A Decade of Yoga in SoIN!

Carrie and Rob Klaus, owners of Element Yoga

February 4th marks our 10 year anniversary here at Element Yoga. It feels like a minute and a lifetime simultaneously. Over the last few months, as the big date was approaching, I’ve reflected a lot on this journey, and to be honest I can’t quite wrap my head around what we’ve created together.

For a decade this little studio has been part of my family. From the early days in Jeffersonville when I homeschooled my girls from the studio between classes, to the present moment, living just 6 short blocks from the studio, Element Yoga is like a living, breathing member of the family. And by extension, so many of YOU are now a part of my family too.

I’ve tried to sit down and write about what this 10 year milestone means on more than one occasion, and I’m at a loss for words. These past 10 years have been a journey of personal exploration and growth for me and running this business is so intimately tied to that personal growth that it’s hard for me to tease the two apart. There have been a lot of ups and downs, a lot of joy and a lot of tears, a lot of self-doubt as well as a lot of self-belief. I’ve experienced the full spectrum of every possible emotion on this journey, and ultimately, owning and operating this business has taught me to trust my intuition, to believe in my ability, to take risks, to fail with grace and to succeed with humility.

Jeffersonville Studio

Downtown New Albany Studio

Ten years ago there was only one yoga studio in Southern Indiana and it was hot Bikram yoga. I’m not trained in and don’t practice hot yoga or Bikram yoga, so I was an unemployed yoga teacher, homeschooling her kids. In passing, I’d mention that I wished there was a yoga studio in Southern Indiana because I really wanted to teach, but I always just mentioned it assuming it was one of those kinds of dreams that don’t ever come true. That was until one day my husband, Rob, came home from his office in downtown Jeffersonville and said “I found you a space to open that yoga studio you’re always talking about”. Thankfully Rob could see past the clutter and the mess in the space he’d found, because I was convinced that the space could NEVER be a yoga studio. Despite my doubts, I put my faith in Rob, we signed a contract to rent the space on month to month terms, cleared the junk out, painted the walls, bought some props, and put up a sign. I opened the doors on Monday, February 4 and had no idea if people would show up. To my surprise, they did! And then, they kept coming! Classes were growing, we were adding new teachers and new class times, we had regular students who showed up consistently, and that was the start of our yoga community.

After just two years of being in business, our community had grown and in August 2015 we were able to open a second location. We rented a space in Downtown New Albany and were able to expand our offerings and welcome more of you into our kula (heart centered community). It was wild to know that people were connecting with what we had to offer and wanted more.

In 2016 Rob and I moved our family to downtown New Albany and on nightly walks through our neighborhood we would pass this big old, empty school building on our street with a large yard, big old trees, and so much hidden charm - it was like an oasis in the middle of the city. We’d walk by and I’d fantasize about turning that old school building into a yoga school and holistic health center. Just like my original, off-hand comments about opening a yoga studio in Southern Indiana, I’d verbalize this holistic health center vision with no serious thoughts about that fantasy ever coming true. But, it turns out, Rob has this way of doing everything in his power to make all my dreams come true, so in 2017 we purchased the building that was once the Main Street School, and The Kula Center was born. We held our first classes in The Kula Center in February of 2018, made the difficult decision to close our original location and focus our time and attention on building a premier yoga school in our new home in The Kula Center.

Kula Center Studio

Community Room time

The rest, as they say, is history. Here we are 10 years from our opening date, we’ve survived a pandemic, rebranded, and we’re back better and stronger than ever. Running a small business is never easy. Running a small business for these last 3 years has proven to be nearly impossible for many. But this place has always been more than just a small business - it’s a community, it’s a family. Communities and families stick together when times get hard.

As we celebrate this 10 year milestone the only thing I can really say is thank you. Thank you for sticking with me. Thank you for contributing to this community. Thank you for being a part of my family and letting me be part of yours. And if you’re new here — welcome to the family! We’re happy you’re here.