Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Schmidt.
Hi Catherine, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello! I’m a mom, business owner, and yoga practitioner: I’ve got an eight year old son, a 7 year old business, and a 13 year long yoga practice (so far)!
Before I opened my business, Yoga Zen, I was working my way up the corporate ladder in the human resources field. While I was doing that, I fell in love with yoga for the balance, creativity, and fun that yoga brings to my life.
When I moved to Caledonia, Michigan in 2015 I saw an opportunity to open a yoga studio. I took a couple of teacher trainings, started teaching yoga as a “side hustle” but I took the leap into entrepreneurship in 2018 and opened Yoga Zen: a yoga studio for all ages in the heart of Caledonia.
I’m dedicated to continuous learning and have received several certifications for yoga teaching to adults and children. I’ve completed Trauma-Informed and Somatics training as well as completed three levels of Reiki training to be a Reiki Master Practitioner. I’m also a certified Sound Practitioner and love to lead guided meditations and sound baths to help people relax and recalibrate their bodies.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Eighteen months after my business opened, COVID happened. My marriage had recently ended and the studio wasn’t financially viable yet. In spite of all that, I was sure I could keep Yoga Zen going. Immediately, I switched to offering classes virtually. We kept the majority of our members but lost about 20% of them. I taught ALL the classes for several months to save money.
COVID permanently closed 1/4 of all fitness and yoga facilities nationwide but for us, it changed the way we did business and increased my confidence that this dream of operating a yoga studio would work. It turned the studio into a financially viable business. Since then, we’ve been able to move to a location that is twice the size of our original space.
Although owning a small business can be a lonely and difficult road, I thrive in this setting. I enjoy the variety to my days and answering to our customers rather than a corporation. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m really proud of the fact that at Yoga Zen we serve a wide age range. We have kids as young as 4 in our family yoga and kids yoga classes and adults well into their 80’s practicing yoga in our adapted and chair yoga classes. We are not a hot yoga studio, our classes are taught in regular temperatures and we incorporate props and modifications to accommodate all individuals.
We do a lot of meditative experiences as well and I’m most proud that this is the 3rd year I’ve offered sound baths in the planetarium at the grand rapids public museum. This year i’ve partnered with a visual artist to create a unique visual art projection on the planetarium ceiling and i play a variety of meditative instruments throughout the 1 hour class to help participants relax.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Trust in myself and my own resilience. There have always been difficulties in life and in business but I’ve found that when I trust that I will bounce back better than before, that becomes the case. Certainly the hard work has to be put in, too, but having the faith in myself is essential.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yogazengr.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theyogazen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheYogaZen
