Freddy Margolis’ Foray Into Yoga a ‘Life Change’

Freddy Margolis’ journey from a successful builder to a yogi with an entrepreneurial spirit was a stroke of serendipity.

A self-described Type-A personality, Margolis, of Potomac, pursued yoga at the suggestion of a friend—initially for weight loss and to ease his stress from a demanding job. At more than 200 pounds, the Churchill grad and former star athlete focused his physical fitness regimen on powerlifting and running. But he couldn’t lose weight, he said.

Margolis soon discovered the merits—including shedding pounds—of a tradition dating back some 5,000 years. And he found refuge in its ability to teach practitioners the art of balancing mind, body and spirit.

“I haven’t touched a weight in five or six years. Yoga takes your body to its natural state,” Margolis said. [Yoga] works different parts of the body. Wherever you bring the intention—energetics.”

By 2007, the economic downturn was taking a toll on both Margolis and his company, Standard Construction. He said that 2007 through 2009 were extremely difficult building years.

What began as a tonic to mitigate his worry and stress would eventually become his life’s work and practice. Margolis became a certified yoga instructor in 2007, started teaching and then opened Village Yoga in Potomac Village in July 2010, which recently celebrated its one-year anniversary.

“It was a life change for me. Decided to get out of the rat race. I pushed. I shoved. I had to make things happen,” Margolis said.

He explained that building 20 to 30 homes a year—from raw land to finished home—requires a lot. “It’s aggressive.”

Margolis added that he’s learned a lot in the last five years—that there’s a time to make things happen and a time to let things happen.

“I’ve become better at letting things happen. Making things happen—I don’t miss that,” he said.

Even Margolis’ daughter Bayle, 13, has witnessed a change in the way her father handles stress and disappointment.

“When he got mad, he would be stuck in it [anger] for awhile. When he started yoga, he learned to let go of it. It helped him release whatever was piling up in him,” she said thoughtfully.

The shy little boy who learned differently from others would go on to benefit from a caring and attentive teacher who taught Margolis to sight read, as well as his father’s intense love for sports, which contributed to his success in sports including soccer, baseball and football. But it was the individual sports like weight training and track and field that enabled Margolis to connect with his body and to find his inner strength, he said.

Margolis credits sports for giving him a healthy release, he said, adding that Village Yoga is the culmination of his athletic experiences.

“It brings together the physical assets with which I was born and the ones I later developed. Through breath and motion, I connect deeply with my mind and body. When I practice, it is a moving meditation…yoga has become my daily physical, mental and spiritual release.”

It is perhaps Margolis’ inner peace, his balanced intention and his commitment to yoga that has resulted in a successful first year. He encourages adults and youth to give themselves three classes to better understand yoga.

“Once you get into it, the body starts feeling good. It just penetrates itself. You want to feel the body limber,” he said.

Village Yoga offers Vinyasa, “a conscious evolution connecting each moment with unifying breath,” according to yogi Shiva Rea, and Isometric Flow classes which integrate and balance the mind, body and heart. Hatha Style Yoga and a Men’s Power Hour have become popular. And youth in Grades 1-12 can sign up now for classes offered this fall and winter.

As for Margolis, he's looking forward to another year of teaching and creating a yoga community where people can find their power, relax and experience the mind-body connection.

“I’m very relaxed about life now. Yoga’s about non-attachment—spiritual side the best thing. Enjoy the moment, not the outcome.”

Village Yoga, located at 10154 River Road in Potomac, is open daily with individual and family packages available, along with private instruction. Introductory offers begin at $10 for an unlimited week. Registration for fall/winter Kids Yoga is currently open. Classes begin Sept. 12. Visit www.villageyogayogi.com or call 301-299-1948.