Spotlight: Alyson Foreacre, Yoga Den

Welcome to the first installment of a series spotlighting yoga business owners and operators here in Jacksonville. I thought what better way to kick things off than with none other than one of my own teachers.

Alyson Foreacre began Yoga Den in 2002 and is located in Mandarin. I have been one of the lucky students to train as a teacher there and earn my certification. Yoga Den is the only Yoga Alliance registered school in metro Jacksonville. Latest offerings include prenatal yoga and new modular training for teachers. For more information, click here.

Om Page: When and why did you start practicing yoga?

Alyson Foreacre: I took my first class 2000. A good friend of mine said we should try it. I was marathon training at the time and felt that I was in pretty good shape; however, I was not prepared for Power yoga! WOW! I couldn't believe how many muscles were talking to me the next day. Loving the challenge, I couldn't wait to get back to class. I noticed a difference in my posture in only my second week of practice, and my running felt better than ever...I was hooked!!

OP: What is your favorite style of yoga to practice? Favorite pose?

AF: Being an endurance junkie with a history of tight muscles, I like Power yoga practiced in the heat. I don't have a favorite pose, I love many! I do have a least favorite...FROG!!

OP: What made you decide to open your own studio?

AF: It just evolved really. My first job was teaching in my neighborhood at the pool house, but after only 2 months, the space was needed for summer camp. There were about 20 people wanting to continue, so I found a little month to month rental place close by. My thoughts were to lease until camp ended and then move back to the pool house. Unlike my neighborhood gig, this rental space was open to anyone who wanted to come, and the first month brought us 75 students! It was that fork in the road thing, and my very supportive and optimistic husband said "let's go for it!", and here we are 5 years later!

OP: Provide a brief history of your yoga business to date.

AF: We opened in April of 2002 where Guitars United is now (my brother-in-law's shop...very cool!), and moved to a larger space in July. We started training teachers in 2004. Branched out to a few other locations in 2004 also. We sold the Southside studio to one of our instructors, Mark White, who now owns MBody Yoga, and the original owner of the Ponte Vedra studio came back after about 10 months. Having one location is much more enjoyable, but we wanted to try to save the 2 studios that were about to shut their doors (Southside was Yoga 101, and Ponte Vedra was Bridges to Health), and we had plenty of freshly trained teachers ready to roll out their mats. The Ponte Vedra location is no longer there, but MBody Yoga is rockin', so no regrets! It was a great lesson in many things...mainly, the realization that I needed to keep a healthy balance between my family and my job, and multiple studios wasn't how do do it! 2006 was a much happier and healthier year, and I love our Mandarin studio! We have been in this location for 2 years now, and it feels like home.

OP: What is the greatest pleasure of yoga business and what is the greatest pitfall?

AF: The greatest pleasure is seeing the positive changes yoga has on the students; both short term--the before and after class difference in state of mind, and long term--physical, mental and emotional benefits are evident after just a few months! People really seem to wake up, and become more vibrant. That rocks!! The pitfall? Personally, none really...don't get me wrong, there can certainly be stress, but that's just part of the ride. If you're in it for the right reasons, and believe that this is really what you were meant to do, then potential "pitfalls" that could take you down become learning opportunities.

OP: What made you decide to start training teachers?

AF: When I first opened, I taught all the classes, and quickly realized I could use some help! I sent several people to Discovery Yoga,(the school where I trained), to get their 200 hours, but I knew that the power yoga training was needed, as this was not offered there. In fact, it was not offered anywhere around, and as time went on, I had more and more requests for some power training. One thing led to another, and I thought it would be good to offer both all-level and power yoga training, so teachers could be more marketable.

OP: Do you think there is enough demand for the influx of new yoga teachers? Why or why not?

AF: Yes, because yoga is just scratching the surface in small-town America, and in this market there are so many untapped areas of opportunity. I can think of several locations where a studio could rock, and most neighborhood clubhouses offer classes, or are open to it, not to mention corporate yoga. Like anything though, just because you have a certification, doesn't mean you'll get the job. Think of growing up in school...some teachers you connected with, others you didn't. It's the same thing with teaching yoga. I think personality and energy have more to do with teaching yoga than the academics of the practice. Anyone can call a pose, but it's all in the presentation. There is something to be said for natural talent, confidence and one's ability to inspire others.

OP: What trends do you see on the horizon for yoga in the western world?

AF: I think more and more people will start practicing, from word-of-mouth testimonials, Dr. referrals and curiosity. Once you start, you quickly realize it's something you should not do without; you feel better than ever!!


Thank you so much to Alyson for agreeing to this article! Look for the next spotlight coming very soon.

Elaine Benes did not edit this!!!!! All those extra exclamation points are Alyson's own. This totally goes to show what an enthusiastic and energetic yogi she really is. ;-)