Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Lee.
Samantha, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I spent most of my 20’s in Vancouver BC in radio and tv. I lived with a close friend who would watch me hang off our couch to relieve back pain from sitting all day. One day she suggested I try aerial yoga. I had no idea what that was and a quick search told me there was no one near me offering it either. A couple of years went by and I moved to Seattle for a job at a local tv station there. I again was hanging off the side of my couch one day and remembered she had told me to look it up so I did again and found a studio in Portland that was offering it.
My husband and I decided to take a day trip down to try it out. The first class was a bit weird, I won’t lie, and I wasn’t sure about it when we left. I was feeling all the effects of shaking up my lymphatic system and a bit of disorientation from hanging upside down, I mean when was the last time I did that? a couple of weeks went by and we decided to take another trip down and try it again. The second time around was quite different. I was familiar with what we were going to be doing and understood it better so I was able to relax and enjoy it, which I completely did.
When I went back to Seattle and started talking to people about it I noticed there were a lot of people who were interested in it and wanted to try it but didn’t want to make the drive to Portland. I too was now wanting to do it again so I decided to take the leap and open a studio. I did training in LA and Vancouver to learn and absorb everything I could about the practice and safety. I found a small single room studio that allowed me to put holes in the ceiling and hang hammocks and after two months of work, we opened on a Monday in the middle of summer. By the weekend I had full classes for Sat and Sunday.
As the student base and interest grew I did notice one thing though. Not everyone would stick around after 1 or 2 classes. It was like it was just something they wanted to try and get a photo of and then move on and quite honestly when I could see why. The way I was trained to teach classes was very much a ‘pause, watch me first then you try’ sort of approach which people got bored of quickly. So I changed it up… a lot…
I began teaching classes is a similar structure to a mat Vinyasa class using the hammock as a prop throughout. It changes the practice a lot and also allows for pulling motion to build upper body strength as well instead of just pushing the ground away. Once I changed up the format I was seeing a lot of familiar faces that stayed with the studio for a long time. The member base grew quickly and after a year at the first location, I had to seek out a larger space. The next space lasted two years before I had to move one more time to make more room.
We spent a total of five years in Seattle building and evolving our studio until last fall when my husband and I decided we needed to move to sunnier weather. We sold our studio to an awesome woman named Jen (if you’re in Seattle go by Flight Room and say hi!) and we packed our life up and headed to San Diego where we are opening Rize, the best version of what we’ve built so far!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The last five years in Seattle were pretty smooth with consistent and constant growth. Our only issue there is that at our second location we were next to a salsa studio with a really loud sound system and the refused to turn down the music that was overpowering ours. It was a bit of a battle with him.
Building here in CA has been a bit of a challenge. We had some specific requests for our architect that were ignored and now we are now having to fix some major things which have delayed our opening by a few months. The other struggle was getting our permits and any other things through the city for approval. I know there were some changes at the city earlier this year that may have caused some backlog which also added a lot of time onto our wait. This project was projected to take about six months and we are coming up on a year now.
Please tell us about your work. What should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are an alternative yoga/movement studio. When we first began, our soul purpose was to bring a new experience to the movement and wellness community, and we have. We specialize in our own method of aerial ‘Flight’ yoga and whole-body vibration ‘Vibe(rate)’ classes.
Our style of aerial yoga is our own Flight Yoga and it is a vinyasa style flow utilizing the hammock as a prop for 90-100% of the class time. We walk through hanging inversions which are optional and the class flows with the breath through our own salutations and variations on traditional yoga postures. Much of it will feel familiar if you’ve practiced yoga before and much of it will also feel very new. Flight allows you to get deeper into things and it also offers up the resistance of gravity to increase strength + flexibility.
Yoga Vibe(rate) is like a scrubbing cleanse for both your physical body and your energetic body is the best way I can describe it. The different frequencies help with everything from melting away tension, tightness and the feels of stress to engaging and activating muscles to build strength quicker. It activates the lymphatic system to detox the body and the silent disco headphones that we pair with the board immerse you in music that detoxes the mind.
We are known for the whole client experience. We have set the flow of our entire studio with intention and rituals. We are big believers in self-care, taking the time to enjoy the small things and treat yourself. When you walk through the door the first thing you’ll do is remove your shoes and put them away along with the rest of your things. Then you will get a hot towel to cleanse your hands and feet. There is tea available to sip on too. From there you’ll enter the classroom to your hammock or board where the instructor will greet you and set you up with anything needed (hammocks are adjusted for individual height). At the end of class, we make sure to leave enough time for a good Savasana to reset for your day or wind down for your night. Classes that built heat will offer cold towels at the end and all others will offer warm eye pillows. Essential oils are also a must for those who want them.
Savasana after Flight is almost always laying in the hammock floating above the ground (unless the class got sweaty!). Vibe classes offer different positions laying on the Vibe board.
Silent disco style headphones add a whole other element, while mainly implemented to use during the vibration classes in order to make sure students could hear clear instructions, they have also been incredibly effective in putting people deeper into their own space and connecting with themselves on another level. So we decided to also add them to our Yin Flight class. Yin Flight is done in a traditional yin style using the hammock as your prop and adds the feeling of being in your own space. You will forget there are other people in the room.
I think our entire experience is what sets us apart from others and it’s also what I’m most proud of.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I love getting messages from students who tell me how this practice has positively affected them and changed things for them.
There is one message I got not too long ago that made me proudest of what I’ve put together and made it all worth it.
This student sent me a note that said “I just wanted to say thank you for creating and crafting the Flight method and curriculum:) Flight has helped me literally get back on my feet after an accident. Not being able to move my body was depressing and creating anxiety. I credit so much of my strength, both physical and mental, to the groundwork you laid.”
Pricing:
- Intro Workshop + 2 Weeks Unlimited $79
- Founding Unlimited Membership $99/mo (available until Nov 15)
Contact Info:
- Address: 1120 F St San Diego 92101
- Website: www.rizestudio.com
- Email: sayhello@rizestudio.com
Image Credit:
Studio Luniste
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