It’s been a few months since we’ve sent out a note, but we haven’t gone anywhere.  We have been here the whole time.  Pulling in our resources, refining our vision, strengthening our team.  Vira Bhava Yoga is so much more than what most people see from the outside.  We are a small business with a big vision.  We are a Yoga company, but we are trying to do it differently.  We are not trying to fall into all of the norms of the Yoga Industry: flexibility (61 percent), stress relief (56 percent), general fitness (49 percent), improve overall health (49 percent), and physical fitness (44 percent) from the 2016 Yoga in America Study Conducted by Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance, instead we are attempting to return to the authenticity of yoga and share that with the world, we are working to empower other people who feel similarly about yoga to share their voices in their communities, and  we are working to make it possible to thrive while following the path and practice of Yoga.

What does this mean?  It means that we are rebellious in our process.  We spend countless hours observing ourselves and our place in the industry and adjusting continually to meet the path of Yoga regardless of the world’s expectations and desires. This looks like disappointment to some, that we unwaveringly follow the path of practice even when it doesn’t fit the popular norms.  We don’t heat up our studio, or dumb down our language, we don’t hide our reverence for the practice’s spiritual roots.  We also create space for everyone’s unique voice to be heard, allowed, and honored in the context of the business vision.

And you know what, it’s hard work.  So many days, in so many situations, it would just be easier to fold.  To reduce our work to the popular common denominator, to let go of the integrity on which we have build this business for the last 5 years. Instead we stand steadfast, often at the expense of being “liked” or “understood.” We are determined to stand in the truth of our vision, transforming the challenges into lessons, and refining our systems by learning from our mistakes.

We have said for years that we want to be the training that people “whisper” about instead of the training that people shout from the rooftops.  Does that mean we don’t want to be seen? Emphatically, NO!  It means that we want to be seen for what is real and true, and are willing to be patient for those who align with what we are offering.  If you are curious about what we do, then reach out.  We are so much more than a Yoga Teacher Training, we are a company that serves to catalyze communities of Authentic Warriors. Vira Bhava Yogis are willing to embody the essence of a warrior, and to live a more fully authentic life. Our teacher training programs are designed not only to teach yoga, but also to support students as they take their practice off their mat and into their lives.

Vira Bhava Yoga also offers opportunities for our Advanced Level graduates to create lucrative businesses in their communities. We offer a turn-key yoga teacher training license program to our graduates, 84% of whom are women. Our licensure provides ongoing revenue to our license holders, so they can make a sustainable living doing what they love.

Learn more at http://www.virabhavayoga.com/vira-bhava-yoga/

So, while it may seem like we’ve been gone, we’ve just been busy supporting Vira Bhava Yogis in the world; The Golden Mandala Donation Yoga Studio in Nevada City, CA, Rishi Yoga in Reno, NV, The Breathing Tree in Canton, IL, Whitetop Yoga in Abingdon, VA, Brevard Yoga Center in Brevard, North Carolina, Pure Motion Yoga in Atlanta, GA and a special shout out to Rochelle Trudo, who will be bringing a Vira Bhava Yoga Teacher Training to Austin, TX in 2018. Each of these studios is an expression of the unique vision of empowerment that Vira Bhava Yoga offers to those who seek us out. We are so thankful to have found you all and to be working together to co-create a vision of the future that we believe in.