Sanctuary

What began as a yoga studio with a beautiful mission has grown and flourished to include expanded offerings, collaborations with local organizations, and a space that fosters inclusivity. Learn more in our interview with Jonathan, as well as on Sanctuary’s updated website!

Of course! There are actually three main parts to Sanctuary’s history, starting with Sara Rose Page, the original founder and owner. She opened what was then called Yoga Sanctuary in 1999, with Tara Starling, who eventually moved on. Sara’s business was operating at a very high standard, with a traditional Western-based yoga studio model. She started out as a lead teacher, then eventually brought in more teachers to make a more robust weekly schedule. She ran it for about 21 years, had two kids in that time, and really developed a lovely, welcoming business.  Lindsay and I were both very committed students there and really appreciated the sense of community. When Covid hit, the business took a big hit and the financial side of things wasn’t working.

Lindsay and I both felt emotionally invested and attached to the business and did not want to see it die—we’d already lost so much in town due to the pandemic. We started having very open conversations with Sara and supporting each other. She felt she was at a dead-end and wondered if we might like to take over. We thought we could see a way to make that happen and had a vision of what that could look like in the future.

It was a slog for a couple of years, and we really had to struggle to make it work for another month. Not being teachers ourselves, we had to restructure the business. It’s more open-oriented now and a healing community space with almost 40 individuals—mostly locals— with whom we collaborate. The space’s offerings include yoga, healing arts, and education. The programming is geared toward helping people process life and all of its complications, through embodied movement and a supportive, nurturing environment.

Last year, we rebranded Sanctuary, which was my little pet project and really fun for me to work on. I love getting to examine the inner workings of business and figuring out how to make ours more inclusive, collaborative, and independent. Every month I’m talking to new people we could potentially bring in for events and classes.

Part of our future history  is thinking about how Lindsay and I can step away and pass the torch, so to speak.  We are considering what Sanctuary might look like, whether that’s a nonprofit, worker-owned co-op, or something similar. We feel it’s important to create equitable payment structures and accessibility. We’re so fortunate to have a thriving community of students, clients, teachers, and healers in the best building in  town.

We love Thornes, and our space is amazing. Sara Rose worked closely with Rich and Jody and a team of architects to design it. The energy is great and it’s a beautiful, light-filled studio. We feel so fortunate to have an amazing relationship with Rich and Jody, who bend over backwards to support all of the tenants. I also love that there are opportunities to easily collaborate with other business owners—we all know each other in the building and support each other. For example, we did a collab with Booklink Booksellers, where we offered a workshop featuring a few authors. They showed up with books and helped out with sales. I’d love to see more of that happen in the future!

We offer a Community Spotlight Series, where we partner with different organizations every month with the goal of bringing people together for various events, which range from educational to yoga classes to film screenings. Essentially, we offer up our studio for up to two hours for any kind of community or private event of the organization’s choosing, publicly or privately. We help to promote the events, feature the work of the organization, and make the space as welcoming as possible. It helps to foster relationships within the community as well as raise awareness for each organization’s mission. Recently, we hosted the staff from The Parlor Room—they were working hard  to get the Iron Horse reopened and they really needed some relaxation time. Chris, the owner, asked if we could hold a private yoga class to give them a break. There are so many options, it really just depends on the needs and desires of the organization.

We also have our upcoming Yoga Immersion and Teacher Training, which is happening this fall.  It’s really important for this to be successful so that we can continue to grow and thrive as a business. We’re partnering with Shraddhå Yoga in Amherst—we will be hosting and Corinne and Matthew Andrews will be leading the training. The unique feature about this is the financial accessibility and equity pricing — this offer will feature a Pay-From-The-Heart model. The training will run from October to June, and people will meet weekly for a deep dive into history, philosophy, practice, and anatomy. It will be hybrid—both in-person and recorded—so students can always tap back in.

When we’re not working, we’re focused on raising our two kids, who are two and a half and six months old. We’re really enjoying this time in our lives as a family!

You can read more about Sanctuary’s history, offerings, and philosophy on their website: https://www.yoga-sanctuary.com/