Yoga Center Survives Lockdowns

Herndon VA

11 August, 2021

10:02 AM

Description

Herndon, VA — Before she owned a yoga studio, Susan Van Nuys was a computer programmer who used yoga to help her step away from the computer world. "I enjoyed the puzzle aspects of it, how to put all the parts together to make it work," Van Nuys said. "I got into yoga originally to get my head out of my computers because I could get a bug in my program and I couldn't sleep at night. Then, I realized how much I enjoyed it. When it became obvious that the owner of the studio I was taking classes at was moving, I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to do something with more people around that I really enjoy." Van Nuys still finds that puzzle-solving aspect in her work, now in the form of class designing, rather than computer programming. "It started out as a way to calm my mind," Van Nuys said. "Now it's become a lifestyle. It's probably one of the best decisions I've ever made." The studio originally opened in the early '90s, but was purchased by Van Nuys in 2001, making it one of the oldest yoga studios in the area. And though with that longevity comes more experience riding through tough economic times, 2020 was nothing like anything she had seen before. "This was very different. Before 2008, we were one of the few yoga studios around. There were some, but not as many. In 2008, a lot of people lost their jobs and decided to go off on different career paths, and that meant for some, starting yoga studios," Van Nuys said. "On top of the recession, we started getting a lot more competition. When the pandemic hit, that was entirely different because we couldn't see people in-person anymore." On March 15, Van Nuys closed the studio for in-person classes and only started reopening a few months ago. She had to quickly look into the plausibility of virtual instruction. "One of our teachers who has some technical know-how immediately started trying to figure out how to Zoom classes, while I was busy shutting down the studio," Van Nuys said. "I think the 19th or the 20th we started our first online class. We did a couple of short videos, two and three minutes long, to get people accustomed to seeing this online and to get the teachers comfortable with doing this online." On top of live-streaming classes through Zoom, Van Nuys also recorded classes, adding them to the studio's vast video library. And though a yoga studio without the in-person element was a difficult challenge, being fully virtual enabled a few silver linings. "In some ways it has been fun," Van Nuys said. "We've had students that have moved out of the area, and a number of those have come back to us. Random people have come back to us that we haven't seen in years, and so that's been a lot of fun." And though the studio started in-person classes in May of 2021 — at first with masks and social distance, now with vaccination requirements — they still have more virtual classes and students than they have in-studio classes and students. "Our rules tend to change month-to-month, depending on what we're hearing from people," Van Nuys said. "What our teachers are comfortable with. Right now, we're watching the variant and will adjust accordingly." While Health Advantage Yoga has yet to make a full recovery from the pandemic, Van Nuys is confident that things are going to get better. "More and more people are wanting to do in-person classes, so I'm hoping that will head that direction more and more," Van Nuys said. "I'm hopeful that everything will work. Again, we're just going to have to see. If nothing else, I've learned there's very little I can control with this. I am grateful to our staff and students for staying with us. That's been extraordinarily helpful and just wonderful."