Daily Inspiration: Meet Catherine Schmidt

Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Schmidt.

Hi Catherine, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Catherine has been practicing yoga since 2012 while she was working her way up the corporate ladder in the Human Resources field. After a decade in HR, and teaching yoga on the side, Catherine took the leap into entrepreneurship in 2018 when she opened Yoga Zen: a yoga studio for all ages in the heart of Caledonia. Catherine appreciates the balance, creativity, and fun that yoga brings to her life and she’s passionate about sharing the benefits of this ancient practice with those in the Yoga Zen community.

Catherine began teaching yoga in 2016 after completing a 200-hour Power Vinyasa yoga teacher training with Megan Rader Yoga in Grand Rapids. She’s further expanded her knowledge in a 300-hour teacher training program in 2019 at Peacelab Yoga with Melanie McQuown – a program focused on alignment-based yoga. Passionate about working with kids, Catherine received her Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (RCYT) certification in 2022 after completing a 95 hour Children’s Yoga course through Yoga Ed., a program designed to encourage incorporating yoga into an educational setting. In 2024, she completed a 50 hour Trauma-Informed and Somatics training at Cityoga studio in Indianapolis.

Catherine is a Reiki Master Practitioner, receiving that certification in 2022, and she first became Reiki I & II attuned in 2020. She provides individual reiki sessions at Yoga Zen. She also leads group guided meditations and started to incorporate sound baths into her relaxation sessions in 2020.

Catherine continues to explore her own yoga and healing practice and remains dedicated to being a student first. Her yoga classes are a healthy mix of proper pose alignment, intuitive movement, fun and playfulness, physical work, and internal contemplation. She has lived in Caledonia since 2015 with her son, Connor. She enjoys spending time outdoors, biking or walking around different parks in the area, and trying new restaurants around Grand Rapids.

Prior to opening Yoga Zen in late 2018, I was teaching yoga as my “side hustle” while working my HR career. 💼
I taught at 3 different studios in town (Twisted Hot Yoga, PeaceLab, and Yoga Plus) and also did some kids yoga classes through the Caledonia Resource Center. 🧘🏽‍♀️
I was PASSIONATE and ENERGIZED about teaching yoga and I KNEW it was going to turn into something more in my life. 💚
When I opened Yoga Zen, though, I was questioning everything: was I a knowledgeable enough teacher, could I be a leader, is any of this going to work? 😩
18 months after Yoga Zen opened, COVID hit. My marriage had recently ended and the studio wasn’t financially viable yet. 😬
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. 💻
And… it worked. COVID permanently closed 1/4 of all fitness and yoga facilities nationwide but for me, it changed the way I did business and increased my confidence that this dream of operating a yoga studio might work. It turned the studio into a financially viable business. Because of the members who stuck with me… because I taught classes that made them WANT to stick with me. 💭
I’ve been teaching yoga for 9 years and my teaching style continues to evolve but my passion for yoga remains grounded. I believe in yoga because it WORKS. Over the years I’ve seen the positive impact it makes. I feel such joy when I hear how YOGA ZEN has changed peoples’ lives. 🥰
9 years in and I have a stable yoga business that supports me and my son.
I am so incredibly grateful. 🙏🏼

I’m Catherine, the owner & lead teacher at Yoga Zen.
When we opened in 2018, I wanted the word “zen” in our name because of the peace and calm I found through yoga. 🧘🏽‍♀️
Prior to starting yoga, “peace and calm” were foreign concepts in my life. With a history of trauma, disordered eating, and toxic relationships; my body was simmering with anger, resentment, and grief.
When I began practicing yoga, I started to recognize my pain. With that recognition, I started to heal. 🪷
Peace and calm are not quiet and complacent. Peace and calm are a revolutionary foundation from which we can achieve our greatest desires. These are POWERFUL concepts that, once embodied, help us feel “at home” in our own skin. 💚
When I started to feel at home in my body, I began to feel stronger and more capable. I began to follow my dreams and live more authentically. I was able to create and open a business. 🌳
At Yoga Zen, my hope is that you feel more peace and calm. My hope is that you feel at home: in your body, in the studio, in the world. 🧠
Come find your peace and calm at Yoga Zen. Come find yourself.

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?
18 months after Yoga Zen opened, COVID hit. My marriage had recently ended and the studio wasn’t financially viable yet. 😬
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. 💻
And… it worked. COVID permanently closed 1/4 of all fitness and yoga facilities nationwide but for me, it changed the way I did business and increased my confidence that this dream of operating a yoga studio might work. It turned the studio into a financially viable business. Because of the members who stuck with me… because I taught classes that made them WANT to stick with me.

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