Wheat Ridge’s business diversity is expanding with the grand opening of Santosha Yoga, a studio that teaches many styles of yoga to all ages.
Santosha Yoga has been open since June, but just had its grand opening ceremony on Oct. 1.
“Summer is the slow time of the year for yoga, so we wanted work out all the bugs and get organized,” said owner Michelle Gindele. “We wanted to have a big kick-start in fall, when the weather gets cooler and people start coming inside.”
The studio, at 5810 W. 38th Ave., Suite 11, specializes in Hatha and Iyengar Yoga, as well as Santosha Flow, which is a form of Hatha. There are also prenatal yoga classes available and Gindele will be offering meditation classes in the coming months.
“We teach restorative yoga, which is good for people dealing with long-term illness and helps with stress,” she said. “We also have a family class on Sunday that has little kids to teens practicing yoga with their parents.”
Gindele grew up in the Wheat Ridge area, but initially looked at starting a studio in the northwest Denver area where she lives. The rent is really high in the Highlands area, she said, and she noticed a growth in businesses going west to Wheat Ridge. She found her current location and started leasing it in March, renovating the inside for the June opening.
“There is also a lot of parking here, which is something you don’t get in the city areas,” she said with a laugh. Gindele also feels that with all the work that the city is putting into rejuvenating 38th Avenue that it’s going to be a great place for businesses to start.
“Wheat Ridge is moving towards a new, hip area on 38th,” said Steve Art, economic development manager. “We’re really trying to create a diverse district that people are going to want to come to see.”
Gindele wants to take advantage of all the attention that is going into redeveloping the location.
“I felt like this area was in need of this type of yoga,” she explained. “And since I grew up here, it felt like I was coming home to open a business that I love.”
A firm believer in building up a businesses the old fashioned way, Gindele is using her extensive network and large student-based clientele to build her businesses up. She says her student base is what helped her get started in the first way.
“We’ve been able to attract some great teachers, who are either certified or trained in the Iyengar tradition of yoga,” she said. “It takes time to build up a class following, and our classes offered is starting at 13, but will increase as demand increases. We’re trying to grow with the student in mind”
Saturday’s grand opening had a ribbon cutting and door prizes from local businesses, because Gindele really believes in becoming a community business. The mission statement of Santosha Yoga is to provide a place for all to “physically, mentally and spiritually feel better,” and that’s what Gindele is committed to bringing to Wheat Ridge.
“It’s a misnomer in yoga that you have to be of a certain physique for yoga,” she said. “We don’t want people to feel intimidated to come here, but rather feel comfortable. It’s a place they can come to feel better.”
For more information on the studio’s philosophy, styles of yoga, and classes, visit www.santosha
yogadenver.com.