Meet Your Neighbor

2:12 PM CDT on October 1, 2024

jennifer stretch — The hot room at Möv Hot Yoga. (Photo Sâm Bakshian)

Möv Hot Yoga was born in the spring of 2024, when the owner of Modo Yoga — a fixture at Greenway Lakes Commons since 2011 — was selling. A Modo teacher, Latricia Askew, and three students — Michelle Fries, Steph Lund and Steve Mohn — came together to reimagine the studio as Möv Hot Yoga.

They held a grand opening on Sept. 8. I have been practicing at this studio since 2012, so I know they offered a variety of hot yoga classes, from beginner to advanced.

I wanted to know how the transition was going, so I sat down with Latricia and Michelle.

What compelled the four of you to buy the studio?

Latricia: "We didn't want to lose the extraordinary community that has grown here over the years. Unless someone stepped in, the studio was going to close. We wanted to keep the best parts of the old studio — the hot yoga and barre classes, the connected community with its volunteer opportunities — and build on that."

Why yoga with infrared heat?

Latricia: "The heat is good for softening the joints so the body responds more quickly, and students can go deeper into poses. The infrared panels in the ceiling directly heat the yogis in the room, like sunshine, rather than wasting energy heating the air. And yoga offers the mental health benefits of meditation — yoga is a moving meditation — as well as strengthening the body."

How hot does the hot room get?

Latricia: "It ranges from about 100 to 103. It varies too because of the moisture that we add to our air, so it's not drying."

You mentioned connecting to the community — what is that about?

Latricia: "We regularly organize volunteer shifts for students at Simpson House, which has come to rely on us for this boost. We also hold Karma classes, which are free of charge, where students donate any amount, and the proceeds go to a chosen cause."

Michelle: "It all cultivates community in the studio. We offer several varieties of tea after most classes, and students and teachers hang out and get to know each other. I love the theme of a sangha (community). We consider ourselves a wellness center, not a gym or fitness studio. No phones or talking in the hot room, and students reserve numbered spaces. By providing face towels, hair ties and thoughtfully chosen all-natural body products, among other things, we hope we are sending the message to our members that we care."

What is new at Möv?

Michelle: "We took the existing footprint, freshened up the design and introduced the Marketplace by Möv, a small specialty grocery carrying some of the old favorites, like the incredible vegan Caesar dressing, grab-and-go salads, wraps, smoothies, pastas and sauces, as well as all-natural cleaning and body products and ceramics by local artisans. I love that our members get to come in for a good sweat and shower, then grab some lunch or pick up a gift for a dinner party or friend. In an effort to surprise and delight our membership, we've added several murals for people to enjoy while practicing in the hot room or cooling down in our post-yoga tea area."

Latricia: "Our students appreciate the variety of our offerings. We've added Fit Yoga, which is a combination of yoga and barre in the hot room (a student calls it 'yoga with a sizzle'), we're trying out Ashtanga yoga; our teachers are diverse and stellar. Plus, we just offered our first barre intensive, and we're developing a 200-hour yoga teacher training."

How do you all work together?

Latricia: "We each have our own responsibilities: I manage the class schedule and teacher trainings, Steve does high-level finance and supervises building maintenance, Steph is in charge of HR and technology, and Michelle runs the cafe, merchandizing, and retail. We've all been vocal about 'this is my lane, and I want to create this,' and we have learned to hear each other when feedback needs to be given."

Michelle: "We learned that not every decision needs to be a consensus. And we support each other. Steph will call out people for something amazing they did. But it's not all work, work, work. We hang out, have dinner together, go out on the pontoon."

Latricia: "None of us needs to be the star of the show. Our teachers cover for each other if one is sick. We've pinched ourselves. This place was meant to survive."

Michelle: "Connecting people is what Möv is all about."