Float Your Body, Float Your Business
What exploring momentum and resistance on your mat can teach you about running a thriving yoga business.
Learning to float.
I think most yoga practitioners have spent time admiring the seemingly effortless float… but effortless it is not!
Floating is the result of hours and hours spent on the mat, with each practice a deep sense of enquiry and incredible focus. (And my float is not yet even that good!) This enquiry and focus helps us get to know our own bodies—proportions, restrictions, etc. -- as well as the deep, deep patterns within the mind.
Being able to completely detach from those stories and just observe them is vital in order to form a solid technique.
The technique is actually pretty simple… if I were to create an equation for it, it would be something like: float = momentum + resistance. In order to slow down the speed created by momentum, you need to counter it with equal amounts of power/resistance. Getting to know your own proportions is vital because the amount of momentum would differ from person to person. In physics, momentum = mass × velocity. There are other factors that come into play depending on what you are trying to achieve. Here I am floating from downward dog into a halfway lift. In order to float, I need to stack my hips above my shoulders and counter the momentum I use to jump by resisting the flow with my hands. (Can you see how elevated my shoulders are, and that I’m pressing the ground away from me?)
So, I guess the whole point of this post is to help you realize that you can master a lot more than you think; you might just need to get to know yourself better. I always say: love your body and love what restrictions you may have (they may or may not be temporary). Love your proportions, because knowing this info about yourself could really transform your practice and turn what you think is impossible into what could be entirely possible!
I am no pro, but I am learning to approach things from all perspectives now, always curious to see what is possible, and I try not to attach to stories but rather use information at any given time to help me progress, learn, and grow.
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Why this matters for running a yoga business:
Running a yoga business - or any business, is a lot like learning to float. It requires deep awareness, focus, and the ability to observe patterns without getting stuck in the stories we tell ourselves. You need to understand your own “proportions”: how much energy, time, and resources you have, and how to balance momentum (all the moving parts of teaching, scheduling, admin) with resistance (the focus and discipline it takes to execute consistently). Every teacher, every studio, every business has different proportions and challenges, and what works for one may not work for another.
Watching this video makes me a little sad because I really miss my own practice. My teaching and practice fell by the wayside as I struggled with all the business admin, scheduling, and chaos of running a studio. I spent more time managing than actually teaching, and that’s why I started thinking about solving this problem.
This is why we’re building StudioOS.ai - to help yoga teachers and studios bring all the moving parts together, so that teaching, practice, thriving and connection with your people can come first again. It’s about creating space to focus on what matters most, without getting lost in the admin, financial stress and friction that can take your practice and teaching off track.
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