It's the end of an era for one independent Toronto yoga studio as Sama Yoga & Bodywork announced it plans to close for good next month.
The boutique studio has been a mainstay on Sorauren Avenue in the Roncesvalles Village neighbourhood for ten years. It closed its doors in March as the city went into lockdown.
"Today is day 72 of covid-19 closure," reads an email from Sama's owner Tanya.
"Who would have known the severity and the length of time that this would be going on for, the impact that is has had on all of our lives is huge."
"It is with such a heavy heart that I send this note out. After careful consideration I’ve had to come to the very difficult decision to close Sama Studio on Sorauren Ave."
She goes on to outline the financial and personal impact the pandemic closure has had and the challenges the studio faced once the Ontario government announced that gyms and studios are allowed to resume service.
"These past few months of closure have made me so uncertain about having a brick and mortar studio, the over head is high and gyms and yoga studios are needing more time to figure out how to phase back into society and every day life but it’s looking bleak," she said.
"The industry has been trying to figure out the best ways to reopen, but with the way that things will need to be phased in, I would only be able to have 1-2 clients at a time, that would not be feasible to pay my rent, it is not sustainable."
Gyms in Ontario have begun preparations for reopening, like installing Plexiglass dividers between equipment, limiting the number of people in changing rooms and increasing cleaning procedures.
"From a business perspective it makes no sense to stay open and struggle for god only knows how long — things may turn around but they might not!" said Tanya.
"There is way too much financial uncertainty. The financial landscape of gyms and studios in particular is scary."
She said that she will be continuing to offer online classes via Zoom and "might even finally make a library of short videos that you can do on your own time."
"When all this passes there might be a new space for me to teach. This is just a change, not the end," she said.
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