We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Analisia White a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Analisia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I earned my RYT 200 by the summer of 2019 and have since had the pleasure of instructing in several studios in Texas and South East Wisconsin. Yoga quickly became a pivotal role in my life. It has healing powers, both spiritually and mentally, and has connected me more with my body and well being. Sharing something I’ve become so passionate about has been very satisfying for me. Student feedback has been so impactful. Helping others discover the same enrichment and self-love that I’ve found through yoga is why I do it – it’s my motivation. It’s this very motivation that has propelled my vision for one day owning my very own yoga studio and making a true go at this not just as a profession, but a lifestyle.

I founded Yoga By Analisia in April 2023. A venue with open space and beautiful cream city brick had contacted me inquiring if I would have any interest in hosting a private event in their space. I had been teaching for several years by this point, but I’d never hosted a private event outside a brick and mortar yoga studio. The thought of it was nerve racking, but exciting at the same time. This was my shot and I was grateful for the opportunity. I had no equipment nor any idea how to approach running my own business, but this was the dream I’d had so many times before and there was no one standing in my way except myself – it was my time to take the leap and I’m so glad I did.

I owe a lot to my fiancé and business partner, Sam Ubl. He was the one who helped me understand that my vision and my dream of owning my own business was even possible. He helped me figure out what equipment I would need. From having the right props, to the setup, the music and wireless microphones – all of these things needed to come together just right to prove not only to myself, but the guests that attend my events – I can do this. Sam helps me move all my props, the set-up and the breakdown. He also happens to be an amazing photographer and has helped me considerably with my marketing and documenting my events. We make quite the team.

This business is the journey I’ve yearned to be on and is steadily developing into everything I hoped it would become.

The focus of this business is the people, it is the yoga students who help create this community that really are the backbone of this business. Right now, we focus mainly on partnering with Venues to bring classes to the students. The goal is to create a unique experience for the yoga student any time they walk through the door. Eventually, the dream is to have a physical studio to call home. The studio will help create a welcome environment, for the students – but also the teachers, to always learn, and always grow.

Analisia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am an Oklahoma-born, Texas-raised yogi who moved to Wisconsin at the beginning of April of 2020. I became a 200 hour teacher certified teacher in 2019 after discovering yoga as a healthy coping mechanism. I was forced to look within after a personal experience that led to my ‘rock bottom’ so to speak. I decided to look at myself and not shy away from the work that needed to be done. I was led to yoga through this journey and fell in love with how my mind was focused during the time on my mat. I realized that what I gained from yoga was far greater than just the movements, and that’s when I realized that I wanted to help others find the same thing -That moment where they can connect to themselves and not be afraid.

I strive to bring each student to that place on their mat anytime they join me in a class, whether it’s in a studio, or my own events.
I also am a certified sound healer with a focus in crystal sound bowls. I use these as another tool to help students heal anything that may be stored in their body that needs to be released, whether it is trauma or tension (often both).

The ability and goal to help others find peace in stillness and challenge is a gift that I want to continue to grow.

I guide students in studio, my own personal yoga business, sound healing sessions, privates, corporate events and more. I tailor everything to what the student wants or needs.

I have experience teaching vinyasa, yin, sculpt, yoga nidra, meditation, slow flow, sound healing, and certain breathwork.

Using all of these tools, I help students bridge the version of them now to the version they want to be or want to work through.

I am extremely proud of the community and yoga business that I have built – but I would not be here without the students who show up and join me time and time again.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the many lessons that I have unlearned as a yoga teacher is the idea of staying in the lines.
I feel like sometimes as yoga teachers, it is easy to fall into a pattern or a “box” and sometimes, depending on what teacher training you do, it is encouraged to follow a format.

I didn’t actually connect into my identity as a teacher, and myself, (combining the two) until about three years into teaching. I took a couple classes from teachers who flowed so fluidly and funky that it opened my eyes to what yoga could be. I found my voice when I started flowing and teaching in a way that felt more aligned with me – and sometimes this meant that I was not following a set format or set structure.
There is beauty in creating something new and different and weird. There is beauty in being messy sometimes, even as a teacher – because I am constantly learning from the students. What works, what doesn’t – what students need versus what I had “planned.”
I used to write my flows down on paper and would get frustrated with myself if I didn’t follow it word for word. I would beat myself up thinking I wasn’t the “perfect” yoga teacher. Now that I understand that perfect doesn’t exist and I can only be the teacher that feels the most like me, I am much more confident in my teaching, but also myself.

Teaching is a constant roller coaster. One day you will feel on top of the world, and the next you may have imposter syndrome and wonder if you should even keep teaching. At this point – I ride the wave that comes with teaching, and have grace for myself because I’m only human – and I am only doing the best I can do. I feel very passionate about this practice and the community, so if I feel like I don’t know what I’m doing or if I should keep going, I always come back to that. The true love I have for this yoga practice and the growth I have made as a teacher, and as a human. Allowing myself to teach and guide my flows in a way that feels natural and that resonates with the students much better than putting pressure on myself to have a structure that makes me feel caged.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

My yoga business wouldn’t exist without my partner in business and outside of it. My fiancé Sam and I met at a yoga class – he came to an early morning weekend class I was teaching. He was new on his yoga journey, healing from some things in his past, and he found yoga was his own version of therapy.
After class, he approached me to see if I would be interested in doing a photography shoot (He does photography on the side – and while he normally focuses on the outdoor space, he was intrigued by the movement of the human body during yoga and wanted to capture it). I was skeptical at first, but we did end up meeting up to discuss the shoot and what he had in mind. During this time – we found that we had a lot in common and actually had a connection that we both wanted to explore.
After a few months of seeing each other, and him seeing how much I poured into yoga teaching –
When he heard my dream of one day owning a yoga business, he helped open my eyes to all the possibilities, if I just got out of my own way.
He challenges me to not only speak up for myself, but understand that I have skills and talents that are worthy of expanding. That I am worth more than I gave myself credit for. He helps me feel like there is nothing that I or this business can’t grow into.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/yoga-by-analisia-62491911563
• Instagram: @yoga.by.analisia
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091801082092
• Other: Tik Tok: @yoga.by.analisia

Image Credits

Sam Ubl with Chase Nation Productions took all photos