Hidden Gems: Meet Erin Shawgo of Iyengar Yoga Detroit Collective

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Shawgo.

Hi Erin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
One of our teachers, Michele Pearson, formerly ran Yoga Suite – Center for Yoga Studies. In Fall of 2013, Gwi-Seok Hong joined her to create Iyengar Yoga Detroit, which included a larger location, more teachers, and more classes. In 2016, after many years of dedication and sacrifice, Michele decided to step down from her directorship and ownership roles of Iyengar Yoga Detroit. This was an invitation for teachers and students to explore a new ownership model for the studio, and we decided to shift the business into a cooperatively run space. We’ve moved studio spaces a few times, and our owner-members have shifted on and off our steering committee (our decision-making body) over the last 7 years, however, our commitment to offering Iyengar yoga to our Hamtramck, Detroit, and Highland Park communities has remained strong. We currently have 5 teachers certified in the Iyengar Yoga tradition and several apprentices who are preparing for their certification. Several of our teachers have gone through their lengthy certification process while studying at Iyengar Yoga Detroit and are now moving into roles helping to run the business as well. We love that we have been able to expand our schedule over the years offering everything from beginner classes, to a weekly kid’s class and a Common Ailments series that rotates on themes like neck and shoulders, low back care, and knee health. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Our priority as a studio is to provide high-quality Iyengar yoga that also remains affordable and accessible to everyone in our community. This means that we turn no one away. This isn’t always the most profitable or sustainable business model, but one that aligns with our yoga ethics and our values as community members. This means that we’ve had to get really creative with how we raise money in order to keep our classes accessible to everyone and keep our teachers and apprentices supported. This hasn’t always been easy, but it does continually teach us about the power of community. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Iyengar Yoga Detroit Collective?
We are a collectively run Iyengar Yoga studio. We offer 14-15 classes a week including Beginner, Intermediate, Common Ailments, Uterine Health, and a kid’s class. Our studio operates in a co-op model where the decision-making and operative needs are shared amongst our teachers and apprentices. We also get a lot of support from our regular students. We consider ourselves a community-centered organization and prioritize community-building in our classes and also the ways we try to stay active in our surrounding community. 

Iyengar yoga is accessible to all bodies and abilities, and we prioritize making financially accessible as well. We teach a wide array of poses in a variety of ways, from high energy to restorative to therapeutic. Iyengar yoga teaching style is highly individualized to meet many needs and capacities. Our teachers are highly trained. Our first level of certification takes 3 or more years and there are 5 total levels of certification available. 

At Iyengar Yoga Detroit specifically, we focus on being community-centered and trauma-responsive. In our efforts to remain accessible, we offer affordable classes, a flexible schedule, and offer sliding-scale options for anyone who needs them. We offer opportunities for philosophy study and Prānāyāma (breath work) as well as Āsana (postures). We also offer teacher education opportunities and workshops in addition to our weekly classes. 

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The pandemic really shifted the way that people were used to engaging with yoga. On a positive side, more people started practicing at home in addition to or in place of attending classes. In the Iyengar Yoga tradition, we really emphasize the importance of home practice and were excited to see more folks getting set up for doing yoga at home. As classes shifted to a virtual platform, people got used to the flexibility and ease of just hopping on their computer to take a class. 

This has proven to be a rough transition for a lot of in-person studio spaces including ours as we shift back to being in-person and gathering together. While we always encourage home practice and love that the virtual platforms made yoga more accessible to so many, we also hope that more folks consider returning to in-person classes. Yoga is a powerful practice on its own, but there’s something extra special and potent about it when it’s done as a practice with others. In addition to the healing power of a shared practice, it’s hard to replace the sense of community and connection that happens among students with each other and the teachers when we’re all gathering for class or practice together. 

Pricing:

• New Student Special is $25 for 5 classes
• $20 drop-in for a single class
• $50 for a monthly 4-class subscription
• $70 for a 4-class pass with no expiration date
• $5-30 for a community gift drop in

Contact Info:

• Website: iyengaryogadetroit.com
• Instagram: IyengarYogaDetroit