Meet Maggie Fiorella of Green Tea Yoga and Wellness

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Fiorella.

Maggie, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
As a young adult, I was always interested in alternative healing methods. I remember taking a class in college about energy and reiki healing methods, and I was hooked. I was naturally drawn to Indian and Asian cultures, and I started collecting buddhas at a very young age. I was a sensitive and intuitive child, and I felt a strong connection to the earth and all of life. I knew that we were all one and I would never kill any bugs. My intuition guided me towards my dharma of helping and sharing.

I started my wellness path as a pediatric Occupational Therapist. While working with children who had all sorts of difficulties with body awareness, coordination, visual tracking, their sensory systems, anxiety, hyperactivity and eating difficulties, I started implementing basic yoga poses, breath work, and meditation. The kids loved yoga and were sponges soaking up all of the material. I was practicing yoga myself starting at the age of twenty after moving from a small town in Missouri. I knew the benefits of the practice and how it helped me with my own anxiety.

Every time I would practice, I felt stronger, more confident, peaceful and grounded. I wanted to share my practice and my passion with everyone I met. I began my official training for yoga in a 200 hr program in 2006 after I had my daughter. I was teaching at the Jewish Community Center, within different schools, and at Green Tea Yoga and fell in love with helping so many children, and adults find themselves. Yoga is a path of connecting. It is about getting to really know yourself and release the judgment and expectations that you place upon yourself and others.

The more I practiced, the more aware I became of my own crap. The stuff I buried so deep within that it was causing imbalances in my energetic field and eventually my physical body. I was so fortunate to take over Green Tea Yoga and Wellness when the previous owner went back into teaching full time. I had a vision, and I transformed the studio into a vibrant, colorful, open, accepting, and welcoming space. I wanted people to come through our front doors and be comfortable in their own skin.

My practice continues to evolve over time. Sometimes I need to slow down and practice more yin and restorative and sometimes I need to move the energy and anything that is stagnant with a more active vinyasa practice. Yoga allows me the freedom to find a practice that supports me and helps me see clearly or Vidya. I tell my students, if you are not crying on your mat at some point, you are not healing.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No Way!!! Personally, I have had a lot of loss in my life. My dad died when I was twelve, and my twin sister was diagnosed with the bipolar and schizoaffective disorder at twenty, my mom battled breast cancer, my grandmother passed while living in our house, and three years ago I was diagnosed with Chronic Lyme disease.

The past three years of my life were the biggest battle so far, and there were times I wanted to throw in the towel. Life has thrown me some pretty difficult and unpredictable situations in my life. With all of hardships and pain and all that I have suffered through, I have learned a lot, and I have made changes that better support who I am and what I want out of this life.

As for the business, it’s never easy. Sometimes keeping up with all of the changes, the marketing, the accounting, the workshops can be overwhelming. But, it’s worth it. I absolutely love what I do, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am so thankful.

Please tell us about Green Tea Yoga and Wellness.
Green Tea Yoga and Wellness offers a variety of classes for adults, children, pregnant women, and families. It also provides different wellness modalities such as empathic guidance, nutrition, counseling, Reiki and polarity. We are a family at GTY. When you come through the front doors, you feel safe and at home.

You can just be without any expectations or judgment. I count my blessing every day for our amazing teachers. They bring so much more to our studio than just a class. They truly care and support the students with whatever challenges they may be going through. They are amazing listeners, supportive, knowledgeable and a fantastic support system.

I am also grateful for all of the volunteers who help run the front desk. They put their heart into this studio to make sure everything is running smoothly. I am so blessed. We are a group of like-minded people who just want to make this world a better place.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I probably would have gotten to know the ins and outs of running a busy. I have always been a bit of an impulsive person, and when I bought the business, I had no idea what I was getting into. I jumped into the water and learned how to swim very quickly.

Without any knowledge of marketing tools or strategies and without a business background it was anxiety provoking. Luckily, I had my husband to help train me. I would have also learned to delegate more. I’m not very good at that I have a tendency to burn out quickly when I am overwhelmed. It’s important to ask for help.

Pricing:

• New Student Special. 2 weeks unlimited yoga for $25
• Monthly Unlimited for $90
• 10 Class Card for $120

Contact Info:

• Address: 10 Colonial Road. Salem, MA. 01970
• Website: www.greenteayoga.com
• Phone: 978-740-9749
• Email: maggie@greenteayoga.com

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.