Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Acebo.
Michelle, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I took my first yoga class at a local gym in 2003 after becoming frustrated with my inability to lose weight after three kids.
I attended the class and it was the first time that I felt “ok” in my own skin.
It was also the first time that I was able to relax.
I had no idea what I was walking in to at the time and I had no idea what it was specifically that made me feel so good both during and after the class, but I was inspired to learn more about Yoga.
There was not much yoga in South Texas outside of the fitness centers to choose from but I found a local teacher training program and signed up for it about six months later.
The training was what I would call “just ok.”
I thought if I could gain more knowledge I could simply do better for myself and our community.
I opened my yoga studio in 2005 and began traveling all over the world to study yoga with teachers that were well known.
These teachers gave me their blessings to begin my own teacher training program here in South Texas.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been a smooth road. I opened the studio with the understanding that my style of teaching wouldn’t be for everyone and being that I wanted to offer a wide variety of classes, I budgeted having several different teachers all of the varying styles that would teach five days a week.
In the beginning, I taught the majority of classes myself but having other teachers really appealed to students in this area.
Some days, we had many no shows for the classes but slowly over the years, the attendance has grown to fill over 26 classes a week.
It was a financial struggle that ate into my life savings.
Everyone thought I was crazy opening a yoga studio in Corpus Christi at first, but I recognized there were many yoga teachers in the area without a structured studio to share from.
Local yoga teachers were thrilled with the idea of finally having a real studio. I remembering one of them saying that she always dreamed of opening one but did not think it would work. She now co-owns another studio in town. Seeing mine open and eventually thrive, motivated her to open her own. The only person that believed in me at the time was my father. It was an expensive journey with very little financial return for many years. It has also been difficult being one person, raising children, continuing training and running this business. There’s always been a lot to manage. In the beginning and even now at times, if a teacher needs to take a day off & I can’t find a sub, I’m it! That’s just business!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Yoga Studio of Corpus Christi story. Tell us more about the business.
The Yoga Studio of Corpus Christi has held space for so many people who have been broken either physically, emotionally or mentally. I have consistently held 20 or more classes per week giving people many opportunities to attend classes. We specialize in meeting the students where they are and working from that place. I have had so many students come to me after class and tell me that the Yoga Studio of Corpus Christi has been a safe place where they have found healing and wholeness. I have had so many people cry and say that it has literally changed their life.
What sets us apart from the others in the area is my work ethic and passion for yoga. If we say there will be a class, there will be a class! Our teachers start their classes on time and end on time. We respect people’s time. We know that they have set aside this time in their busy lives to do something for themselves. We will not let them down. The studio is always clean. I am always on call and available to my staff. We solve problems quickly. We offer so much variety. We have maintained affordable pricing. We offer military and student rates at very discounted rates. We also have a work trade program which makes the benefits of yoga available to everyone.
I feel very proud to have brought yoga to Corpus Christi on such a large scale. Almost every other studio located in Corpus Christi first started their own practices at the Yoga Studio of Corpus Christi. We were the first ones to offer hot yoga in this area. We are always at the forefront of growth. Most studios and businesses look at us as their business model. Pricing, class times, yoga training, types of yoga have been duplicated due to our success or lack of success.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I was extremely lucky to get to the teachers that I did and very lucky to have done full teacher training with them. I have always been lucky to be noticed by these teachers and mentored by these teachers. Most of the training that I have taken have had 150-200 people in attendance. I have been lucky enough to be in close proximity to my teachers. Not everyone has been this lucky. I also feel that because we are in service to others and available to an under-served community, that even when the future looks bleak, in the end, I always seem to have what I need to continue doing what I love.
Pricing:
- Yoga Alliance International Teacher Trainings 200 Hour and 500 Hour level Programs
- Deep Student Discounts available
- We offer over 26 classes per week
- Military Unlimited Yoga for only $29/month
- Affordable Yoga with Convenient Times
- Hot Yoga, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Baptise Yoga, Jivamukti Yoga, Gentle Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Inferno Pilates
Contact Info:
- Address: 509 Clifford Street
Corpus Christi, Texas 78404 - Website: www.yogastudioofcc.com
- Phone: 361-779-0183
- Email: yogastudioofcorpuschristi@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Steven Rex Gabriel
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