Meet Sara Rose Page of Yoga Sanctuary in Northampton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Rose Page.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I experienced yoga for the first time when I was 17, in my first year of college, and I was teaching by the time I was 21. I didn’t know it then, but from that very first class I began a journey that has brought me home to myself and allowed me to build a life I did not dream as a child that I could ever have. I grew up in a home and with an extended family rife with alcoholism and addiction, violence and abuse, so extreme that I had blocked it all out. From the outside, I had a life of privilege- private school, team sports, a father who would pay for a college education. And there were many gifts there that were real. As an athlete, I knew how to push myself. Academically, I excelled. I was a survivor in every way and I knew how to shut down and make it through anything.

Yoga taught me another way. Yoga, from the root word “yuj”, means to bind or connect. I learned to connect to all of myself, body, mind and heart. This connection allowed me to slowly thaw the numbness I’d grown accustomed to and helped me to feel. Like any profound emotional thawing- and being so young- it was a messy unraveling with no end in sight. I left college (and my family) to pursue yoga, knowing that my life- my wellbeing on every level- depended on it. It was a long and winding path as life paths are, but along the way, I remained committed to yoga as a path and a way to experience and honor life as sacred. Yoga (along with two decades of therapy!) gave me my self back, one that had been lost. And from the very beginning, having experienced so much suffering and ugliness in my life, all I wanted to do was heal myself, and bring healing and beauty to the world around me.

A friend once asked me what my vision was, how I had I created such a beautiful, “successful” yoga studio. It didn’t start with a business plan or a vision for me, and not with very much self-confidence either. It was little by little, learning to teach yoga, continuing to practice and study, learning from some amazing teachers and being disappointed by others, healing myself, and growing a stronger and stronger voice and presence as a teacher and leader. I found wonderful people – teachers, students, and staff- who have helped co-create the oasis of beauty that is Yoga Sanctuary. I realize that, 26 years of teaching later, my studio and practice grew from a lifelong dedication to being a healing presence in the world. I was creating not only what I was lacking (when I started out) but what I saw was needed for many people- a caring and healthy yoga community that is resilient and vibrant, in which we get to practice being fully embodied and loving life together.

Yoga is a practice that not only heals pain (physical and emotional) but helps us to experience great joy in our lives. I have two beautiful daughters and am convinced I have married one of the sweetest, smartest men on the planet. They bring me so much joy! There was a time I thought I would never have a loving family of my own, and I hope that my own life of transformation can be a helpful model to others. I love supporting my students to grow. Sometimes they will have a breakthrough like getting up in a handstand for the first time, which they were so afraid of, and it changes them forever. The courage they found that led them to take that risk and experience their strength becomes a model for them in their lives. They learn that they are capable of being courageous, and are able to do more than they think they can.

Yoga is the art of becoming ourselves, and that takes time, dedication, and a willingness to sometimes be uncomfortably heated by practices that transform seemingly immovable obstacles (be it a physical limitation, or a big life issue). Sometimes we have to let go, often we have to enter into our shadows, always we are invited to find in ourselves the innate gifts waiting to be revealed to us. I have a philosophy teacher who says that “yoga is fluency in being yourself”. Perfecting triangle pose, practicing our first handstand, enjoying the quiet calm that yoga can bring us, all of these are mere drops in the abundant ocean of healing, joy and empowerment that waits for us in yoga should we choose to dive in.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I have the blessing of hearing from yoga students, every single day, how yoga has transformed their lives, how much better they feel since coming to Yoga Sanctuary, how much they appreciate the warmth of the teachers and community and that it really does feel like a sanctuary. Every. Single. Day. This is the fuel for my heart and will that have kept me going through all kinds of challenges. Some apparent obstacles- being told I’d need to leave my studio space in the next year when I was pregnant and that was the last thing I wanted to do- led to something so much better! In the end, I doubled my studio space, adding a second small studio and 3 bodywork offices in a gorgeous, perfectly central location.

But of course, the process was anything but dreamy. It was fraught with fears about finances, working way too many hours to design the new space while running the current studio and teaching, all while being a sleep-deprived new mama. When we ended up moving my daughter was a toddler. It was exhausting. But where we ended up was a dream come true! That’s an interesting thing about challenges and obstacles when you are a yogi (anyone dedicated to growing no matter what). You can always end up with something positive even in the worst of circumstances.

