Today we’d like to introduce you to Roni Sloman,
Roni, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I began Bella Prana about ten years ago when I was three years into a depression. I was functional but felt lethargic, unhappy and lost. I decided to give myself the birthday present of a meditation class. That was the day it all changed. It wasn’t overnight, but the practice of breathing started to be like a crack of light in a dark room. I quickly decided I wanted to teach others. This has been one of my most interesting traits and has benefited me greatly. I don’t have to be an expert in something to think I have the right to teach it. That youthful boldness propelled me into wanting to teach others to meditate and so I signed up for Yoga instructor training because I heard yoga and meditation went together. Not kidding – I had taken one yoga class in my life when I signed up for yoga instructor training. They let me in because yoga wasn’t as well known a decade ago.
I quickly fell in love with the yoga practice and began to envision my own studio. I never considered working somewhere else, because I knew I had a vision that was unique. I had been in full-time ministry prior to this time and I felt that yoga needed to be treated more like an outreach program. I didn’t feel that the tight-knit, hippie feel of the yoga community at the time made it available to a large demographic and I felt called to change that. I began in a small room that could hold about six yoga mats in the back of my mom’s botox business. Within six months we had outgrown that room and the patio outside. I knew it was time to open something more legit. I found a one-room space on Macdill that felt huge to me at the time. It could hold about 25 people and I opened up my first real space about a decade ago. Within two years we had outgrown that space and I purchased another local studio in a serendipitous opportunity. I built a studio twice the size and merged the two studios into a space that could now hold about 65 students.
Four years later we had outgrown that space and the time came to make another major decision. I ended up buying another local studio who had a beautiful location and the owner, serendipitously yet again, was ready to focus more on her non-profit work. I took on a partner and we renovated the space and opened up what is our home today. Bella Prana now sits just outside downtown Tampa, with 6,000 square feet filled with three studios, a full boutique, private studio and massage, and bodywork specialists. We have an average of 100 classes a week with a 200 and 300hr teacher training program and monthly workshop and community events. We have a thriving veterans program, prenatal and mommy and me classes, kids mindfulness summer camps and much more. With everything from restorative and beginners to hot power flow and Ashtanga yoga, we have classes for all ages, abilities, sizes, and interests. The studio is everything I ever dreamed and more. The process to get here took a lot of hard work, guts, and risk. But it was also fun, and wild and expansive. Starting your own business isn’t for the faint of heart, but when you can see it that crystal clear in your mind you have to give it a go and trust yourself.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh no. Not smooth, or short. Building a business is like a living organism, and you are the white blood cells. It will always push back and you have to discern whether or not that resistance is a sign something isn’t right, or if it’s time to lower your head and push harder. It requires a clarity of mission that others won’t always understand and can make you seem almost crazy sometimes. I have had moments crying in the rubble of a construction site, to begging for money, to pretending to understand legal jargon, to debt-ridden and sleep deprived and no idea what the next step is. But in looking back on it all, and in the coaching I have done since, I have noticed there is one main quality that seems to make all the difference. I just kept taking one more step.
Asking one more question. I never believed I had reached the end even when all the odd were mounting. That is what I see in others who create and succeed. They just don’t stop. I remember one time lying in my bed crying, trying to let myself be upset and I had one eye open already texting someone about what creative way I was going to get to surmount that obstacle. I remember sitting in a boardroom with financial papers strewn everywhere and I didn’t know what any of it said and I didn’t know half of the terms my accountant was using. But I thought “this is the difference, these are the uncomfortable moments you have to sit through if you want to do this. This is the difference between talking about it and doing it.” The thing people don’t tell you is that the business stuff won’t be the hardest. The hardest part is all the people stuff. People will say and do some crazy things; people will act entitled and not be able to appreciate what you’ve done. People will gossip and second guess and maybe even attack. The people part is the hardest, and you have to develop a thick skin. The key is to thicken, but not to harden.
Always remember people are doing the best they know how, and that they have their own storyline that is controlling the narrative. Being aware of your own storyline is the real work. Only then can you step back and know what really matters and what really deserves your time or energy. Here’s the real talk – business ownership is not for everyone. It has become trendier to own your own business. But the truth is that you will often work harder and make less money. That’s not a bad thing if you are doing what you love and you can enjoy that flexibility. But there are very real trade off’s and not every personality type is cut out for it. That’s the harder thing to say because it doesn’t sound inspirational. But I think it is. I think whether you created it, funded it, or nurtured it, all of those roles matter and nothing happens without all of them.
Please tell us about Bella Prana Yoga & Meditation.
Bella Prana Yoga studio provides yoga classes of all levels and in many styles as well as teacher training programs, workshops, events, and community classes. For instance, we do a monthly class through the New York Yankess called Yoga on the Diamond where we lead classes on the Yankees Field. We specialize in holding yoga classes that make people feel accepted as they are, safe, and able to push themselves to new levels. We are known for our serene and beautiful space and stellar customer service. We are a business that is religiously neutral but spiritually unapologetic, so we welcome spirituality into our classes and space as long as it is done in an inclusive and thoughtful way. We are proud of the broadness of our community. From baby classes to kids yoga, to meditation and life skills workshops, to restorative and yoga for veterans and local rehabilitation clinics, we are proud that our community is varied and real. We are proud of the energy we cultivate in our space, that begins with the way you are greeted and never ends. We are not perfect, but we strive to be intentional in everything we do and if the people we have attracted are any indication, we are a doing a pretty good job.
Here is our mission statement:
Bella Prana Yoga and Meditation lives to serve the community by providing affordable yoga, meditation and an overall holistic wellness experience in a neutral space for students of all beliefs, abilities, sizes, needs, and ages- from in utero to seniors. We vow to use our sacred space any way we can to support, love, nurture and educate all who walk through our doors by giving opportunities of self-study that empower students to grow in health, wellness, creativity, spirituality and the evolution of humanity. We are committed to developing our teachers and training new ones so that they may safely and knowledgeably facilitate a space of healing and awareness beyond our walls following the Yoga Alliance Code of Ethics. We hug (a lot). We listen. We breathe. We move. We do everything in our power to create and be Bella Prana- which literally means “Beautiful Energy.”
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I remember being in middle school and I had just gotten home one day. I was standing there in my school uniform and my dad came through the door and immediately threw me over his shoulder. He ran to the backyard and jumped right in the pool. His beeper didn’t survive and we still had our shoes on, but he just decided he was going to do it and did it. I remember it so clearly. I think that playful and headstrong mentality has served me well. I’m really grateful for my Dad’s wild spirit.
Pricing:
- New Student Special – One Month Unlimited Yoga for $39 then packages are available for 5, 10 or 20 class packages all the way up to annual memberships.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1112 W. Platt St.
Tampa, FL. 33606 - Website: www.bellaprana.com
- Email: info@bellaprana.com
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