Down to Business: Yoga One Offers Personalized Approach in a Classroom Setting

Yoga One, Petaluma's new riverfront yoga studio, is planning a blowout grand opening on October 8 from 5-10 p.m. with free yoga, massages, food and drinks, sno-cones, hula hoop, dancing, a drumming circle and even indoor frisbee.

But a special preview week from October 1 - 7 will offer a full schedule of yoga classes--all at the stress-reducing price of free.

The studio is directed and owned by husband and wife team, yoga therapist Shy Sayar and Kjerstin Erikson Sayar, who will be using a 2,700 sq. foot warehouse space at that has been converted into a yoga and movement arts studio.

Sayar worked as a yoga therapist at the orthopedic and sports therapy facility before he was tapped to create the studio. "We were asked to create a yoga studio in association with Wellness by Design," said Shy Sayar. 

He credits Mitchell Kauk, the head physical therapist and founder of (P.O.S.T), with giving him the encouragement and support to develop a quality yoga program.

Sayar said his goal is to provide a uniquely personalized yoga experience geared to injury prevention and rehabilitation healthcare.

"We want zero injury and maximum personalization," Sayar says. "It will be the quality usually reserved for expensive private care."

That personalized approach starts with a free posture and joint-mobility evaluation from Sayar that forms the basis for a student's chart on file for teachers to consult before class, which he calls an innovative practice in the world of yoga. 

"If attending yoga classes is to be an effective method of preventing illness and injury, we need teachers to be aware of students' health conditions when they instruct them in the practice. We don't know of any other studio in the world that does this."

Sayar says that with that knowledge a yoga teacher can customize poses or provide correction to a position based on the student's unique physical condition.

The team of faculty at Yoga One is another differentiating factor of the studio, according to Sayar. "When a new studio starts out teaching 26 classes a week, they usually have to hire beginning teachers."

He points to his roster as some of the most senior and experienced teachers in the region, including Tony Briggs, MaryEllen Whitton, Barbra Brady - one of only 25 nationally-certified ParaYoga teachers, Dr. Helaine Sheias and Kate Coletti, who will teach prenatal yoga.

Yoga One will also have an online system to register and a membership card to load for pre-paid classes. "We want to cultivate a culture of signing up in advance," said Shy. But he added that the studio will also accept drop-ins.

Shy Sayar says his wife and the co-owner of Yoga One, Kjerstin Erikson Sayar, has been instrumental in developing the philosophy and approach of the studio.

Kjerstin, whose business and public service background includes being named a Haas Public Service Fellow at Stanford University, is also the founder and executive director of FORGE, a nonprofit that works with displaced communities in Africa. 

"She designed the space and the user-experience, which we want to be a combination of high-end spa and the Mayo Clinic," Sayar says. "Our goal is to instruct less and teach more -- not to just lead people in poses but to teach them about the art of yoga and its proper application."

Yoga One is located at 224A Weller Street, Petaluma. The phone number is (707) 888-2286 or you can e-mail them at info@yogaonepetaluma.com. Yoga One is also on Facebook.

DayMen Group to Acquire JOBY, Inc.

The DayMen Group, a manufacturer and distributor of imaging products and accessories by Lowepro, has announced plans to acquire JOBY, Inc.

Lowepro is well-known among photographers for their line of camera bags, and Acme Made, fashion laptop bags. The Canadian company's U.S. headquarters are in Petaluma.

JOBY is a SF-based manufacturer of photo, mobile and lighting products, including the award winning GorillaPod line of flexible tripods.

In a press release, Forrest Baringer-Jones, JOBY CEO said, "The acquisition by DayMen gives JOBY a great opportunity to expand both our distribution network and our product line."

Daymen distributes a wide range of imaging products in Canada including Epson, Slik tripods and Hoya lens filters. The company has offices in Australia, Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Asia. Daymen is owned by private equity firm Brockway Moran & Partners.

The price for JOBY has not been disclosed. 

Jelly Belly Candy Selects HydroPoint

Family-owned and operated Jelly Belly Candy Company has selected Petaluma-headquartered HydroPoint's WeatherTrak Smart Water Management solution for the company's 35-acre campus in Fairfield.

Using the high-tech, computer-controlled, irrigation system, Jelly Belly expects to reduce outdoor water use by 29 percent by reducing overspray or excess water at the Jelly Belly visitor's center and factory.

"An inviting look to our campus is important since we host a half million members of the public each year to our tours," said Jef Brown, vice president of operations and distribution for the company, in a press statement.

ValleyCrest Landscape Maintenance will do the install by replacing out-dated irrigation clocks with a computer software system that updates watering schedules as local weather conditions change.

HydroPoint Data Systems, Inc. was founded in 2002 and is a privately owned and operated company. In 2011, subscribers of its system include Regency Centers and Lockheed Martin.