YogaSource, then and now.
It was a modest beginning. Just a small group of yoga enthusiasts practicing in a tiny studio on Alma Street 25 years ago. Back then, there were few yoga studios in the Bay Area, and we were the first studio to offer heated yoga classes outside of San Francisco. The idea of practicing yoga regularly in a studio was new to Palo Alto. But we were young, enthusiastic, and idealistic, and we were committed to growing personally and to helping others understand how yoga can positively change lives. We believed then, as we do today, that the practice of yoga should be both demanding and gratifying; it should emphasize mental and physical focus and control; and it should enhance one’s self-understanding and sense of fulfillment. And we were confident that a studio done right would be successful.
As with any new business, the early years were challenging, but as word spread about our supportive classes and exceptional instructors, enrollment grew. YogaSource became appreciated as a welcoming community dedicated to the personal growth of each student through yoga. And when YogaSource moved to Hamilton Avenue in 2001 in order to expand our space and to offer a greater variety of classes, this fundamental concern for individual success never changed, and it continues to be our guiding principle today. We now have 42 instructors teaching 71 classes, and our weekly schedule includes vinyasa, power, yin, restorative, hot 26, sculpt, barre and hot pilates.
When YogaSource was voted the Best Yoga Studio in Palo Alto five years in a row and elected into the Hall of Fame in 2017, it was a remarkable affirmation of the teamwork, dedication, ability and friendliness which enrich and define this studio. Our instructors are talented, caring, and energetic, and they personify the best of yoga instruction. We are blessed with passionate and committed students, whose years of devotion and involvement exemplify the distinctive spirit of this studio. And our exceptional administrative staff assures the studio’s smooth and efficient operation. These women and men are why we achieved this milestone. They are Yoga Source.
This year we celebrate 25 years as one of Palo Alto’s most successful enterprises. And we realize our good fortune to have started here, to have grown and prospered here, and to have reached prominence in one of California’s most vibrant, desirable and accomplished communities. Only in Palo Alto could we have become the YogaSource we are today. While it is impossible to thank each of you who have helped us reach 2019 YogaSource, I can say with conviction that it was because of many, and not a few. This was very much a community effort, with a shared sense of purpose and commitment, and what each of you did truly mattered. I understand and appreciate that, and I am most grateful.
Christina McLeod Murray, Founder and Owner, YogaSource Palo Alto
