Today we’d like to introduce you to Rosa Santana.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I fell into a yoga class for the first time in 1995 at my local gym when the aerobics instructor didn’t show up. The movements were difficult, but captured my mind in a way that I had never experienced before. As a former dancer, runner, weights and aerobics enthusiast, this work was different. I kept going back to the once weekly class. After realizing that it eliminated my back pain, and I had less stress and reactivity, I was hooked. Then after a series of accidental falls, I realized this work was therapeutic, and life changing. I embarked on numerous trainings, including on a voyage to learn from the great Yoga Master, BKS Iyengar in India.
When I returned, I decided to dedicate my life to helping others to remove their suffering from their bodies, and along the way, discover clarity of mind. In 2001, I opened Yogarosa, a yoga studio dedicated to propagate the teachings that had changed my life. Since then, I have introduced the healing benefits of yoga to hundreds of students. Many have gone on to become teachers, and help me on my mission to bring the true teachings of yoga to many.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
When I set out to open a yoga studio in a time where yoga was relatively unheard of, I was very scared. As a stay at home mother with no business experience, it was difficult to convince my husband and my benefactor father that this was a good idea. They were concerned about the wellbeing of my family, since my three daughters were all under the age of 9. But I designed the schedule to fit my children’s needs. I would drop them off at school, teach a 9:30 and 12pm class, pick them up from school, feed them and help them with homework, and then I would teach at 7pm, when my husband would come home from work.
In the beginning, no one would show up to some classes. So I would do my practice. If anyone showed up, I taught them what I knew. Little by little, they started telling their friends and family, and the classes started to grow. Doctors would send their students to my classes, since I became known to help those with back problems.
Then the lean summer months would come, and many times I would cry alone in my studio wondering how I would make the rent. But it was like something wanted me to succeed, and there would always be “miracles”, and in the end it all worked out. I prayed a lot. And I was very blessed with an Indian landlord who believed in my work, and was patient when I was late making my rent.
The other big obstacle was that my husband did not believe in me or my work or my studio. He always would tell me that I would never make any money with that stupid business, and that I didn’t know how to manage it. During the difficult financial times, he would insist that I close it, and go do something else. Lucky for my community that I didn’t listen to him. I had a vision, and a mission. We eventually divorced, and my business seemed to improve instantly. I was able to support myself and my three daughters, as they went off to the university.
I just never lost sight of my mission of helping people. And I am still grateful to my students who have allowed me to serve them doing what I love, and still be able to feed my children as a single mom.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Yogarosa story. Tell us more about the business.
Yogarosa was established in 2001, with a $6,000 loan from my father. We have become an internationally known center for yoga studies. We host internationally recognized teachers in our top notch workshops. Our specialty is Iyengar Yoga, and I have trained numerous students who have become teachers, and even studio owners. In the Greater Miami Area, I have become known for helping students with special and delicate cases such as herniated and bulging discs, hip replacements, back, neck and knee pain, anxiety, depression, and numerous other ailments. Many yoga teachers from other lineages come to us for help with their injuries.
I am proud that as a single woman, with no business experience, my business has now been open for 16 years. Most businesses never celebrate their 3rd year. In creating this business, my commitment was to help people find peace in their bodies. Building community has been an awesome bonus. Bringing together people of all walks of life, including millionaires and those who did work exchange for classes, I feel I have been able to create unity, and a place where everyone is welcome, regardless of your economic status, color, sexual orientation, or creed.
I have never feared competition, because our many years of experience sets us apart from the rest. (We trained many of them!) When a student walks into our studio they are seen as a person, and not as dollar signs. Our genuine interest in our students’ wellbeing shows and has become our biggest asset. We have a tremendously committed and experienced team, who share the vision.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I could see it from the bad luck side of the coin, but I will look at it from the good side. When I fell (three times in a period of 2 years), someone told me I was jinxed. After I cried, I decided they were stupid and insensitive. Now, almost 20 years later, I realize that my falls and pain, and recovery, were all part of my path. Because I know what pain feels like, and I injured different parts of my back, shoulder and knee, I understand pain, and how to remove it from the body. I also understand the emotional manifestations of pain on the physical body. So I consider myself lucky, since God has been by my side, guiding me to make the next decision, even when I was on the floor in pain. I got up, and left the pain behind.
Contact Info:
- Address: 110 N Federal Hwy # 304
Hallandale Beach, FL 33009 - Website: www.yogarosa.com
- Phone: 954-456-6077
- Email: yogarosastudio@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yogarosa/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Iyengar.Yoga.South.Florida/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/yogarosa/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/yogarosa-hallandale-beach
- Other: https://www.curejoy.com/expert/yogarosa
Image Credit:
Alfredo Gugig Photography
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