, it really wasn't that bad. if i can get through it, so can you... although if you're going to liberation, make sure you bring a warm shirt or sweatshirt because the garden room can get a bit drafty :)

they're doing their darned best to minimize the inconvenience to everyone. so drop by today -- better yet, take a class -- and show them that you care!