Founder of Pause Yoga, Pilates & Barre Studio Louise Jackson worked in fashion for ten years before leaving to set up her own yoga studio in Leyton, East London. We caught up with her to find out more about her and her studio…
How and when did you first discover yoga and in what ways has it benefited your life?
About five years ago, I started doing yoga more regularly when my job at the time became more stressful. I found it was the only way I could stay balanced day to day. It was a physical practice at the time – Jivamukti and Vinyasa. When I would come home from work, a dynamic practice was the only way I could re-balance myself from the day.
The physical manifestations of anxiety were very obvious to me at the time, I was constantly fatigued, my muscles were always tight, I was on the edge of burnout. It was very much a fight or flight reaction. Yoga was the only way I could re-balance my body and my mind.
How did you arrive at the decision to leave the fashion industry and set up your own studio?
While I was still working in fashion, I found myself practising yoga daily and wanted to deepen my practice, so I took myself away to India over Christmas and New Year and did my first teacher training which was in Ashtanga Vinyasa. I’ve since completed various other trainings in London including Yin, Pregnancy and Yoga Nidra. When I came back, I decided to start teaching whilst working full time and so hired out a small space in Leyton where I taught four classes a week. As the classes grew in popularity, I saw there was demand for a yoga studio in the area. When I was made redundant from my last job, I decided to take the plunge and try opening my own studio.
What have been the challenges for you of creating your own yoga studio?
There weren’t that many units in Leyton, but a lot of money has been put into regenerating Francis Road and pedestrianising the street made a huge difference. Lots of little independent shops and boutiques opened up in the area. When I found what was to become my studio, which had previously been an internet café, I knew that the location was perfect, although it would take a huge amount of work.
There were so many challenges. The first challenge was waiting for planning permission which took three months – committing to the lease before we were even sure we would be allowed to open. As soon as it was approved, we got the builder in! Everything needed doing, it was a real mess. But as soon as I walked in the first time, I knew exactly where everything was going to be.
Why was Pause the perfect name for your new venture?
Essentially, as a studio, what we offer is the moment to hit PAUSE, to take a step back, even for just one hour a week. We believe that “me time” is a necessity to staying grounded and balanced in our hectic lives, especially in a city like London. PAUSE offers a respite for busy professionals to hit the reset button, or new parents to claim back some time to themselves or even just to meet new parents in the same boat.
You truly believe that yoga is for everyone. What steps have you taken to create a relaxed and friendly environment at Pause in which people feel comfortable attending any class?
All our teachers create a relaxed, friendly environment. We don’t have a reception, which means that the teachers check clients in and therefore get to know people by name. It makes such a difference as a student when the teacher knows your name and exactly what’s going on with you at the time. We also ensure we have enough beginners classes and courses to make yoga accessible to people that have never done it before.
What are the advantages of a more intimate space with only up to twelve students per class?
There’s room for a maximum of twelve mats, so it’s immediately a very intimate space. It’s a hyperlocal yoga studio, close to people’s homes rather than their work. I was chatting to one of the local mums the other day who’d said she loves the studio because she’d got to know so many other mums from classes. One of my teachers said the other day that this is her favourite studio to teach at because people actually talk to one another before a class.
It’s coming up to 2 years since the studio opened. When it opened, we had a lot of people who had never done any yoga before, so we put on a lot of beginners’ classes. Now, two years on, we still run beginners’ classes, but are able to offer some more advanced workshops too. Their practice has grown and developed with us over the years.
In what ways have you seen Pause Studio take its place at the heart of the local community?
PAUSE is situated in the heart of Leyton on Francis Road, which after being regenerated by Waltham Forest council has become a bit of a hub for new fledgling businesses. People will come to a class at PAUSE and then head to brunch over the road with the friends that they’ve made at the studio. Or the new mums will grab a coffee and cake together after postnatal Pilates or yoga. It helps to make the area more a destination rather than somewhere you just go to yoga then head straight home.
And finally, we heard that you’ve recently had a baby – in what ways has that changed your life and your yoga practice?
I was still teaching up until I was 34 weeks. My cues became a lot more articulate towards the end because I wasn’t really demonstrating myself by then. When my son was three months old, I went back to teaching yoga and after two weeks, realised that I had gone back too soon. It was hard to be new mum, business owner and yoga teacher at the same time. Something had to give. I stopped teaching and I’m going to take a break from it for a while, I think, so that I can do two things well. I’m still running the business: basically, when he has a nap, I jump on the laptop. When I go to meet new teachers, he always comes with me – he’s like my new mini assistant. I’ll return to teaching when I have a bit more head space! I want to get back into exploring my own practice first.
Looking forward, I’m starting to think now about opening another studio, but I don’t want to stretch myself too much: watch this space!
