Child's pose, also called Balasana.

Image Credit: PEXELS

It's no surprise to anyone that the pandemic has had its share of pitfalls for businesses nationwide. But one recently started operation, Yoga Now Kamloops, is sharing a story of how it has managed to jump at least a few of the hurdles the pandemic has posed.

"We were in business for only three months before we had to close. It was devastating. But our community rallied behind us. I am so impressed and moved by the support of Kamloops," owner Lacey Hook said.

Hook closed her yoga operation in March, before pandemic restrictions came into effect, to safeguard their clients who are prenatal or mothers who would come to class with babies.

And that is when her business model started to shift, Hook told iNFOnews.ca. Her staff began to post videos of yoga classes that could be viewed for free by anyone on Facebook.

"We had anywhere between 500 and 2,000 views on our Facebook page while people were in lockdown, they were watched quite a bit," she said.

She says yoga has helped her clients not just physically, but also in dealing with the pandemic on a mental level.

"We just practiced something simple like focusing on the breath," she said. "Instead of getting up in our heads and following all of these trains of thought, we just try to bring ourselves back into our bodies and into things we can control. Being present and being strong and empowered in our bodies."

Then in June, Yoga Now Kamloops reopened with reduced client capacity and more classes, only to face another closure in November.

"The next day we switched immediately to Zoom," Hook said.

The demand for fitness training online has given an unexpected boost to Hook's business; her operation had a pre-pandemic capacity limit of 22 clients. But Hook says in some classes they now have eight to ten people in house, and another 20 watching from home.

It's a significant boost from the pandemic capacity limit of 10.

Adding online services like their Youtube account has also extended the reach of Yoga Now Kamloops, with new clients in other parts of B.C. and elsewhere in Canada.

Then again, there are perks to being a paying customer, who get prize bags of items after taking part in challenges. Hook says many of the items are being donated by other Kamloops businesses, and her clients have worked on their own to promote her studio.

"Everyone is rooting for us. I never knew that about Kamloops. We're grateful."

But Hook also admits to some pandemic weariness.

"We have pivoted in every way that we can so there are just no new surprises," Hook laughs.

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News from © iNFOnews, 2021