Nearby fitness studios were forced to navigate COVID variants, shifting mandates for masks, and cautious students. It has been a difficult two years in a time where maintaining good health and mind is just as important as ever.
Gizella Donald, a Potrero Hill resident opened Yoga Mayu on Mission and Harrison streets 2008, and launched a second location at Noe Valley in 2014. Both locations were lost during the pandemic, when demand declined due to shelter-in place orders. An 18-year-old Hill dwellerDonald lives in Arkansas Streetlast summer, she found the perfect spot for a revitalized Yoga Mayu at the corner Missouri and 20th streets.
The space was once a nail salon. Donald had always wanted to make a connection with students and their practices.
She said that she wanted to translate the meaning of a yoga practice in today’s world without any dogma. Yoga Mayu is open to all religions. Yoga Mayu encourages a neutral, progressive connection between body and mind, with a focus upon breathing, well-being and alignment that is relevant to our modern lives.
Donald opened the studio last summer after installing new floors. She attracted as many as 15 students per class without advertising. She also welcomed walk-ins, previous students, and neighbors through word-of mouth. Yoga Mayu offers vinyasa flow-based classes, as well workshops on yin and restorative yoga and aromatherapy.
She stated that she wanted people to feel they could go further after this experience. Simple can be difficult and less is more. Our classes focus more on teaching people how to understand their bodies, and how to align or be aware of basic alignment. It’s not about survival of fittest.
Yoga sculpt classes combine traditional vinyasa and cardio burst. This class uses body weight to tone muscles. This spring, a yoga teacher training is planned.
Opening during the pandemic was challenging, particularly recruiting teachers and retaining students. However, Donald is optimistic about building her company in her long-standing neighborhood.
She said that they are an open-minded, non-judgmental and easygoing community. We are very down-to-earth, friendly, and get to know each other by name and can talk to eachother.
Club Pilates is located at 635 Eighth Street, just down the hill from Yoga Mayu. The studio was launched in March 2019, but it was closed one year later because of the pandemic. It held rooftop classes in the second half of 2020 but it did not reopen indoors until March 20,21.
The franchise is owned by Seema Srivastava and husband Amit. They were introduced to the pilates reformer at Club Pilates six years ago and instantly fell in love with the difference it offered from a big-box gym experience.
I vividly remember the totally different experience I had. It was 50 minutes of intense focus on slow, precise movements which left my ab muscles sore. She said that my entire body, especially my back, had received a massage on its inside.
She and her husband decided that they would like to open a Club Pilates franchise. Many San Francisco neighborhoods do not allow franchise stores to open in their commercial areas. Two realtors quit after they searched for a place for 18 months. They cited lengthy and complex permitting processes as reasons. They found a property in Mission Bay but after eight months of negotiations, the landlord and leasing agent failed to reach an agreement.
Amit was biking to Sunnyvale’s CalTrain station when he noticed a new development on Brannan Street. He met the manager. After negotiating the lease directly, the husband-wife couple began a nearly two-year-long process of permitting, building, and opening a 1,500-square-foot studio. It now features twelve Pilates Reformer stations, floor-to-ceiling windows, and other equipment. There are many classes offered, but Reformer Flow is the most popular.
Srivastava said that there is a class for everyone. People often come to us with injuries or previous illnesses that make exercising difficult. Personal one-on-one training is also available for clients who don’t feel like group classes are the best option. Clients who are new to Reformer Flow often start with Level 1 classes. After four to six classes, they will know if they are ready to move on to the next level. Our top priority is to provide the best experience for our members. You feel calm and focused as soon as you step in.
CorePower Yoga, located at 1200 4th Street and Lagree Fit 415 at 112 Channel Street are two other options for fitness in Mission Bay. Photo: A Club Pilates client uses the reformer machine. Photo: Vivien Wang
