A woman gave me feedback on the Yoga for Men flyer last week, and we shared a laugh about the photo I used. She told me that the photo wasn't quite appealing to her husband, but he WAS interested in the concept. 

Admittedly, I didn't know what the heck to use because there are SO MANY MEN I've spoken with about this! Do I put a shirtless guy on the flyer with rippling biceps who just got done working outside all day? Or a business-uniformed gentleman meditating on his lunch break? An older man needing flexibility? Zen hippie yoga guy? 

Guys. Regardless of the photo on our flyer, here's the deal:

1. I don't care what you look like, how flexible you are, or if this is your first time in a yoga studio. This class is to give you an idea of what to expect at Yoga Hive, and the class will be adaptable for all abilities!
2. Register in advance & pay $15 by clicking on one of THREE dates in the valley: 
   Yoga Hive Columbia Falls: Tues. June 12, 6-7pm
   Yoga Hive Kalispell: Wed. June 13, 7-8pm 
   Yoga Hive Whitefish: Thurs. June 14, 5:30-6:30pm
3. Wear some comfortable clothes you can move in, and a yoga mat if you have one. If you don't have one, we'll give you one to use during class for free!

That's it. No commitments. No membership. No catch. Just show up with an open mind and prepare to leave relaxed and ready to tackle whatever you've got going on in your life. 

(As always feedback is ALWAYS welcome!)

In light,
Mollie

Ahh the end of hibernation. This time of year, we see faces we haven't seen in a while. Our friends who winter elsewhere come back to town — like one of our favorite C-falls instructors, Debbie! And our friends who work summer gigs put their noses to the grindstone and wave goodbye till the fall. And... the sun is out! We're excited for outdoor yoga on the Firebrand Rooftop Saturday mornings at 9am, Yoga + Mimosas at Lodge at Whitefish Lake on Saturday mornings at 10am, Outdoor yoga at the Glacier Outdoor Center up the canyon starting June 12th, and SUP Yoga on Whitefish Lake starting in July in collaboration with our friends at Paddlefish Sports.

Just as prices and population rise for the summer around the valley, I wanted to be up front and let you know that Yoga Hive is following suit — we are raising our drop-in price for the summer to $17/class. BUT — locals, we've got your back. If you show a Flathead/Lincoln/Glacier county ID to our staff, you can always get our original $15 drop in price. We also have our Summer Special — only $210 for unlimited yoga for three months! 

Summer is also a time of growth for Yoga Hive, here in the valley and around the country. We have projects cooking up in more than one new location, and although we still cannot release the details publicly, know that my mission is to share this light we've created in Montana with other small towns around the world. Providing an approachable, easy-to-use, light-hearted business model for towns of our size is an offering that I am working hard to fine tune. And I'm telling you all this because I have you to thank. YOU who show up at our studios on a regular basis, email me feedback when you think we can do a better job, you who send me love notes about our incredible team, and you who send me the most incredible testimonials from your life-changing experiences at Yoga Hive. I feel motivated to share these words from Sarah S., one of our Fall 2017 graduates with you all: 

What changes have you noticed in your life as a result of completing our yoga teacher training program? 
Sarah: Where do I even start with this question? It is almost an understatement to say that this training has completely changed my life, for the better. I feel more at home in my mind and body than I ever have before. I have adopted a consistent yoga and meditation practice daily that I would be lost without, and always seems to give me exactly what I need in that moment. I genuinely feel as though I am a more compassionate being to everyone and everything around me. I treat myself better than I ever have, physically and emotionally. I feel a deep desire to grow as a person both academically and spiritually. I am consistently finding myself overwhelmed with immense gratitude for my life and the people in it. I am motivated to connect with nature and do anything I can to help the environment. I cherish moments more intensely and presently. I am constantly inspired by what I am capable of and feel as though I can feel my way through any tough emotion I may have. I have been able to accept and come to terms with many problems I had in my childhood and cultivate a better understanding to why things happen. And most importantly, I have developed a connection to myself that allows me to be present in every moment and live in more peace than I ever could have imagined.

Every time I read her words, I get goose bumps. And whether it's a teacher training program, or just a single class or workshop you've taken with Yoga Hive, we aim to make that impact in your life because honestly? It impacts ours, too. When we shine, you shine — and when you shine, we shine. Yoga is a two way street... and we're so honored you're walking with us!

