Help Save Left Hand Yoga
Donation protected
My name is James Allison and I am the owner and founder of Left Hand Yoga studio located in the growing community of Northwest Longmont. We've been open for 10 weeks as of this writing, and word is spreading every day as new students find us. We've had 160 people sign up and many of them have become regulars. Unfortunately, this is not enough for the longevity of the studio. Due to circumstances beyond my control, the studio’s remodel project ended up costing significantly more than expected. The costs were mostly labor and I have used all the capital I had for operations. We've yet to break even and I owe money to many wonderful people who showed up and made it possible for me to open on time. I also have to pay my amazing teachers, my landlord, the utility bills, and insurance in order to keep the doors open. Please watch the video for more on how this situation came about.
The backstory began when my mother got sick in 2009 and I became her primary caregiver. Since she required constant supervision I was not able to work much of the time. Fortunately, her long-term care insurance policy covered our living expenses so I could continue caring for her rather than placing her in a nursing home. Like most things, there was an end to this scenario due to the policy’s life-time cap which was reached last August. Since then, we've been living on savings, my mother’s small social security payments and what income I could bring in from teaching yoga and narrating audiobooks. Time was beginning to run out. I knew I had to be creative and figure something out soon or else I would need to put my mother in a home so I could return to work full-time. Over the years I have had the opportunity to study and learn many different things. I have learned about permaculture and growing food organically, volunteered at the community garden and Out Boulder County, trained and studied narration and even wrote a novel. Last July I graduated from a yoga teacher training program and have been teaching yoga classes ever since. Although each of these endeavors has been rewarding, and together might allow me to piece together a living for myself, it is not enough to keep the house and support my mother too. That is why last year I decided to open a yoga studio.
And I did it! Nearly $70,000 in debt, but worth every penny. The studio is beautiful.
Now, I need your help. I have put everything I have into this studio. I had enough money, and I had a plan. It should have been enough. Please help me keep my studio around long enough for it to flourish and to pay my debts, especially what I owe to people, not banks - people who need and deserve to be paid. (Also banks.)
Thank you so much for making it this far down my page. If you happen to live in Longmont and practice yoga, or wish to start a practice, an additional way to support me and the studio is to join Left Hand Yoga as an unlimited monthly member. Or if you want to support me personally over time, sign up on Patreon, contribute as little or as much as you like on a monthly basis, just until the studio takes off and I'm able to pay myself enough to cover the mortgage, etc.
With much love and gratitude,
Namaste,
James Allison
The backstory began when my mother got sick in 2009 and I became her primary caregiver. Since she required constant supervision I was not able to work much of the time. Fortunately, her long-term care insurance policy covered our living expenses so I could continue caring for her rather than placing her in a nursing home. Like most things, there was an end to this scenario due to the policy’s life-time cap which was reached last August. Since then, we've been living on savings, my mother’s small social security payments and what income I could bring in from teaching yoga and narrating audiobooks. Time was beginning to run out. I knew I had to be creative and figure something out soon or else I would need to put my mother in a home so I could return to work full-time. Over the years I have had the opportunity to study and learn many different things. I have learned about permaculture and growing food organically, volunteered at the community garden and Out Boulder County, trained and studied narration and even wrote a novel. Last July I graduated from a yoga teacher training program and have been teaching yoga classes ever since. Although each of these endeavors has been rewarding, and together might allow me to piece together a living for myself, it is not enough to keep the house and support my mother too. That is why last year I decided to open a yoga studio.
And I did it! Nearly $70,000 in debt, but worth every penny. The studio is beautiful.
Now, I need your help. I have put everything I have into this studio. I had enough money, and I had a plan. It should have been enough. Please help me keep my studio around long enough for it to flourish and to pay my debts, especially what I owe to people, not banks - people who need and deserve to be paid. (Also banks.)
Thank you so much for making it this far down my page. If you happen to live in Longmont and practice yoga, or wish to start a practice, an additional way to support me and the studio is to join Left Hand Yoga as an unlimited monthly member. Or if you want to support me personally over time, sign up on Patreon, contribute as little or as much as you like on a monthly basis, just until the studio takes off and I'm able to pay myself enough to cover the mortgage, etc.
With much love and gratitude,
Namaste,
James Allison
Organizer
James Allison
Organizer
Longmont, CO
