We recently connected with Jovon Salazar and have shared our conversation below.

Jovon, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

To inspire and empower caring people to cultivate a fulfilling lifestyle through yoga and community while finding their inner sanctum on and off the mat.

Our mission statement defines our aspirations of Yoga Sanctum. We care about our community and we want each person to who enters to feel supported in a space where they belong. To bring inspiration in cultivating well-being and a sense of fulfillment through learning and practicing yoga and the tools it provides to support living harmoniously with ourselves and each other.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

To think it started with a yoga DVD.

Jovon’s journey began 20 years ago when she was gifted a yoga DVD from her mother while pregnant with her daughter.

Immediately Jovon was drawn to the challenge of the yoga practice, to moving in unison with the rest of the class and the shared journey that occurs on the mat.

Now Jovon has emerged as a Yoga and Meditation Teacher, someone who embodies the spirit of yoga and someone who brings these values to her local yoga community.

Jovon created her first yoga studio 2016 to give her local community a place to practice yoga and move forward together in a time when the area lacked a true yoga home. During the time of the pandemic Jovon made a difficult decision to close the business.

However, this was not end of her story. During the down time she pursued her degree in business and then in September of 2022, Jovon opened Yoga Sanctum, which has become a destination for yogis of all levels.

The inner Sanctum if you will.

Her flows are strong and disciplined. Her messages resonate. Jovon guides Breathwork/ Pranayama techniques and mindfulness activities that help alleviate anxiety and stress to help elevate each student to the best version of themselves.

In addition to her vinyasa and restorative yoga classes, Jovon has helped expand yoga to the Sanctum community with yoga teaching training classes, breathwork/ pranayama classes, prenatal classes, sound bath meditations, retreats, and various community events that are free to all.

Her yoga training is extensive and features elite master teachers:

*200-hour Vinyasa Teacher Training with Tamal Dodge in 2015.

*Yoga-Ayurverda-Bodywork Training with Carrie Janell in 2016.

*Restorative training with Yoga Salt in 2016.

*Prenatal training with Desi Barrette in 2016.

*300-hour Smart FLOW teacher training with Annie Carpenter in 2020.

Jovon’s vision for Yoga Sanctum is to connect with other like-minded people and to create a sanctuary where everyone is welcome, everyone supports each other and everyone belongs.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Choosing the close my first yoga studio during the pandemic was hard, but at the time it felt like the right thing to do considering my circumstances. In retrospect, of course would have done things differently, but those are the lessons that have allowed me to grow into a stronger business woman. What illustrates my resilience is I reopened and my followers joined me and we all celebrated coming back! It truly is amazing what a sense of community can do and how important it is to have a community to thrive in life.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Playing to Win by A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin: How Strategy Really Works is a book that I’m currently reading. It has been an eye opener on what strategy is and how to apply it. Yes, we can have intentions, a general direction, and even a plan. Knowing what strategy is, how it works and how to apply it is a whole game changer. It has me thinking outside the box especially being a small business owner of a boutique yoga studio. Since we are the only yoga studio around educating our community is key and know how to do that take a well thought out strategy. Looking forward to learning more.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.yogasanctumla.com
• Instagram: yogasanctumla
• Facebook: yogasanctumla
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/yoga-sanctum-norwalk

Image Credits
Images were taken by ourselves