Local business Yoga State is bringing a new type of yoga experience to students and residents in the East Lansing area.
How are they doing it? It’s pretty simple — they’re taking to the streets with a school bus made for yoga.
Owner Jen Hayes said she bought the bus because she felt it would be a unique marketing tool, and that it would draw some attention for her business. With banners hanging on the sides of the bus that display the company name, the bus is an efficient way of spreading the word.
“It’s a really inexpensive way to get our name out, where all it basically costs us is our time and fuel,” Hayes said.
However, the bus is far more functional than solely a promotional tool. On most weekends the bus goes out and becomes a yoga studio on wheels.
“Inside it fills out like a motor home. There’s benches and seats and all that. We do have a room in the center so that if somebody wants to know about something, we can demo it,” Hayes said.
Hayes added she is also the driver of the bus. She said that much of the things they do during sessions are geared around helping students cope with the daily stresses that come with life in college, like growing up and figuring out life plans.
“We’re starting to get recognized, and when we drive down the street people will yell ‘yoga bus!’ or ‘Yoga State!’ when we drive by, and that’s just really exciting,” she said. “Then it kind of sparks to their friends as well, that they recognize Yoga State. It just gets people excited.”
Hayes said that they try to take the bus to local events and places where they know there will be a good concentration of people. In addition, they’re also invited to events.
“I think interacting with the community in a fun way is really important. I think life is a little bit uptight a lot of the time,” Hayes said.
The bus is still a bit of a hidden gem, as many people, even those who go to Yoga State, are unfamiliar with it.
Although Spanish and agribusiness management senior Jennifer Kempher did not know about the bus, she was no stranger to yoga.
“It’s really relaxing and a good break from school work,” she said.
Lansing resident Jenny Morley had the same unfamiliarity, but she said that she likes the atmosphere of practicing yoga.
