Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and fitness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Andre Borin, co-founder of Yoga Yuni Montreal, located in Montréal, QC, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Yoga Yuni School in Montreal is a Hatha yoga school with Iyengar influence in India and Satyananda in Nepal. Our founders and teachers, Julia da Escossia and I, are 500h certified by Yoga Alliance International in India and by the International Yoga Federation. All our teachers are certified and trained by the best yoga schools in the world, which increases the quality of the yoga classes offered.

We offer Hatha Yoga classes focused on alignment and biotechnical coherence, Restorative Yoga, Meditation (Vedanta and Mindfulness), Ayurvedic nutrition consultation, and a wide variety of workshops, retreats, and training. Respect, Sensitivity, and Diversity are the values ​​of our school. Our students are people who not only seek to practice yoga but also to learn about the art and science of classical and contemporary yoga. Our students do not seek performance, but balance, peace, and an active practice adapted to each body and each cycle of their lives.

Tell us about yourself

I have been a yoga teacher since 2008. I am certified 500h by the Yoga Alliance Internacional in India and Europe and by the Francophone Yoga Federation. In recent years, in addition to giving yoga and meditation classes, I have studied the relationship between the mental, emotional, and physical aspects of the human being. My goal is to be able to share this knowledge in order to help students reach a state of mindfulness.

I was lucky to have a hatha yoga teacher and trainer mother in Brazil who introduced her to yoga when she was 12 years old. I followed various training in Brazil with Pedro Kupfer, student of Swami Dayananda, master in Vedanta. After a few years of practice and teaching, I did teacher training with Hervé Blondon of the Satyam School of Hatha Yoga in Montreal and with François Raoult at Opens Sky in New York. I consolidated his learning by following various training courses in meditation, restorative yoga, breathing, mantras, etc.

In Brazil, I completed a bachelor's degree in kinesiology, which allows me to have a global vision of the structures of the human body and its biomechanics. I also hold a master's degree in human movement science from the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQÀM) on the mental aspects of athletes.

My solid scientific training, years of teaching physical activity, and yoga practice allow me to guide my students toward a conscious, integrated, and accessible path to yoga. I offer dynamic and balanced lessons in a joyfully relaxed atmosphere.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I think it was to build Yoga Yuni. From the renovation part of the room where we teach to the management part, which would not have been possible without my faithful companion Julia da Escossia.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The fact that your business depends on you. It depends on your commitment and energy, especially for those who are just starting out. Building a name takes time and a lot of patience to captivate people and institutions around us.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Yoga is a passion; you have to love this practice very much.
  2. A yoga school lives on ethics, respect for different audiences, diversity, and inclusion are key points.
  3. Balancing work hours and leisure hours, otherwise, business takes up a lot of time in your life.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Yoga is much more than a physical practice. Yoga is an art and science of living. This practice is directly connected with Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine, the mother of all medicines. If I had one tip for people, it would be to learn Ayurveda! Your health will not be the same after this.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.yogayuni.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andreborinyoga
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreborinyoga/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoga-yuni/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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