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Up on the roof
Opening the doors of her house to create a home yoga
studio has changed the life of yoga instructor Kiki Morriss
for the better. Here, she tells OM she’d recommend the idea
to all yoga teachers
“After teaching yoga for 17 years at many different locations in
London, including triyoga, I was ready for a change. My architect
husband was redesigning the top floor of our house to make a
playroom for our children and I struck upon the thought that it could
moonlight as a yoga studio.
The combination of a messy playroom and tranquil yoga studio
is not an obvious one but it works surprisingly well! During the day
the room is a peaceful, inspiring oasis but once school is out it
transforms into a place where my children’s imaginations can fly.
Cupboards are opened and an endless riot of toys spills out. Yoga
mats become magic carpets, bolsters become pirate ships and yoga
belts become tightropes in the circus. When the kids are tucked up in
bed, I can reclaim the space and restore a sense of calm and order.
Packing away their toys is now my evening meditation rather than a
chore. My house has never been so tidy! I love the flexibility of the
space and how easy it is to transform it from one use to another.
One of the most attractive elements to running a studio at home
is that you don’t pay rent. It can be disheartening to hire a hall and
then barely break even, or worse still, make a loss, because not
enough students turn up. Teaching in your own home allows you
to build up your class numbers over time, without the pressure of
covering the rent.
Teaching yoga in different locations can be tiring, time consuming
and lonely but if your students come to you then you save on time,
energy and money. When I first opened my studio I reached out
to those who live and work in my neighbourhood and have met a
wonderful community of people. Teaching yoga has never been so
sociable or friendly.
Opening your own home studio means you get to choose the yogaWho needs a costly high street yoga studio when you can create your
own inviting space at home? OM asks two teachers how they did it
Yoga begins
at
home“The combination
of a messy
playroom and
tranquil yoga studio
is not an obvious
one but it works
surprisingly well!”