Frequently Asked Questions

Proposal to Establish an Iyengar Yoga Centre in Vancouver by the B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Association of Vancouver

 

Background

In the fall of 2023, the Board of Directors began to explore the idea of opening an Iyengar Yoga Centre in Vancouver that would serve as a space for our community to learn, practice, and study together. Recognizing that establishing the Centre would need to be a community effort, and would require financial support from the Association in the beginning, we conducted a survey among our members in December 2023 to gauge the receptivity towards this idea. A summary of the survey results, which were overwhelmingly positive, is below, along with a general update on steps that are being taken to realize this idea.

Survey Results

With 61 responses, the community survey reflects a heartwarming 95% in favour of establishing a Centre. Notably, half of the responses came from Certified Teachers, with three-quarters expressing interest in teaching at the Centre. Additionally, 38% of all respondents are eager to be part of the helping hands team, while 45% are considering it. The vast majority of teachers, 97%, welcome the idea of a Centre in the neighbourhood where they currently teach. Valuable advice and supportive comments in the survey offer guidance and confidence for our next steps.

New Updates Jan 2025
What is the current progress on the proposal?
Since the initial survey and discussions, we have taken several significant steps:

• Membership Meeting (May 2024): Met with members to address questions and concerns, fostering transparency and collaboration.
• Interviews with Studio Owners: Conducted interviews with 10 Iyengar Yoga studio owners across Canada and the USA to gather best practices and advice for successfully running a financially feasible studio.
• Volunteer Survey: Developed and distributed the Heart and Soul Volunteer Survey to members, seeking volunteers for key start-up and operational phases of the Centre. If you haven’t filled it out yet, you can still participate. Your contributions are invaluable in helping shape the
  future of the Centre.
• Volunteer Coordination: Met with our volunteer coordinators, Tanya Marusech and Barb Wong, who are now organizing and liaising with volunteers to support various Centre initiatives. If you have any questions or would like to get involved, feel free to email them.
• November 2024 Teacher Gathering: Held a teacher gathering to practice together, share updates, exchange ideas, and answer questions about the Centre.
• Teacher Availability Survey (December 2024): Reached out to certified teachers and apprentices to assess their availability for teaching at the new Centre. The response has been very positive, with 21 teachers expressing interest in joining the teaching schedule.
• Real Estate Group Meeting: Held a meeting with the Real Estate Group volunteers, where we began important discussions on demographic research, real estate opportunities, and legal
  considerations.

Is establishing a Centre the responsibility of the association?

Yes, establishing a Centre aligns with a key responsibility outlined in our constitution, established in 1976. It states that one of our society’s purposes is to establish “a centre of instruction in Hatha Yoga and Pranayama, following the methods and orientation of B.K.S. Iyengar”.

Who is working on this?

Recognizing that the board alone couldn’t undertake this project, the Stewardship Committee is leading this effort and reporting to us. Any member of our association is welcome to join this committee. If you’re able to contribute time to regular online meetings, potential site visits, or other planning work, please email our Board President, Nancy Zrymiak. Stewardship Committee members are Louie Ettling, Patricia Fernandes, Brian Hogencamp, and Nancy Zrymiak.

What has the Stewardship Committee done so far?

Initial work has included sifting and organizing the insightful and constructive comments from the community survey, prioritizing next steps, modeling financial feasibility, exploring business models that will necessarily involve the teachers’ inputs, initiating the search for a suitable location to gauge market availability/cost, responding to community member questions and concerns, and sharing the findings with the board.

What sort of financial commitment is the Board making?

Through successful workshops and membership fees, the association has accumulated a surplus of $52,500. If conditions align favourably, including securing an ideal location, negotiating a feasible lease, and having qualified teachers prepared to instruct, the Board would allocate a portion of these funds towards establishing a physical space for Iyengar yoga practice and study. Our commitment remains focused on ensuring financial responsibility while meeting the needs of our community.

What is the Business Model going to be?

