YogaFit’s Founder Beth Shaw – Making a Difference in the Yoga Industry
From high intensity classes like Tae-Bo and Spinning to lower impact, stress-reducing activities such as Pilates and Tai-chi, fitness has evolved from an exercise to a lifestyle. But no other form of exercise has changed the fitness world more than the practice of yoga. Beth Shaw is recognized throughout the United States, and internationally, as one of the leading experts in the fitness industry. She graduated with a B.S. in Marketing from Long Island University, then made her home on the West Coast.
Shaw is certified in White Lotus Hatha Yoga and Integrative Yoga. As she began teaching yoga and quickly discovered that traditional methods didn’t meet the needs of the fitness club clientele, YogaFit was born. Her unique blend of yoga, strength training, and stretching took the fitness industry by storm; and in 1997, just three years after its inception, YogaFit began training instructors nationwide. Today, there are more than 50,000 YogaFit instructors in the United States and thousands more in Europe, Turkey, Australia, China, and South America.
I visited Beth Shaw’s recently and listened while she shared some of her health tips as well as her business successes.
What made you decide to get into Yoga and create a school?
I have been working out since I was fifteen, and I’ve always loved the health club environment; so when I decided to get trained in Yoga and went through a couple of traditional trainings, I found that they really didn’t meet the needs of the health club
participant. So I created YogaFit, which is a user-friendly fitness-oriented user style of Yoga. And the company has grown really fast and very internationally.
What is User-Friendly?
It means that we modify and we make yoga accessible to every different body style and body type to any level of fitness or injury level.
I used to go the gym, and now I have equipment at home. I went to a yoga class maybe twice. Do you think this is becoming a more popular way of exercising now?
It’s definitely becoming more popular. A lot of people are tired of beating up their bodies, and they are looking for something that is going to give them the current body type that is in vogue, which is a longer, leaner look, instead of more muscular.
How did you get started?
I started out of my living room in the early 90s. I was teaching YogaFit-style classes at the major health clubs in Los Angeles. One of my students invested working capital into the business, and I was selling my t-shirts and yoga mats out of the back of my car. I did a cable TV show called “Yoga Fit” that was running some mail order clothing ads. Just doing a bunch of different things, and planted some seeds. Some sprouted and others didn’t.
Tell me about your line then.
We’ve got a full line of yoga clothing. We’ve got a new line of organic clothing, too, that’s sustainable. The fabrics are made from bamboo.
What do your clothes retail for?
They retail anywhere from $59 – $90.
Your actual process of teaching yoga, you said you cater to the individual, is there anything you’d like to share when you’re working with that person?
Well, we really focus on the essence of the practice, not just the physical form, but what they should be feeling in their bodies. And we also emphasize that people should feel, they should breathe, they should let go of judgment, expectation and competition and really listen
to their bodies and celebrate the bodies that they’re in. You know their yoga
Practice, or any kind of movement, should first and foremost be safe, but it should also be a celebration of music and breath and movement and sweat.
What age ranges are actually doing yoga today?
Anywhere from 6 to 96.
You also have schools all over the country?
We do. We have partner schools all over the country and we do a lot of our training in health and fitness clubs around the country.
What were some of the highs in creating this empire?
For me, the high is going out on the road, meeting the client, going to one of our mind/ body fitness conferences, getting to lead a class, going on to a health club, teaching master class, getting publicity, and getting the brand out there.
Have you had any pitfalls in trying to create this?
I think the trick in creating a business is to make more good choices than bad, but I’ve definitely made some mistakes and had some heartache along the way. I guess any good business owner would say the same thing.
None you’d like to share?
I made some hiring mistakes. I have made some personal mistakes along the way. You learn from your mistakes. Hopefully, they’re not so bad that you can’t rebound from them and you kind of learn as you go. That becomes the exciting part, it becomes almost a spiritual practice for me. To learn life lessons and keep moving forward.
I guess that’s part of the yoga experience.
And the business of yoga adds a whole new dimension to that.
Explain to the lay person that doesn’t know what yoga really is, and has shied away from it because it’s more the metaphysical/spiritual side of things as opposed to the weight lifting side of things. To someone who is completely unfamiliar with this process and what this is, how would you explain this?
It’s a series of movements: Yoga postures combined with breathing in a flowing, heat-building way that works your body, helps relax your mind. So it’s like your body gets a workout, and your mind gets a mini vacation.
Do you do chants as well?
In our advanced level trainings, yes, we do. But in a normal yogaFit class, you will not find Sanskrit, and you will not find chanting.
Yoga goes as far back as the centuries, right?
A 6,000-year secret to health to health and vitality.
For someone who is out of shape, or who wants to get in vogue with their body this season, or just whatever’s in, how long does something like that take? For instance, somebody who’s 30 or 40 pounds overweight? How long does it take before they start to see results?
They’ll start to see positive results within a week to two weeks. They’ll feel better. They’ll notice that their eating habits change dramatically because they’re getting in touch with their bodies. They’ll notice their back feels better. They’ll have more core center strength. Perhaps they’ll see a bicep or two. And they’ll just feel better from the breath and the focus, and giving themselves time for their body. That’s something in our society today—people do not give their bodies the time that they need. And also, not just going to the gym and lifting weights and running around, but bringing your mind into your body and then giving yourself that time. It really adds a whole new dimension to what fitness truly is.
It probably makes people want to go. For me, I stopped going to the gym. I just work out at home now. Going to the gym for me is not very fulfilling.
And that’s where the yoga becomes much more fulfilling than traditional fitness.
How much does it cost to join your program?
Well, we have advanced level trainings and basic trainings. And a weekend training would be about $300. And they’ll learn the basics of yoga, how to improve their own practice. How to create a practice that is tailored for their body. And also how to be safe and have fun along the way.
What advice would you give someone who’s trying to get their body into shape?
First, I would say just move your body for an hour a day. Go out and do three 20-minute walks, do some yoga, do any kind of movement. People need to get in the habit of moving. Our bodies were made to move. Our minds forget that. I would also say start making portion control a priority. When you get a meal, cut it in half right away. Put half aside for lunch the next day. And start to get your stomach accustomed to just eating less. And make better food choices.
You were even saying that after someone has been in the program for a couple of weeks, they have changes to their eating habits on their own.
That’s the nice thing about yoga. Getting in touch with your body, you don’t have to force yourself to make changes. They happen naturally.
Is there anything you’d like to add?
Yes. Remember any movement is good movement as long as it’s safe movement.
Shaw has been published in numerous fitness, business and consumer publications including SELF, FIT, Yoga Journal, Club Business International and LA Parent. Her book, Beth Shaw’s YogaFit, is a best seller among Human Kinetics titles. Shaw has been featured on ABC News, the Style Network, CNN, Showtime, Canada AM, and the KCBS talk show Woman to Woman.
For more information about YogaFit and Beth Shaw, visit her website at www.yogafit.com.
Interviewed by Kaylene Peoples
