We recently connected with Paige Morency and have shared our conversation below.
Paige, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?
Ashtanga yoga comes with a serious intimidation factor, even though it’s actually one of the most beginner-friendly yoga traditions out there. Everyone starts from the very beginning – and I mean *everyone*. Each student learns the sequences in bite-sized pieces, handheld by an experienced teacher, repeated until the student has a level of ownership over his/her/their practice unparalleled in other styles of yoga. While this practice can become “advanced” over many, many years of daily practice, it is built up slowly over time, with vigilant supervision. The practice is highly individualized, always meeting the student where they’re at.
Even so, social media oftentimes overwhelmingly portrays very advanced asana (or postures), leading people to believe this practice is “too advanced” for them. Therefore, those who venture bravely into founding in-person or virtual shalas (studios) find themselves running a business without a reliable revenue source (students), due to this intimidation factor and misinformation swirling around the weird world of internet yogis.
Paige, 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?
Paige Morency has been a daily yoga practitioner for 13+ years, with nearly a decade-long ashtanga yoga practice. She initially took a yoga class while training for a marathon, simply in an attempt to avoid injury. Very quickly, yoga stole the show and she was hooked. She soon found that yoga brings life into balance; it energizes, while grounding; it strengthens, while limbering; it encourages, while humbling; it is external, yet every bit internal. She dove deep into the practice, studying with David Robson, Jelena Vesic, Kino MacGregor, Tim Feldmann, Pedro Rubio, Maryl Baldridge, Jen Rene, & Michael Joel Hall, Sharath Jois (Ashtanga), David Kyle (Rocket), and Mimi Rieger (Power Vinyasa). Ashtanga, in particular, changed her life, and soon she felt compelled to share the power of this practice with others.
In September 2020, in the throws of the pandemic, she founded Nadical Ashtanga, an online yoga program and community, in hopes of bringing this healing practice to those struggling in isolation. The program flourished well beyond her expectations, evolving into an extremely close-knit virtual community of dedicated ashtangis, despite the odds and challenges that come with online programming. It has endured well beyond the pandemic and continues to bring the practice to at-home practitioners around the world.
If you’re feeling disconnected from yourself or your body; are looking for an efficient, budget-friendly, and holistic exercise and mindfulness practice; want to learn yoga in a true-to-tradition, individualized way; or are craving a supportive, loving community, consider joining! Your first week is only $20: www.nadicalashtanga.com.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
Community is a huge part of Nadical Ashtanga’s value-add. The program comes with access to a close-knit community that stays connected via a highly engaging WhatsApp group, monthly conferences (with time to share your successes and struggles with fellow ashtangis, receive tips and tricks that benefit the community, and connect with the bigger picture of the Ashtanga yoga system), daily individualized instruction, weekly workshops, and one-on-one mentorship calls. Students might initially sign up for the workout, but they stay for the holistic support and community.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Building your teaching team of individuals who are aligned with your values, vision, and brand is everything. If you feel like you’re banging your head up against a wall, it’s time to make a change – even if it’s hard. The quality of teaching is an obvious must, but make sure that you share an understanding of what it takes to provide your service and support your community. In Nadical Ashtanga’s case, that means that teachers show up with their whole heart, holistically support students, and communicate with reliability and kindness.
While many business consultants would advise to keep operations impersonal and transactional, that’s simply not how Nadical operates. This exchange of services is highly personal, human-to-human, and that’s what makes it special. Of course the founder of any business needs to lead and make the hard decisions that are best for the community. However, it is regular check-ins with teachers and students that determine the way forward. Morale and loyalty remain high when everyone feels valued and heard.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nadicalashtanga.com
- Instagram: @nadicalashtanga
- Email: n[email protected] and [email protected]
- Other: The founder’s instagram can be found here: @ashtangawithpaige
Image Credits
Mateusz Patrzyk