Today we’d like to introduce you to Jane Fitzgerald
Hi Jane, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am currently 66 years old.
When I was 25, I took my first dance class at a place called The City Studio. It became a major hobby and fitness outlet for me as I attended 3 or so classes per week. I lived in the city of St. Louis at that time but several miles away from the studio.
When my husband and I started a family 6 years later, we moved to a home within walking distance of The City Studio (“the studio”)
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I was no longer able to attend dance classes with 2 small children, but eventually took a yoga class at the studio and fell in love with yoga. I began taking yoga classes and then teaching it at the bank where I worked (during lunchtimes and after work). 10 years later, the bank was sold and I found myself out of job. I decided to become an independent yoga teacher and began renting space at The City Studio to hold classes. Over time I studied in India and received my certification to teach Iyengar Yoga – a yoga based on the teaching of BKS Iyengar in Pune, India.
In 2017 my friends, the studio owners, decided to retire and sell the studio. My husband and I bought it and I continue to teach classes there. We also rent the studio to others (and that’s how I know Abrea) as another wing of our business.
And the children are now grown and gone.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I was blessed with a pretty smooth road. Achieving the certification in Iyengar Yoga was probably the most difficult part of the entire journey. (More later) Otherwise, this process has just steadily built on itself and, with the help of my husband, the studio has been transformed into a beautiful and functional place to learn to do yoga.
I suppose the pandemic was a struggle at first, but after figuring out the use of Zoom, my classes remained level and even grew larger. I have an older student base and none of them wanted to lose what they had learned. So they all learned zoom and to this day, students who move out of town continue to attend online. So I have actually grown the business since COVID.
Renters were challenging during COVID too, but eventually we weeded out some renters that were more trouble than they were worth. Currently we have a nice set of mature and stable renters.
We’ve been impressed with JCF Consulting, LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
As an aside – I actually do more than teach yoga. As my formal education was in Accounting (BS in Accounting from UMSL), I supplemented my yoga classes by teaching myself QuickBooks and doing freelance bookkeeping from 2000 to present. So in addition to teaching my classes, I helped a variety of small businesses keep their books and apply for Historical Tax Credits from the state for historic buildings they had rehabbed. I have retired from that work now, mostly. I have just a small handful of people I still help on a limited basis.
My business is officially JCF Consulting, LLC (for tax purposes) and that covers both aspects of the business (studio world and bookkeeping).
In my current work as a yoga teacher and studio owner, I then have two websites: Yoga-108.com (my classes are listed there) and TheCityStudio.com. where I am also listed under “take classes”.
In my current work as a yoga teacher, I specialize in working with older adults. I have a few students in their 40s and younger, but the bulk of my students are 50-90 years old. The Iyengar Method of yoga is precise and very safe for all bodies. There is no “follow-the-leader” happening where a flexible 30-something shows stiff and unbalanced people what to do and then pays no attention to the students..
I show what I want students to learn, and then they do it while I watch to see if they do it correctly. We use props to keep people safe and help them feel what they are supposed to feel. Mats, blankets, blocks, chairs, bolsters and straps are the basics of these props. Oh, and the wall. But any piece of furniture can be a prop once you learn how to use it. I included a picture of Steve Springmeyer doing a headstand on two small stools.
There is also a spiritual component. I teach the yoga sutras of Patanjali and help people understand both their bodies and their minds for a more fulfilling life.
My husband installed an Iyengar rope wall. I will include a picture. It’s a great tool for helping people understand where their strength and flexibility are lacking and also a tool for helping them get them back.
I teach people how to make their bodies smart. This makes them healthier so they don’t have to rely on the medical profession to “fix them” with the use of drugs and surgery.
Where some people become certified to teach yoga in a weekend workshop, I studied for 4 years to have the legal right to call myself a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher (CIYT).
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Bookkeeping clients are surprised to hear I teach yoga and vice versa.
I am an avid rollerblader and I take Abrea’s Dance Exercise class once a week.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.yoga-108.com and www.TheCityStudio.com
