Vail Mountain Lodge & Spa
The practice of Pilates
their observations. “Feedback leads to improvement,” Nelson posits. “The meeting is an open forum, in which we strive to help one another become better.” Teachers are also required to lead specialized work-
shops, held at least once every month, that are open to members and nonmembers, alike. The courses vary in topic, length, and cost, from a two-hour session on inversions, to the six-week-long “42 Days to Personal Transformation,” which includes classes, meditation, lectures, and weekly support meetings. Prices range from $25 up to $300. With as many as 30 people taking part in each of the
workshops, they represent a nice source of added reve- nue, and, more importantly, “They attract people who, otherwise, might never enter our facility,” stresses Nelson. All told, the workshops generate more than 20 new members for VAC per year. “Many people join specifically for yoga, and this has
been a way for us to keep the program relevant and strong,” she says. “Workshops define us as an educational center and a true studio.”
Setting the stage
Another step VAC has taken to strengthen its impressive yoga credentials—ironically, one that Smith resisted
initially—was to designate 1,000 square feet of the club as “yoga only.” “As a manager, I was resistant,” she confesses. “I mean,
only use the space for yoga? Come on!” Eventually, how- ever, she saw the wisdom in the suggestion, and, now, she concedes, the club’s dedicated yoga studio has set a new standard… “It demonstrated to clients that we were committed to
yoga and to them,” she reflects. “It’s important to dif- ferentiate your studio from the rest of the club—it allows members to escape the noisy chatter. As soon as they walk through the door, they feel calmer.” Addressing the goal of providing a quiet reflective environment, the room features subdued lighting, a wood floor, warm gold-colored walls, soft music, and accessories limited to a few plants and a statue of Buddha—“clean and simple” is how Nelson describes it. Yoga has been meeting the needs of men and women
for centuries, and seems equally adept at addressing the challenges of modern life. “People are searching for health, peace, fitness, tranquility, and happiness,” con- cludes Nelson, “and yoga can help provide many of those things. That said, I can only anticipate that interest in it will continue to grow.” —|
– Patricia Glynn,
p.glynn@
fit-etc.com www.
ihrsa.org | MAY 2011 | Club Business Internat ional 39
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