Teacher now owner of Yoga Mandali in Spa City
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Local business Yoga Mandali is under new ownership, continuing its role in the community as a place for everybody to experience yoga.
Former owner Karen Score recently announced that she is passing the torch to new owner Kristen Zorda.
In a newsletter announcement to members, Score said, “Yoga Mandali is now in the safe and loving embrace of one of our most devoted teachers, Kristen Zorda.”
Zorda has been an instructor at Yoga Mandali for several years, as is now using her business background to take on the ownership responsibilities too.
Yoga Mandali opened 14 years ago as a small, one-room studio in the basement of the Saratoga Marketplace, before moving up two stories to the much larger second floor space at 454 Broadway in Saratoga Springs.
The business was originally started by Heather Dacus and Gopi Kinnicutt, before it changed hands to Score about 10 years ago.
Yoga Mandali was the first Capital Region yoga studio to offer teacher trainings, through which Zorda originally obtained her instructor credentials.
For the last decade Yoga Mandali has been voted Best Yoga Studio in The Saratogian’s annual Readers’ Choice contest.
Yoga Mandali is a traditional yoga studio, not based on any fads or trends, Score said. “This studio is really based in the ancient philosophy of yoga, going back 5,000 years.”
Today, Yoga Mandali offers classes of all different levels and styles seven days a week between its two studios, where more than a dozen instructors teach regularly.
Yoga Mandali also hosts special workshops, trainings, retreats and kirtan events featuring some of the world’s most famous artists of the genre.
At first, Score was hesitant about selling Yoga Mandali. “I really needed to make sure it was the right person,” Score said.
After talks with Zorda over the last year and a half, however, she knew it would be in good hands. “It’s really been a thoughtful, thought out process,” Score said.
Score is still at the studio often, making sure the transition goes smoothly, and plans to continue teaching classes at Yoga Mandali in the future.
Looking ahead, Zorda aims to continue operating Yoga Mandali the way people have enjoyed it over the last 14 years. “I really kind of just want everything to stay as is, and I just want to continue trying to do what Karen did,” Zorda said. “I’m honored that I get to hold this space for people and keep it going, because it’s a beautiful thing. I would never want to change a thing about it.”
One area Zorda plans to expand on is offering more free classes, making yoga more accessible to all. Through the month of May, Yoga Mandali will offer free classes from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with more individual classes to be announced. “We really just want to get yoga out to the world,” she said. “We want to have everybody be able to experience it.” Yoga Mandali is located in this second story space at 454 Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs.
Furthermore, anyone’s first class at Yoga Mandali is always free for local residents.
In addition to increasing the accessibility of yoga, Zorda’s goal as Yoga Mandali’s new owner is simply to “carry it on in the way that Karen has with 100 percent of my heart, and do the best I can,” she said. “I will do this to my fullest ability.”
The commitment is what makes Score sure she made the correct move. “Kristen has my blessing,” she said. “I would not have sold the studio to just anybody. It had to be the right person.”
Yoga Mandali is a space that people rely on in many different ways, Zorda said. “They have different stories and come here for different reasons, and Karen and I, together, have to carry that on forward. It’s a service to the community.”
A new spring class schedule will be announced soon.
Teacher trainings will be offered in the fall. More information about Yoga Mandali is available online at yogamandali.com or by calling (518) 584-0807.