10 years ago Jessa Voos founded Orange Sky Yoga to bring people together through their own personal yoga practice. Thousands of teaching hours later, several location changes due to growth, and serving hundreds of kind hearts.. the chapter of Orange Sky Yoga as everyone knew it came to an end earlier this summer.
“Owning and growing OSY has been a pillar of my life. It has shaped me and I have given a huge piece of who I am to the studio. I feel as connected to OSY as my own family. The OSY community is apart of me and has a place deeply settled into my heart. I would not leave my community and what I’ve spent 10 years building unless I felt I had no other option. I am so proud of what OSY has turned into and the community that has been created.”
“Over the 10 years of cultivating my baby, OSY, I continued to evolve as a teacher. My priorities shifted in what I wanted to teach and what I wanted students to get out of the practice. I witnessed the incredible power yoga had in people’s lives and how much it changed their lives in various ways. The value I received from teaching yoga became incredibly intrinsic. As the studio’s community grew and became like “family” so did my heart. Not only did my perspective shift in the yoga studio but also in the greater community… I wanted to impact our people on a larger scale. I had an ache in my stomach that was telling me there was more. We began to incorporate more community events that would benefit the yoga community AND the Manhattan community.”
“Like a fair godmother, someone approached me and offered to help me expand my business to reach more and more people. I was thrilled and overwhelmed with gratitude. OSY expanded and so many more people came to yoga. It was AMAZING! Our studio population grew 5xs what it had ever been before. My heart exploded with so many people sharing in their yoga practice. Sadly, the partnership did not work out, which sometimes happens. After it became clear the partnership needed to end, I made the difficult decision to leave OSY and walk down a different street. “
Community Minded Approach
This is when Chapter Five Yoga was launched. “I wasn’t sure I had the emotional energy to open a new studio. But as I started to think about what was next for me I asked myself “what brings me joy?” The answers I kept coming back to always reflected: teaching yoga, improving people’s lives and cultivating community. From that self-reflection, Chapter Five Yoga was born.”
Voos said, “I wanted to continue to do the things I love: Teach yoga, help people, and build community. I felt a donation studio with wonderful teachers with the same vision would be the perfect combination to provide just that for Manhattan. It makes me incredibly happy and feels like I am spending my life in a positive way to help people feel good in their bodies and minds. And I wanted to provide a way that helped make that more accessible for people who wanted it.”
What makes CFY unique is that it is a donation-based studio, providing affordable and quality yoga for all. “How much do I donate?” Whatever you can afford. “If you have more, give. If you have less, that’s okay too. Just come and practice.” The suggested drop-in for classes is $5-15. ($10 minimum with card, $5 minimum in cash.) Chapter Five has monthly memberships for $82 that includes unlimited monthly classes.
The name Chapter Five Yoga comes from one of Voos’ favorite poems by Portia Nelson. “I always share this poem in teacher training as I feel it directly reflects the journey of personal yoga practice and self-discovery. And it felt appropriate with how C5Y came to be,” Jessa said.
hOMie Program
“We understand that sometimes life is just rough and even finding $5 to go to yoga might be difficult. It happens. If it’s a hard time for you but you still want to come to yoga, apply for our hOMie Program.” In trade for yoga classes, you can give the gift of service to the studio. Email contact@chapterfiveyoga.com to apply for the hOMie program.
Voos continued, “part of what we want to do with Chapter Five Yoga
CFY has a FREE workshop coming up August 17th to help people understand what “Vinyasa” means. Additionally, CFY is hosting a 200hr Teacher Training starting in September. Other monthly events are updated on their website.
Chapter Five Yoga is temporarily located at 227 Blue Earth Plaza #201 while their new home is built. Learn more about CFY here: www.chapterfiveyoga.com and follow along on social media.
Is there a schedule available?