08/11/2020
Dear Bend City community,
Our little piece of heaven had an amazing three and a half year journey. We were just starting to get into our groove, see some growth, and make a little money to start to pay down our start-up fees when something unprecedented happened.
As the world started to shut down due to Covid we had to develop a plan...quick. Initially we thought that moving out of the space to save the little funds we had, and moving online, would be our only chance for survival in the future. Unfortunately, after trying to re-lease our original space or secure a space downtown we continued to hit obstacles. Currently renting downtown is impossible for us due to high costs (3-4 x the price), locked in leases or availability issues.
There are little to no businesses at full capacity in the downtown core due to the new social distancing rules and this will not change in the foreseeable future. This would mean cutting our class sizes down by half and potentially employing more than one staff per class. We have grappled with various possibilities and creative solutions, but the uncertainty and limited funds to re-boot has caused us a great deal of stress.
Simply put, Bend City Yoga would not be able to fiscally operate given the current pandemic environment. Re-opening would only be placing us at high risk for massive debt or bankruptcy in such uncertain times.
Our hearts break as we want to be back in our special space with you. We tried to hold on as long as we possibly could. Teachers have donated time to provide online classes to our beloved members throughout this entire ordeal and we have greatly appreciated your support. We loved seeing you show up on-line but longed for an actual in class connection.
Moving forward some of the Bend City staff will be offering online classes and pop-ups via a secure platform, through Breathe Yoga Wellness. It is a company I co-founded in 2017 to host yoga festivals, offer training and showcase various styles of yoga. We will have a 2020 schedule for Breathe by September 10th. It will feature teachers from across the globe, as well as our amazing local teachers. We will be posting it on this page or on the Breathe Yoga Festival page.
I am truly sorry we couldn’t make this work for all of you. It has been a huge weight on my shoulders for months as the reality of it all actually set in. Our entire amazing yogi family are truly saddened by this as we created such an amazing bond with all of you. Without you, we would have been nothing.
Sending so much gratitude for the love, growth, guidance and support we have received over the years and particularly during this difficult time.
Stay safe, be well and see you on your mat sometime soon.
Namaste Bend Beauties. You will forever be in our hearts ❤️
http://Facebook.com/breathemonctonyogafest
Yoga means to unite and that's exactly what we plan on doing this coming July 27th, 2019 on the Moncton Waterfront.
FREE Entertainment, 30+ classes and workshops, and more.
