Maria Shriver

Kathy Ryan, Founder Yoga Girl Parties

By Kathy Ryan

Sometimes success is just a good idea away. And sometimes a good idea is just a decision away. After 10 years teaching yoga in the Boston area, I moved back to Los Angeles where my career in yoga originally began.

It didn’t take long to recognize that the LA yoga market had changed drastically. The yoga craze had exploded, as had the number of teachers and studios. If I was going to work, I needed to provide something new and different. How would I find an untapped part of the market?

One particular Friday afternoon, I got that feeling. Something told me that I should go into a particular nail salon that I don’t usually frequent. I did. And it changed everything. A beautiful, energetic woman came into the salon, chatting on her phone. I overheard her planning what seemed to be an event for her family. She had everyone covered, except the women. She needed to plan something for them.

That's when it hit me, these women needed yoga – and more than just yoga -- a yoga party, filled with music, candles, flowers, food, wine, a masseuse, even a chef. It would be fun and healthy. Thus, Yoga Girl Parties was born. The next day I started putting together options for people to design the yoga gatherings of their particular needs. The rest is history.

As a side note – the beautiful, energetic woman that inspired me in the nail salon was none other than Maria Shriver.

5 tips to help give you direction:

1. FOCUS. Open your imagination and use your brain power. What would YOU like to have in a service or product? Imagine it. Let your mind go. Pay attention to your intuition. That sweet smart inner voice, that feeling in your hear - it will speak to you. It spoke to me that day in the nail salon.

2. FOLLOW THROUGH. If you get a good idea – act on it. Use what you know. Keep recreating and tweaking if it is not working exactly the way you would like. Test the waters, put the idea out there, talk it up, share it with people, be willing to take advice and keep going.

3. COURAGE and TENACITY. Believe in yourself. Be confident even when you are not feeling it. Be prepared for setbacks. Every setback is information on how to do it better. Don’t get knocked off track by a bad day or someone’s bad advice. Don’t give up.

4. TAKE CARE YOUR BODY. In starting a new venture you will need to be sharp in the mind and strong in the body. Exercise and eat right. Make the effort to stay fit. Move, dance, hike, walk, do yoga and eat well.

5. MEDITATE. Please meditate. Meditate to get clear on what is really going on in your life. Meditation starts with asking and meditation ends with listening. I promise you, if you are actively meditating you will get an answer. It takes practice. Don’t get discouraged. Stay open to what the universe will show you or put in your path. Listen to the universe’s divine “language”. It is different than our own but not indecipherable. You will recognize it. It may likely come at the most unassuming moment, in the most unassuming setting.

Yoga Girl Parties founder, Kathy Ryan has shared her vision as a yoga instructor, dancer and choreographer at The Canyon Ranch Spa, Agape International Church, The Sports Club Los Angeles in LA and Boston, Dick Clark Productions and Disney Studios. Kathy has also taught many private clients in the Los Angeles area. Kathy’s vision for Yoga Girl Parties is to provide a unique dance, movement and yoga experience for groups of friends wishing to enjoy the benefits of yoga together in the comfort of a private home. Kathy currently teaches a weekly class at Maha Yoga in Brentwood. She is also a member of the Agage International Choir and volunteers with Seniors who Exercise.