We recently connected with Ahoo Sarab and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ahoo, thanks for joining us today. Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

Yes! I go on one long adventure a year. And take a few smaller vacations throughout the year. My long adventures are typically anywhere from 4 – 6 weeks, and usually entail climbing a mountain, in a remote part of the world, which also means I am forced to go completely off-line for a portion of the time. It has always been extremely important for me to step away, to reconnect to myself and my overall life mission. I get lost in the busyness of the day to day, and often fall into the trap of working all of the time. Climbing mountains is my source of finding stillness and being present with self. Up there, surrounded in the expansiveness and isolation of mountaineering culture, I can be nowhere but in the here and now. This practice coincides with and strengthens my day to day meditation and yoga practice. It is in this, that I come away with fresh ideas, I become reenergized and excited to dive back into the studios, once I’ve taken a step away from them. I have an amazing group of instructors, who are as passionate about yoga as I am. I trust them. They trust me. That is crucial, finding people you trust and who believe in your mission as much as you do.

Ahoo, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I found yoga in my teenage years. I practiced regularly, at home, for almost five years before I stepped foot into an actual yoga studio, not knowing there was a community like and for me. I kept with my practice, even as I began moving to different countries around the world. My hometown was Roswell, which is where I returned 11 years ago, and opened my first studio. As a studio owner and teacher, I have always tried to make yoga accessible to everyone. It can be intimidating to step into a studio for the first time, as a beginner. The practice has changed so much from when I first came to my mat, and I often struggle with finding the balance, of keeping to the authenticity of yoga, while also changing for a more, modern, western approach. Yoga often falls into an aerobic category, and it is so much more and beyond just that. I try and weave some of the depth and expansiveness yoga provides, without overwhelming students. I probably lean more to a hatha and iyengar style of teaching, as I am focused on alignment and sitting with the breath in postures. This is where I feel the growth happens, in the spaces in between the movement, in the yoga room and in life.

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

Covid. Of course. For most of us. I have two studios, one in Roswell I own 100% of and one in Decatur I own 50% of. Both studios followed the same course of action during the year of 2020. We closed, we had instructors volunteering to teach, we taught more classes as owners, we limited students, we worked hard at cleaning and sanitizing and keeping students coming back. We slowly reopened, rebuilt, lost some students permanently to online and gained new loyal students hoping to find a place to connect and handle the new “normal” as we kept hearing about. This new “normal” seemed to be an awakening into many parts of ourselves we weren’t ready to look at. And providing a safe space for students to release and let go became more important than ever. With all of this pressure, I considered selling my Roswell studio, in late 2020. I didn’t know if I had it in me to rebuild, after having spent the last 8 years building. I felt exhausted. I put feelers out into the community for any buyers. One approached, but after learning I was month to month, bypassed me and went straight to my landlord to take over. Having a great relationship with my landlord, I soon found out, and took almost no time in coming back in full force! I realized I wasn’t willing to lose my studio I had worked so hard for, an almost 30 year journey, at that point. I have since shifted the energy and we are in such a positive and incredible space now, I am so thankful I got the push I needed to step back into my mission.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Other clients. Word of mouth has always worked so well for us. We offer bring a friend for free deals and family classes and events throughout different times of the year. This brings the people in who have always wanted to try yoga, but are intimidated by it. They come with their friends and family and feel safe. I, being a big adventurer, run hiking, camping, rock climbing and rafting trips to help foster community. I also do a ton of events in the greater Roswell community. We live in such a special place, with small businesses supporting one another. I am involved with other businesses and team up doing races, festivals, outdoor yoga classes and more. This has helped spread word of our studio. I offer a free class pass to those I meet at the outdoor events and often see those students come in for class. I love getting to meet new people and learning about their lives. This gives me a chance to both grow the studio community and learn about the larger community in our area.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.korsiyoga.com
• Instagram: korsihotyoga
• Facebook: korsihotyoga
• Linkedin: ahoo sarab
• Twitter: korsihotyoga
• Youtube: korsihotyoga
• Yelp: korsihotyoga

Image Credits
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