CLAYTON — Fitness centers, gyms and other indoor fitness activities have begun to reopen, and Liz Price-Kellogg of River Yoga is excited to get people back into her studio.
As they reopen, fitness centers are limited to 33 percent of their pre-pandemic capacity, patrons must wear masks at all times and building owners must take special precautions with their ventilation systems to ensure there’s a constant stream of fresh or well-filtered air.
“We’re reopening our studio with restricted numbers, everything is in compliance with state guidelines,” Mrs. Price-Kellogg said.
For yoga studios, the requirement for patrons to wear masks at all times can present unique problems. Yoga in general is a very breathing-focused activity, and Mrs. Price-Kellogg said she has some concerns over the mask requirements.
“We’re starting with a nice slow-flow class, we’re not going to have power-flows initially,” she said. “We’re not 100 percent sure that power-flows and heavy breathing are healthy with a mask on.”
According to a report from the World Health Organization, published on June 16, people should not wear masks while exercising as it can reduce their ability to breathe comfortably. Sweat can moisten the mask, restricting breathing and promoting the growth of micro-organisms that could cause other health problems. The WHO suggests in order to exercise safely, people should remain at least one meter, or 3.2 feet, away from others while working out.
As for the ventilation requirements, Mrs. Price-Kellogg said her studio has been recently renovated, with radiant in-floor heating and a large number of windows, so she has no concerns over the safety and efficiency of her ventilation systems.
Mrs. Price-Kellogg said the studio will be offering fewer classes than usual for the summer season as she gauges what people are interested in doing.
“We’re considering this a soft opening so we can get an idea of what our folks are looking for,” she said.
This week, the studio will only offer five classes. Typically, they offer 35 classes per week. That reduced capacity and low number of classes, coupled with the six-month ban on all fitness classes, has put a strain on the business’s viability, Mrs. Price-Kellogg said, but she’s found ways to stay afloat.
“I feel really fortunate. I had room to bring more retail in during this time,” she said. “I’m on a really busy street — James Street in Clayton — so we ramped up our retail items.”
She said she took a low-interest government loan to purchase more products to sell, and those are what have paid the bills these last few months.
Alongside the expanded retail space, Mrs. Price-Kellogg said she’s also been offering outdoor and virtual yoga classes, which she plans to continue as long as possible.
“Because we live in northern New York, the outdoor classes will eventually have to come to a halt,” she said. “We may have a beautiful Indian summer, but we also may not, so we will go as long as we can outside.”
She said the online classes have provided a unique opportunity to rekindle long-lost connections with past customers, which has proven to be invaluable.
“I have had this great opportunity to reconnect with people that may have taken yoga with me 20 years ago, and then moved out of the area,” Mrs. Price-Kellogg said. “We’ve had people from all over the country checking in for virtual classes that had a relationship with River Yoga at one time or another, so that’s been fun.”
As part of their reopening requirements, fitness centers are required to be inspected by their local county health departments. Mrs. Price-Kellogg said in her conversations with the Jefferson County Public Health Service and the state Department of Health, neither were sure of when or how they would be able to inspect her studio.
“I’ve been told by (Jefferson County Board of Legislators Chairman) Scott Gray that they will, in fact, have something together for me for inspection in a few weeks,” she said. “Right now, we’re moving ahead with the protocols online from New York on PAUSE.”
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August 24, 2020 at 04:59AM
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Clayton's River Yoga to 'soft open' Monday as fitness centers welcome back patrons - NNY360
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