Excited to reopen in Phase 4 on July 8, the small boutique yoga studio, Yoganomics, in Medford, was fully prepared with protocols in place to keep both members and staff safe. Originally citing air conditioning and the inadvertent spread of droplets via the air, Gov. Andrew Cuomo revoked the Phase 4 reopening of gyms, movie theatres and casinos late last month.
Blindsided, co-owner Danielle Gagnon said she was shocked when the governor removed them from the phase and clumped all health and wellness centers together as recreational, with no phase set for them to reopen.
“Exercise and fitness are a necessity to fight illness and disease,” she explained. “We should be classified as personal care and not recreation. Yoga in itself has been proven to improve respiration, reduce weight, improve cardio and circulatory health, maintain a balanced metabolism and to increase muscle strength. This is exactly what we need right now.”
Yoganomics opened in 2015 on Route 112 in Medford. Co-owners Candy Vetrano, in the businesses field in Manhattan, and Gagnon, a teacher at the Sachem School District, first opened the studio hoping to provide a space more centrally located for yoga, as opposed to traveling to the south or north shores. Gagnon grew up in the Pat-Med area and now has two 18-month- old twins and resides in Medford. Vetrano currently lives in Sayville and has one son.
“As we were getting through March, we were doing the best we have ever done just before the shutdown,” Gagnon said, referencing the studio’s over 300 current members. “This was our baby, something we wanted to open for the community, but it has come to a halt and it doesn’t look very good at this point.”
The studio officially closed its doors on March 15 and since then, bills have added up and government funding has been basically nothing. Now, she said, she has heard rumors of not being able to open until 2021, despite the fact that their small business would be able to reduce capacity down to 10 people in the studio at a time with doors open, Gagnon explained.
Members and teachers are also eager to get back in the studio. “I am extremely grateful to my yoga practice,” added Yoganomics student Kathleen Coan. “It has made me a better person. It has helped me grow spiritually, mentally and physically. I’m lucky to have been able to keep up my yoga practice at home during these chaotic times, but there is nothing like being in the yoga room with like-minded people, away from the everyday stresses of life.”
At the very least, Gagnon said, she hopes to see small studios and similar businesses be removed from larger gyms and facilities in terms of the phases of reopening.
“I can accommodate a lot in my space compared to a huge gym,” she added, explaining that she has zero equipment and virtually no contact during the sessions. “We have already made it safe and at this point, we just hope we can still be there for the community.”
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