Last thing (if you're still reading, I love you!)... scroll down to read out first TEACHER SPOTLIGHT, as well as upcoming workshops — monthly unlimited members get exclusive discounts! Chakra Flow with Essential Oils, Gentle Aerial Silks + Essential Oils (space is limited!), and my personal favorite: 

​Yoga for Men. Ladies and to the men that frequent our studio, I need your help! Lets make Yoga Hive even more approachable for our male audience... I will personally be teaching each one of these classes, suited for all abilities, and geared at showcasing a general understanding of what yoga is, we will do a class, and attendees will learn what to expect from a class in a studio. Flexibility and experience are NOT required, and the cost is only $15 per person: June 12, 6-7pm (Cfalls), June 13, 7-8pm (Kalispell), or June 14, 5:30-6:30 (Whitefish).

Thank you thank you thank you — and wishing you all a happy, healthy start to summer in the Flathead!
​
In light,
Mollie

May 08, 2018 at 2:45 pm | By Daniel McKay
Mollie Busby started Yoga Hive three years ago and recently relocated her studio to the retail space in the parking garage downtown.

​At Yoga Hive, Mollie Busby’s goal is to get those interested in yoga out of their living rooms and into a studio.

“There’s a lot of people in this Valley doing yoga on DVDs at home. And I felt that there was an easy, fun way to get them in a studio and help them kind of develop their practice and see how yoga can benefit their life,” Busby said.

Busby started Yoga Hive in 2015 and now has studios in Whitefish, Kalispell and Columbia Falls. Her Whitefish studio opened in its new home in the retail space of the city’s parking garage in March. Previous studios were located in the alley behind the Stumptown Marketplace and upstairs above the Toggery on Central Avenue.

Busby said so far the new location has been working out great for Yoga Hive.

“It’s just an upgrade from both of our last studios,” Busby said. “Now this studio, the look and feel of it is very much like our Columbia Falls and Kalispell studios, so everything feels really synergistic.”

Busby and her husband Sean moved to Whitefish in 2013. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and also ran Riding on Insulin, a nonprofit organization started by her husband that empowers kids and adults with type-1 diabetes through action sports, which he now runs as executive director.

Accessibility is a key focus at Yoga Hive, Busby says, with the goal of reducing the intimidation factor for newcomers.

“We love the tradition of yoga, it’s so important and it goes back so many years, but to get people acquainted with the practice we try to make things a little bit more accessible,” Busby says. “Instead of using words like ‘vinyasa’ or ‘ashtanga,’ we use Hive Flow and Honey Flow, just to get people acquainted with the practice and then we give them opportunities to dive deeper with workshops and teacher trainings.”

Classes at Yoga Hive are organized by pace, with slow classes like Gentle Yoga, and medium and faster classes like the Honey Flow and Hive Flow.

Yoga Hive also offers aerial yoga classes at their Columbia Falls and Kalispell locations.

Busby said the instructors at Yoga Hive aim to create a special vibe for their classes.

“We have low lights, twinkle lights, good music — teachers can incorporate whatever they want into their practice. Some of them will do crystal bowls or will pull cards, we’ll do a lot of essential oils as well,” Busby said. “It’s just those things you won’t find at other gym-type yoga places. So we really go for the vibe and I think people love coming here because of the peaceful atmosphere and just being able to zen out and escape for a little bit.”

Busby knows how it feels to have less-than-ideal experiences at a yoga class. Her own first class was off-putting enough to make her consider never trying yoga again.

“I actually had vowed never to do yoga again at that point, because my first and only class was awful. The teacher was very weird and I did not connect with him and I vowed never to do it again,” she said.

Luckily a friend convinced her to give yoga a second shot, and soon she was hooked.

Busby said she’s been lucky to have the support of the various other yoga instructors in Whitefish and the Flathead Valley since starting her own studio.

Whitefish has a strong yoga scene, and she’s thankful she was able to fit into that and find her place on the mat.
​
“I’m just really grateful for the Whitefish community, being welcomed by all the other studios, the other teachers, there’s no way we could do this without the teachers that work here,” she said. “They are a huge piece of what we do, and I’m just really grateful to be here and be able to do this.”
For more information on Yoga Hive, visit www.yogahivemontana.com.