Quite a Year
By Theresa Shay
“This has been quite a year.”
~ Jess
I looked at Jess through the Zoom window and fell over in laughter at the seering truth in six small words. Yes, 2023 has been quite a year. I’ll leave it to the papers and pundits to sum up the past 365 days with respect to world events, which themselves have been dramatic. For now, I bring you a recap of what this organization has accomplished in 2023.
Moved all our programs to Marvelous, new yoga studio software
Switched to Flodesk for delivering our emails
Changed payment processors to Stripe
Let go of Zen Planner, (our old yoga studio software)
Built useful spreadsheets to manage more details than you’d care to know
Started using Asana for project management
Created a new logo
Chose new brand colors
Identified new brand fonts
Built our new website on Squarespace without having to hire help
Closed TriYoga Boalsburg, our final brick and mortar studio, after 20+ years of in-person classes serving Central Pennsylvania
Passed the torch to Boalsburg Yoga and Wellness Studio
Pared our teaching staff down to two (we were 17 teachers pre-pandemic)
Pared our admin staff down to two, with deep gratitude for the service of our former Business Manager Ann Wilken
Did away with 8-week class passes we had in use since 2000
Started our monthly membership Flow
Welcomed over 100 members to our new program
Started providing replays of classes
Initiated monthly group coaching Q&A sessions
Learned to use Quicktime to record videos
Recorded over 200 videos
Built a video library to support people in their daily practice of yoga
Started a newsletter for members of Flow
Built Fresh Start, our intro digital course
Set up access to a free guided meditation on our website to give people a taste of how sweet it is to relax with the breath
Constructed four automated workflows to communicate with prospective members
Held our first in-person retreat after 3½ years, at Light on the Hill (where our Summer 2024 retreat will be held June 14-16, 2024)
Returned to the Himalayan Institute for our first-ever fall retreat
Nurtured the seeds of TriYoga in New Cumberland, PA, at a weekend workshop
Built a new outreach program, The 12 Days of Calmness
Restructured the annual meditation challenge, 40 Days and an Intention
Offered Immersion into Subtle Practices (Prana Vidya Levels 1-3) for the first time
Certified three Basics teachers at a weekend led by Santoshi, TriYoga Senior Teacher
Traveled to Germany to assist Kaliji’s retreats
Traveled to Kentucky to celebrate the Grand Opening of SoHum, TriYoga International’s new program space
Traveled to China (via Zoom) to share about flowing with scoliosis
Received the honor of Best Yoga Studio: Bronze, for TriYoga Boalsburg
Received the honor of Best Yoga Teacher:Silver, for Theresa
Raised nearly $12,000 during Centre Gives, our biggest fundraiser of the year
Stabilized our financial situation with help from the mighty Seva Squad members who make recurring monthly donations to TriYoga of Central Pennsylvania. We would love to welcome you to this group at this link.
There has never been a year like this in TriYoga of Central Pennsylvania’s 24 year history. In reviewing the activity of 2023, I am amazed that this much could be accomplished in 12 months. While it is satisfying to have implemented these changes smoothly, I’m more delighted that I am still smiling, calmly energized, and wholly content with what has been created.
We’ve built something fresh, solid, and freeing this year. This has taken a huge amount of energy, but there is plenty of that. The source for energy is endless. We can’t run out if we stay connected and aligned. That is what I aim to do with my life; it’s what has necessitated all these changes; it is what will sustain us in 2024. I love that I get to share what I have learned about energy with you, learning that continues to unfold every day.
Today I want to thank you. My friends, you make my work meaningful. I bow to you in a posture of gratitude and humility, known in Sanskrit as a pranam. In yoga, we understand a pranam to be a surrender, a paying of respect, offering one’s heart and shining one’s crown chakra toward another. With pure love, my gratitude overflows. Your steady presence and support have accompanied me and TriYoga of Central Pennsylvania through a tremendous year, and together we shine brighter and brighter with each step.
Thank you for being here now, all ways.
Love and blessings for a beautiful holiday season and sweet new year. I’ll see you in 2024,
Theresa
Theresa Shay is the founding director of TriYoga of Central Pennsylvania, where she teaches weekly yoga and meditation online and trains others to teach TriYoga®. Each week, she shares wisdom cultivated from decades of TriYoga study and practice.
Learn more about her here. Theresa can be reached at Theresa@PennsylvaniaYoga.com. Find her on Instagram @theresa_of_triyoga for more inspiration and light.