The business model is in development, focusing on a 12-month plan where monthly association investment gradually decreases to zero after the first year. A financial model incorporating key business parameters has been constructed to analyze various scenarios with different total rents. The goal is to determine a conservative estimate of the total investment required over the first 12 months and to gain a comprehensive understanding of how business parameters can be adjusted to sustain the Centre without relying on annual fundraising. There will likely be upfront costs such as minor renovations and accessing the necessary technology to run the Centre.

What is the investment for? Who benefits?

The investment benefits everyone – current and future students, all teachers, and the broader community. Iyengar yoga has been taught and will continue to be taught in many locations throughout the Lower Mainland of Vancouver. Currently there are 44 teachers in 42 locations from the Sunshine Coast to Abbotsford, North Shore to White Rock. A Centre can serve as a unifying hub, encouraging students and teachers to gather, practice and study together. The immediate business community will likely benefit from the flow of pedestrian traffic, as students come and go from the Centre. We deeply value the significance of practice within our system. As such, we’re integrating “open practice” sessions into the weekly schedule.

Regarding the investment, it covers monthly expenses. Over the initial 12 months, the Association’s investment will gradually decrease to zero, while the Teachers’ contribution to expenses will progressively increase. Initially, teachers might be supported 100% while they are building the classes. This approach aims to enhance the Centre’s likelihood of success and ensure its long-term viability.

I heard you have a real estate agent?

Yes, we’ve enlisted a real estate agent to help us explore rental properties and costs. In 2024, the Real Estate Volunteer Group considered 15 potential venues. We are actively conducting site visits and evaluating locations. If you come across a space for lease (approximately 800 – 1200 square feet), that might be a good fit, we would greatly appreciate your leads or suggestions. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Wouldn’t it be better to own a building rather than to lease a space?
While owning a building may be a long-term goal aligned with our vision of providing a permanent home for Iyengar Yoga to flourish in the future, it typically requires considerable time and support from generous benefactors. Our current focus is on seeding an asset for the community by establishing a space where members can learn, practice, and study Iyengar Yoga together.

Has any thought been given to the best location and its proximity to existing venues where Iyengar Yoga is taught?

The search area is “roughly defined by Arbutus Street on the west, Olympic Village, 1st Ave and Hastings on the north, 45th Ave on the south and Nanaimo on the east.” Input from survey respondents on potential locations has been helpful in guiding our search.

We understand concerns about the proximity of a new Centre to existing venues where Iyengar yoga is taught. The Board and Stewardship Committee are sensitive to this and aim to choose a location that supports the greater Iyengar Yoga community while allowing individual venues to thrive. If a potential location is near an existing venue, we will prioritize open communication with the teachers involved.

It is important that the Centre be a community unifier, a resource such that all practitioners of Iyengar Yoga – students, teachers, and teachers who have worked hard to establish/build a venue of their own – benefit from the Centre’s existence.

How will this Centre be different from existing venues where Iyengar yoga has been taught, sometimes for decades?

This will be a place for all community members to gather, practice, learn, and study. Open Practice times will be built into the schedule, prioritizing an essential aspect of Iyengar Yoga – practice! Its organization and operations will be based on a collaborative/cooperative structure. Although it is the physical arm to realize the mission of the Association, the aim is for the Centre to be financially sustainable and not require annual fundraising. That said, any and all financial donations to support the Centre are welcome and will receive a tax deductible receipt. The aim of the Centre is to be a unifier of the many well-established venues for Iyengar Yoga throughout the greater Vancouver area.

The Board already has plenty of responsibilities. How is all the work to establish and run a Centre going to get done?

All members were invited to complete the initial survey, The Heart and Soul Volunteer Survey and were invited to a meeting on May 10, 2024. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with strong interest and energy to focus on finding, running and supporting a Centre. This support comes in different forms – ideas, skills and monetary support. Each phase of planning, establishing and running the Centre will require different skills and time commitments and everyone will find their way to contribute. The establishment and running of the Centre needs to be a community effort in order to benefit the whole community.