Companies: Golden yoga
Address: 805 14th St., Golden
Hours: Monday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Founded: 1999
Contact: 303-216-2949, goldenyogastudio.com
Employees: 1
Interview with Christian Leeby, owner
Q: How did you get into this business?
A: I had heard of yoga in classes I took in college and thought I would check it out. I was the “guy who was curious but wasn’t comfortable going to class,” so I got a book and started practicing at home. The back pain I had for years got worse as I practiced, so I stepped on and attended a weekend workshop at a local yoga studio. Little did I know there were different types of yoga and luckily the class I went to was perfect for me. It wasn’t just stretching and breathing, it was also very technical, it showed how the body always falls into its usual pattern in the poses and requires concentration to get the pose “right”. I was 20 years old and very stiff and out of shape, had never competed in any sport. Within a very short time my back pain improved and my body gained a kind of ease in movement that I never knew was possible. I was hooked. After a few years of serious study, my teacher asked me to replace him, and while I had never considered becoming a yoga teacher, that is exactly what happened.
Q: What makes you different from other companies in your category?
A: After traveling to India seven times and studying with the best yoga masters in the world, I have a unique skill that I make available to my students and clients. Very few people who practice yoga today understand that their body is not properly aligned and the effects this has on quality of life. Most yoga classes are vague in their intentions. They move, they stretch, and they breathe to “calm the mind” or “come back to center”. But they fail to understand that their “crooked alignment” literally determines how they do their yoga poses. For example, if one waist is shorter than the other, that imbalance does not magically resolve itself by stretching and moving. In fact, this imbalance forces a person into a “crooked” yoga pose that can actually deepen the pattern. This is how most people become stronger and more flexible with yoga, but they don’t correct long-lasting imbalances that have a huge impact on their wellbeing. My classes focus on using the yoga poses to fix what’s wrong. This is why I have so much success at helping people get rid of muscle and joint pain, and even helping organic and immune problems. As a result, you won’t see any fancy advanced positions in my studio. The fancy stuff is great for teenagers, but it just isn’t for most of the people who have physical problems that are made worse with repetitive movement and age. My courses are not intended for people who want to become advanced yogis, but for the average person who is not really interested in yoga but is interested in doing anything that will help them solve the physical problems that they face in life hold back.
Seth McConnell, YourHub
Jane Wright leverages a wall to hold a stretch during a private yoga class at Golden Yoga Studio in Golden, Colorado on February 8, 2017.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I am so blessed to have learned very specific yoga techniques that fix or alleviate structural and physiological problems. Many of my students give great testimonials on how they were able to reverse problems they had unsuccessful in physical therapy and never thought they would be free from them. I have helped many people avoid surgery, correct knee, neck, back, hip or shoulder problems. My oldest private customer, who has seen me for 15 years, has lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. The yoga sequences I teach her have literally helped her avoid the steroids her doctors recommend. Giving people these very simple techniques that will greatly improve their lives is incredibly rewarding to me.
Q: What is the biggest challenge for your company?
A: People automatically associate the word yoga with the image of a woman wearing fancy yoga pants and flowing through impressive postures as she magically connects her mind to the universe. In reality, most of the yoga in the US looks like this, which unfortunately prevents many people from following the encouragement my students give their friends to visit me because of their back pain, indigestion, or whatever they are suffering from. It is true that someone suffering from a debilitating problem should not go to just any yoga studio as most teachers are not trained to deal with serious problems. It is quite a challenge for me to convey to people that what I have to offer is not only safe but also healing.
Q: Something that might surprise people when they learn about you or your company:
A: People are surprised to see how the yoga I teach is for the average person in need of help dealing with real problems. I have a lot of students who do not have significant problems and come because my classes help them stay fit and healthy, but you will also see very stiff people, or people who cannot go up stairs or put their own socks on. In fact, I currently have a class dedicated to muscle and joint pain only that teaches simple, safe, and easy techniques that can help eliminate pain that has held people back for years. And I have another class that is designed to strengthen the immune system that I have students with fibromyalgia, thyroid problems, chronic fatigue, autoimmune problems, etc.