I always choose to learn and grow, no matter how painful the process. There were more construction difficulties down the road, and yet our community got to practice being flexible and resilient by having our classes in other rooms in our building for a while. Staff turnover, surviving financially as more and more yoga studios spring up- all of these are real challenges. Balancing raising a family and running a business, that’s been a big one. Yet the beautiful and caring community we have to inspire me and keep me going. And my girls do too. One day, despite wanting to sell my studio because I felt it took away from being the kind of mother I wanted to be, my daughter who was 8 at the time declared she never wanted me to sell my studio! And I realized even though work stress affected my family at times, my daughter was proud of what I built and who I was.

Please tell us about Yoga Sanctuary.
At Yoga Sanctuary, the experience of entering a sanctuary begins the moment you walk in the door. You can exhale and begin to let go. You are greeted with warmth by our staff and the beauty and cleanliness of the quiet space delights and calms. As you enter the main studio, light-filled and spacious, you are invited to step across an inner threshold into a remembrance of who you are. You begin to unwind tension, step into your strength and open to your inner awareness. We teach you stories that we tell over and over again, woven into the alignment-based yoga poses you are guided through.

The stories are perhaps about a goddess, whose luminosity reminds you to see yourself with loving eyes and self-acceptance. Perhaps the story is about a monkey called Hanuman, whose curiosity and love of life might remind you of yourself, especially when you learn that he forgets his own greatness, and it is his friends- his community- who remind him he is capable of more than he realizes. Somewhere in between warrior 1 and a deep hamstring stretch, you realize we really are talking about you. And you find yourself capable of doing that crazy twist the teacher demonstrated that you were sure was impossible for you (but not for everyone else of course). And at the end of the class you relax into a deep place of stillness, knowing that as much as you let go in that class, you also became more. And you leave feeling grounded and more yourself as you walk out of the sanctuary and into the world.

What I am most proud of is to have such amazing students and teachers who live what they practice, who support each other, who continue to grow. Nothing makes me happier than when a student tells me that no matter whose class they go to, and even how different the classes may be, they feel respected and supported, and enriched in a way that continues long after the yoga class ended. Although I am proud that we have the skills to safely teach beginning or advanced students alike, it is always the stories of inner transformation that touch me the most. We offer some exceptional alignment-based and philosophy-enriched classes, yet also feature teachers gifted in leading flow classes, therapeutic alignment, and restorative. We all feel the same way- supporting our students’ transformation and practicing yoga together- that’s what it’s all about.

My current favorite things to teach are Yoga Teacher Training. It is so much fun to go deeper into asana study, sequencing, alignment and philosophy but also, it’s breathtaking to witness the personal growth that comes when a student begins to step into the role of teacher. It’s life-changing for them. Plus I get to co-teach with one of my teachers, Lisa Leizman, who is one of the wisest and kindest people I know.

I also adore teaching children, and offer a summer program called “Yoga Monkey Camp”. In this program, I weave the mythic stories of gods and goddesses, elephants and monkeys from the Indian traditions with yoga poses, games, and art projects in ways that teach and inspire core values such as courage, kindness, friendship and inner strength. It’s really just a fun and mini-version for the littlest yogis of what I love most to teach adults- mythic stories that teach us who we are, why we forget our greatness, and how to grow ourselves and love our lives.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I’m fortunate that despite grueling obstacles (primarily because of my childhood experiences), I have been true to my heart and my work in the world has always been aligned with my soul’s vision. In that way, I wouldn’t do anything differently. I have tremendous gratitude for the people who helped me to heal and become who I am today.

All of the things I would do differently were exactly the things I needed to learn. I would have said no much sooner, to the few teachers and staff I hired whose presence or behavior diminished rather than supported Yoga Sanctuary’s mission. Even to students who were not respecting boundaries. But learning to say no (to people, to harmful behavior) was something I had to learn. I learned to protect not only myself but to be true to my commitment to providing a sanctuary.

There are of course so many things I might wish I could have done differently. But I started with a small seed of hope and it grew into something bigger and more beautiful than I ever knew it would. While I grew my studio, loving it and struggling with it, I grew my community, my family and myself. Rather than thinking about going back, I’m all about moving forward. And I think I have a lot more growth and adventure to look forward to.

Pricing:

• $108/unlimited monthly membership, $99/students and seniors
• $20 drop-in

Contact Info:

• Website: www.yoga-sanctuary.com
• Phone: 413-585-9642
• Email: sara@yoga-sanctuary.com

Image Credit:
Melanie Zacek, Matt Page (

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