Patience...

Image Credit: Waiting by Don McCullough

One thing I've been learning, perhaps even the hard way, lately is that building a business, whether it's a brick and mortar business, or something less substantial requires patience. And lots of it.

I like to know what's going to happen next. I like predictability. I like (and crave) routine. Being the owner of a budding new Yoga studio involves none of this. But it does require loads and loads of patience! 

Unlike owning a retail store or other sales-driven/goods-driven business, Yoga is something unique. Different. And the business of Yoga requires a lot of heart, a lot of soul, and the willingness to cultivate it so that it can grow - much like growing a garden. 

Opening the doors is like planting the seeds. Spreading the word is like water and sunlight. It comes a little tiny bit at a time and it's organic. You have to give it time to work. 

I suppose realistically, I knew that I wouldn't swing open the doors to crazy busy classes - but there are times it's really scary! When people come, they tell me how much they like the space, how different it is from a stereotypical Yoga studio. They tell me they feel safe. That it makes a difference. And hearing that is what makes it easier to be patient, to trust, to watch, to cultivate.

Organic growth is a thing. And it's a thing that takes time. One student comes and has a lovely class and tells a friend, and it grows from there. The challenge is allowing that to happen and resisting the urge to force growth on the business faster than it should actually happen! We all know that adding chemical fertilizers may speed growth of a garden over the short term, but can have long term disastrous results.

And so I sit. And I breathe. And I trust. And I watch. And I cultivate from a heart-centered place of love for what we're growing, a place where anyone can come and practice Yoga in a non-judgemental, non-competitive place full of love and acceptance. That's what Body Positivity Yoga is all about.

---