Yoga4 remains flexible, adapts during pandemic

From left to right, Coco Newton, Christen Landry, Roger Newton.

By Katherine Palms

Sun contributor

“It’s all about remaining flexible,” yoga and fitness instructor Christen Landry said in the Sun’s January 2019 article “Practice, replenish, explore with Yoga4”.

Success requires the ability to remain flexible; it’s all about adaptability, and Landry can attest to the importance of these qualities as she has walked alongside the transitions and changes at Yoga4.

In early 2019, Landry was unsure of where Yoga4 was headed. “I always thought I was pretty patient, and Ithink from this experience, I have learned that I have a lot of work to do on being patient,” she said about the continuous learning process. “Just being able to sit with waiting in a place or just allowing something to happen. I think that’s something we talk about in yoga all the time.”

While Landry was exploring options of how to move forward with Yoga4, she gained the assistance and care of Roger and Coco Newton, who were and continue to be practitioners at Yoga4. The Newtons fell in love with the Leelanau Peninsula 35 years ago when they moved from San Diego to Ann Arbor and later bought a cottage on Little Traverse Lake. They are now happy fulltime residents of Leelanau County. Roger chairs the board of the Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities and is also a board member of the Leelanau Conservancy. Coco is a nutritionist in private practice. As such, they care deeply about the health and wellbeing of the community.

In the process of working together, Landry and the Newtons mutually decided to sell the studio. “I put together the whole walkthrough of how to sell the studio,” said Landry. “I came up with a price and listed all of the factors that were coming along with it. It was very professional.” 

“For at least three weeks, after Christen developed the beautiful content for selling the business, we thought she had already advertised it,” said Coco. “We called her to find out about the feedback she was getting and she said ‘I haven’t done anything with it yet. The only people I have told are the Yoga4 teachers.’ So, the studio never went out on the market. We were imagining that someone might want to pick it up because it’s a turnkey; a move in operation, because all the equipment and everything was included, even someone from out of state could have done that.”

“They just had a moment in their heart of ‘why don’t we buy it?’” said Landry. “Then they came back to me and said ‘we love what you have created, but we have a few things we would like to give you feedback on. Can we have a meeting?’”

“When we looked at it and thought someone is going to want this studio, we thought ‘wait we could buy this.’ It led to us not just wanting to buy Yoga4, but have it become a wellness center as well. The space is beautiful, professional, a positive presence in the business community, teachers who are respected for the quality of their advanced training, and a dedicated community of practitioners,” said the Newtons.

Last spring the Newtons told Landry they would like to buy Yoga4, hire her back, and pay her a salary to continue to manage and run the studio. “It was such a workable transition and I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Landry said. “One, I was selling the studio; two, getting out of debt; and three, I had a paycheck I could depend on.”

With this new structure, the name of the studio changed to Yoga4 Wellness Center to focus on a more holistic approach. The Yoga4 team has continued to grow, and this past February they hired Marsha Brunett as the managing director. She worked as the studio and teacher training program manager at the former Union Yoga in Lake Leelanau, that was owned by Sandra Carden.

“Marsha loves what Yoga4 is about, she has experience in the area, and she’s invested in our community,” said Landry. 

Since adding Brunett to the team, Yoga4 has remained flexible and adaptable during the COVID pandemic. “When the pandemic hit, it quickly became obvious that we needed to completely change our business plan and focus on ways we could still reach, support and serve our yoga community virtually,” said Brunett.

She worked quickly to create a video and Zoom platform to offer classes. “Initially, each teacher at Yoga4 created a video class that we shared on our YouTube channel at no cost or by-donation.”

The studio continued to adapt and offer virtual classes, and small socially distanced indoor classes as recommended by executive orders. These indoor classes also offered a virtual opportunity. Throughout the summer, teachers have also hosted outdoor classes in a variety of locations throughout Leelanau County. 

“For Yoga4 this has included learning new ways to resiliently stay afloat,” said Brunett. “It is obvious that online classes are an extremely important necessity now and into the future. I’ve learned a lot about Zoom and the equipment needed to provide a quality experience. We’re so grateful to our local and nationwide students that have adjusted to this platform and have continued to support their teachers at Yoga4. It’s a wonderful way to keep practicing and feel connected!”

Landry said she is very excited about the future of Yoga4. “The pandemic has been the kick in the butt the studio needed to get started with virtual offerings that will now be a part of the studio’s structure for years to come.” Stating it is exciting because, “our summer clientele can continue practice with us when they go home.”

The main challenge now, since the studio is currently at half capacity compared to typical summer numbers, is for regulars to return and participate via Zoom along with the summer clientele—from wherever they may live. Yoga4 welcomes new members to join both locally and virtually.

The Newtons, Landry, Brunett and the talented teachers at Yoga4 are committed to offer a variety of in studio and virtual classes and workshops, and to safely engage community members near and far. Members have expressed gratitude and appreciation for the continuity of Yoga4 and its calming secure presence during this challenging time. Yoga4 continues to grow and be a vital part of the Lake Leelanau community.

Yoga 4 Wellness Center will soon unveil a new logo and apparel designed by local artist Randy Borns. Check out the expanding lineup at Yoga4.net. The Fall/Winter class schedule begins on September 22.