Meet Kimberly Ghorai | Yoga Teacher, Studio Owner, Vegan-to-the-Max

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kimberly Ghorai (she/her) and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kimberly, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
There are two factors that qualify our risk levels on any given project or business adjustment: 1) will our financial investment get a return and 2) how will our clientele respond. I used to turn down ideas that had a high financial risk, being afraid we would not be able to stay open. Over time, I started letting the fear of loosing money dissipate and I am so glad I did. Financial support shows up through many avenues, and by focusing more on the needs of our community members, every risk is worth it. We now have programs that provide yoga to socioeconomically limited individuals for free, pay our teachers fair wages based on their experience and training levels, and have partnerships that provide yoga to local cancer patients and classes in Spanish. Risk is always worth it when keeping the benefits of people in the forefront of our decisions.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
There are three parts to our business: the studio, the school, and the summit. Meta Yoga Studios has views overlooking Breckenridge Ski Resort, offering classes every day of the week with a variety of teachers and class styles. We strive to stay authentic to the roots and lineages of yoga while infusing lessons into every class that students can apply to their life off the yoga mat. Our focus is on how to provide resources and tools for individuals to live fuller lives while caring for community. Meta Yoga School aims to offer more depth to practitioners based on their needs, and we do this in three ways. The first is through our Foundational Yoga Training, which focuses on going beyond what you may experience in the average hour yoga class, giving tools to focus on living life more intentionally. The second is our Yoga Teacher Certification, which provides the launching point for people wanting to start teaching yoga. The third is through continuing education for yoga teachers and dedicated yoga practitioners, including our Advanced Yoga Teacher Certification program. Conscious Yoga Summit is an opportunity for individuals to immerse in yoga-focused offerings from a variety of teachers. Yoga festivals can feel like a reason to party unicorn-style and yoga conferences can feel so serious and intimidating to the average practitioner. We created something that meets in the middle, ushering in an era of “festivals” that encourages authenticity to the practice. Conscious Yoga Summit is the gentle commitment to embodying yoga’s principles on and off the mat while integrating tools for social justice. Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m an outdoor kind of cookie, which is perfect for where our business is. Grabbing a vegan breakfast burrito from Clint’s Bakery, Cool River Coffee or Amazing Grace before going anywhere is essential. In the winter and spring, we would head out to cross country ski one of the many trail options (shhhh…. gotta keep my favorites a bit secret) or skate ski at the Breckenridge Nordic Center. In the summer and fall, we would head out on a hike to an alpine lake or paddle a kayak out onto Lake Dillon. For the super adventurous and patient friends, they could fat tire bike with me in any season… we can learn together as I’m still very new. Hopefully that visiting friend is staying some place awesome in town like Beaver Run Resort so we can soak in their slope-side hot tubs to call it a day, maybe with a plant-based pie from Piante Pizzeria.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband, Krishna, has been an enormous driving factor on where I am today. It all started by watching him do his personal yoga practice and thinking, “How does he know what shape to do next”? I wanted to know more, and he supported me through it all. Our business would not exist without him. My mentor, Kari Kwinn, is another individual that has shaped how I look at and interact in the world. Her perspectives on what is and is not important, adding yogic philosophy into everything that you do, and approaching with curiosity and grace have all been instrumental in guiding my business decisions.

Website: www.metayogastudios.com  www.consciousyogasummit.com

Instagram: @metayoga @consciousyogasummit

Facebook: /metayogastudios AND /consciousyogasummit

Image Credits
SUP Yoga – Tripp Fay ADL Outdoor Class – Kimberly Ghorai All Others – Meigan Canfield Photography