Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Beier.
Hi Heather, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I had been practicing yoga for years, teaching for a couple, and working full-time as an elementary teacher. At this time, my daughter was newly born when my partner decided to close the family business, a restaurant in the heart of Winona, and build a mixed-use building in the same location. One night, he called me to the dining room table and showed me the architectural plans, and said, “What if you opened a yoga studio?”
I remember laughing at him. My initial thought was that I had no business opening a yoga studio. I didn’t go to school for business, had an infant at home, and was already working full-time. But, he planted a seed. Once that seed was planted, I knew I had to do it.
My intention always was to create a space for people to kick off their shoes, move, breathe, and find ease. Muddy Waters Yoga Studio opened in May 2017.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been so many obstacles throughout this journey. I’ve made mistakes but always learned along the way.
The hardest part, without question, was Covid-19. The studio was closed down twice, and then finally I made the decision at the end of 2020 to hibernate the business. I was so burnt out trying to keep everything going. We had transitioned online, which we had done prior to the pandemic, but there was more pressure now. I found myself getting further and further away from my original intention.
I missed people. I missed our community. Although it was definitely the hardest time in the business, and we essentially started from scratch when we reopened, I learned so much from that time. Perhaps the biggest lesson was to stay true to what Muddy Waters was intended to be, and that is a healing space for people. We reopened with greater clarity and have kept that clarity as we continue to grow and be there for our students.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Muddy Waters Yoga Studio?
Located in the heart of Winona, Minnesota. Muddy Waters Studio is a mindful movement studio offering yoga and barre classes. We specialize in education and host accredited teacher training throughout the year. Our yoga retreats are unforgettable experiences that change your life in a way that only travel and deep connection can do. Whether you are just beginning or have a daily practice, we’ve got something for everyone: from beginning to advance; gentle and meditative; too hot, vigorous, and challenging.
Muddy Waters is all about building community while growing your personal practice. We hope you’ll enter feeling welcomed and leave feeling inspired, challenged, and uplifted.
The teachers of Muddy are all highly qualified and pour their hearts into every class. You’ll leave feeling taken care of and supported in your practice and as you step off into your daily life. We deeply believe in honoring yoga’s roots and infusing yogic principles and philosophy in all that we do.
Our core values are education, connection, and experience. We specialize in teacher training and take pride in helping to prepare our students to be the next generation to share the practice. Connection is threaded throughout all that we do: connection to community and deep connection to self and the parts of ourselves that we’ve forgotten.
We are always thinking about experience; whether it’s the experience you have in the studio or the experience of traveling on one of our many yoga retreats around the world. We believe that every detail matters and create experiences that you’ll remember for years to come.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
The teacher of Muddy Waters deserves all the credit. They are the heart of our space and make my job as owner and director a dream. They show up and they care, deeply. It’s taken time for us to get here, but we’ve found a team that feels like family. Big thanks to Kyann, Katherine, Randi, Tanya, Nancy, Dani, Wendy, Heather, Chelsea, Rose, Emily, Dawn, Kitt, Marie, Amy Jo, and Linda!
Lastly, our members deserve all the love as they are the backbone of our business. They’ve supported us by showing up fully. They can come and they can go, but they know that we’re here for them if and when they need us. They’re why we do what we do!
Pricing:
- Drop-in $17
- THE UNLIMITED membership is $108/month
- THE EIGHT membership is $88/month
- THE FIVE membership is $60/month
- 10 class package $130
Contact Info:
- Website: https://muddywatersyoga.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/muddywatersyogastudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/muddywatersyoga
Image Credits
Laura Rae Photography and Sage River Studios
