Today we’d like to introduce you to Marilva Wedge.
Marilva, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
This is a write-up that my husband and I really pulled together.
The year is 2008 and a couple steps foot on their first yoga mats, borrowed from a friend, in a hot studio space in Easton, Massachusetts. They had no idea what to expect. They had only heard of this instructor named Richard who traveled the world teaching yoga and were told it was amazing. Well, they had heard correctly. Mike & Marilva walked out of the studio that day and truly fell in love the practice.
Years go by and the practice continued very on and off. Mike & Marilva struggled to make class 30 minutes away with the balance of their busy schedules and they missed the practice that made them feel so good physically and mentally, so they searched for a studio closer to home in Taunton without much luck.
Members of the Downtown Taunton Business Improvement District (BID) and Downtown Taunton Foundation (dtf) they thought to themselves how nice it would be if these associations could bring in a yoga studio to the area! As the President of the dtf, Mike called Richard to inquire about bringing Open Doors Yoga Studios to Taunton. After speaking, he hung up, looked at Marilva and said: “We can do this.” And the rest is history…
In November 2015, Open Doors Yoga Studios – Taunton opened their space to the community of Taunton. The positive response was overwhelming. Not only was a yoga studio opened, but a space where friendships would start and grow, mind/body/breath connections made, and the community brought together was established.
Fast forward to 2018, Mike & Marilva purchased the Open Doors Yoga Studios – East Bridgewater location to continue to build community.
Thank you, Richard, for what you have created. We are blessed to part of it.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Opening and running a business is a challenge for sure. These are some highlights:
** The advertising world and getting your name out there has probably been our most challenging step. Folks love us once they find us but figuring out how to reach the masses is hard.
** The down to the wire items before Grand Opening was stressful! We’re a hot power yoga studio and our heaters were the last thing to be installed (up to the night before). We had full faith in our contractor and knew it was going to happen (no Plan B) but still very stressful.
** Balancing out instructor and class schedules can be challenging, but we’re beyond lucky that our team is absolutely amazing and help each other out.
Please tell us about Open Doors Yoga Studios – Taunton & East Bridgewater.
Hot Power Vinyasa Style Yoga. Heater classes (range 85-95+)
So proud of the community we’ve built in the studios. Sitting outside the space waiting for class to start and hearing the conversations that start in the room between students who’ve met in our space and now are very friendly warms my heart.
That’s we’re truly open to ALL. No matter where folks are in their practice. Proud to say that I’ve had a 9-year-old and 70 years old in the same class and each walked away feeling great getting what they needed from their personal practice.
That we encourage students to be safe in their postures. No pain in yoga.
Pricing:
- $99 Unlimited Membership – practice all you want at any of our 11 locations
- 10% off of workshops and retail to our Unlimited Monthly Members
Contact Info:
- Address: Taunton Studio – 1 Main Street, Taunton, MA
East Bridgewater Studios – 27 Central Street, East Bridgewater, MA - Website: www.opendoorsyogastudios.com
- Phone: 781-405-2393
- Email: opendoorsyogataunton@gmail.com
- Instagram: opendoorsyogatautnon
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/opendoorsyogastudiostaunton/?ref=bookmarks
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/OpenDoorsYogaEB/
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
