Among the many joys of returning from our offshore adventure has been a return to our friend Sally Gutjahr-Flanagan’s Yoga Experience in Illovo. So yesterday’s news that she has decided to temporarily close the studio because of Coronavirus, brought the pandemic very close to home.
After calling Sally to hear the reason for such an apparently radical decision, quickly realised she had no option. A professional cleaning company’s daily sweep wasn’t enough of a safety guarantee, even though class attendees had dropped by half to 70. Sally figured no matter how clean the studio, it was only a matter of time before some unwitting carrier laid out their mat on the studio floor.
What lifted my spirits was hearing how she has reacted. After finding a tennis court that’s available, Sally’s team will begin open-air classes this week. Also, she’s in the final stages of introducing a live video stream of lessons for members to follow their favourite yoga teachers from home – so locking into the practice’s immunity-boosting benefits.
The way our friend has risen to the Coronavirus challenge is a reminder of the resilience and ingenuity of entrepreneurs, although sometimes it does take a crisis to see the world from a different angle. I’ve a hunch that when normality returns, people like Sally will enjoy a pleasant surprise. Services they are now being forced to introduce, may turn into fresh revenue streams that would otherwise never have been considered.
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