Today we’d like to introduce you to Mardy & Jeff Chen.
Hi Mardy & Jeff, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Mardy
Winston Churchill said, “Don’t waste a good crisis.” 9/11 was that defining moment for me in 2001. Shortly after that tragic event, I quit my job in New York City and pursued yoga teacher training with Bikram in LA. Running was my obsession for years, and then I found hot yoga. It gave me the physical high and relief from my anxiety and depression. In the process, hot yoga reversed my chronic thyroid condition.
Experiencing my own physical and mental healing through this system of hot yoga and witnessing that of others, I realized that my purpose was to share it with the world. Little did I know or expect that Jeff would join me in 2008, and together we would grow our one studio in Davenport Village in Austin, Texas, into a multi-city, five-studio operation. Our vision is to “HEAL THE WORLD WITH YOGA!”
Yoga transforms lives. “How is this a beginner’s yoga class?” All you have to do is breathe. “I am not flexible enough to ‘do those poses’” Just try 1% and you receive the therapeutic benefit. “Why is it so hot?” Deliberate heat exposure has been a healing modality for centuries; it improves circulation to heal the body. Without exception, people who try the “Original Hot Yoga” feel a change after class. 99.9% feel the best that they have ever felt! You might even feel that you have been transported to a new place. Sweating it out with a diverse group of people of all ages, sizes, and conditions builds a community of like-minded people like no other. Our student community is, in fact, the “real story” behind PURE Yoga Texas.
Jeff
NYC finance is fast-paced and competitive, and taking that approach in Texas in the yoga scene, most people might say, is unusual, or even inappropriate. However, having financial discipline and business acumen is important to running any type of small business, so my background served our organization well.
It is common to hear business leaders say something like, “our people are our greatest asset,” but what many organizations say versus what they do can be quite different.
I will say the same thing: Our teachers and staff are what make our yoga studio special. Our passion for teaching, empowering, and inspiring others is what drives us. Communicating authentically through our first-hand experiences with yoga creates a harmonious environment, where we nourish and grow with each other. There is an attitude of, “we are in this together!”
I’d have to say that is the polar opposite of the typical finance-type. So in short, the transition was literally an about-face!
PURE Yoga Texas is a place where you find out what makes you say, “YES!”
What does that mean? It’s where you find freedom from pain, anxiety and stress, opening up a path for personal transformation. You change your life for the better, and as a result, you are a better person outside the yoga room.
What exactly do we do? We teach “Original Hot Yoga” and “Inferno Hot Pilates” in a specially equipped yoga room heated to over 105 degrees with 45% relative humidity.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The secret is seeing and hearing first-hand how what we do helps students find their freedom. Freedom from pain. Freedom from depression, anxiety and stress.
Bearing witness to students’ transformations first-hand, then listening to their testimonials of personal growth and what they’ve been able to overcome – that is the secret to our success – and that is what motivates and inspires us to keep doing what we’ve been doing for the last 20+ years!
Our team averages well over 10 years of teaching experience apiece. There is no substitute for consistency – getting on the teaching podium day-in and day-out – guiding students as they improve their strength, flexibility and stamina in the yoga room.
Hot yoga and fitness is not easy. It is our role to meet every student where they are today, no matter their level of proficiency, and help them find incremental benefit and improvement with each and every class, so that they are self-motivated to make the changes in their lives.
When students are empowered to take their health and wellness into their own hands, that means that we are successful!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about PURE Yoga Texas?
At our core is the Original Hot Yoga, set in a room heated to over 105 degrees with 45% humidity. We improve ourselves by accomplishing difficult things. When you learn to find comfort in an uncomfortable environment, you elevate your tenacity and resilience that make your life better outside the yoga room. Choosing courage over comfort makes you more mentally fit.
Our heated fitness classes (99 degrees) are like no other in the industry. Simple but strong, yet suitable for people of all ages and conditions. Round it out with Ashtanga and Vinyasa Yoga, mobility and posture clinics, and you have the ingredients for flexibility, balance, functional range of motion, core strength and stability, and muscular strength and endurance.
Longevity is a big buzzword in the fitness space. In fact, we are known for improving metabolic and cardiovascular health, two of the most significant factors in improving healthspan.
The BodyLab at PURE Yoga Texas was launched recently to lean into the metrics of fitness, including DEXA scans and VO2 Max testing, to help motivate our students to stay on course and celebrate their results. We partner with experts like BodyTime MD and Everguide Health to offer resources to our community to support their long-term health, boost vitality, and optimize wellness.
Our goal with PURE Yoga Institute is to create a platform to hand down yoga to the next generation, in a way that takes traditional teachings and adapts them to the changing needs of people.
We conduct an Original Hot Yoga teacher training once per year, including a 30-day immersive experience during the summer. It is intense, challenging, and transforming.
In addition, we host many nationally-recognized yoga teachers, for workshops and trainings, including David Swenson, one of a handful of “original western” teachers of Ashtanga Yoga, and Leslie Kaminoff, an early yoga pioneer and co-author of “Yoga Anatomy.” Learning from these “OG” yogis helps keep our feet on the ground!
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Start with the book “Outlive” by Peter Attia and supplement it with his weekly podcasts to start your longevity journey. Other podcasts we love are Andrew Huberman and Physionics, offering lots of evidence-based information. For metabolic dysfunction, which afflicts 45% of Americans, find the Glucose Goddess for inspiration and “hacks,” and the Levels podcast for a deep dive into biochemistry with Dr. Robert Lustig. The more you learn, the more committed you will be on your health journey!
Pricing:
- $59 – 3 week unlimited new student intro offer which includes 30 min online complimentary coaching session with Mardy or Jeff
- Variable – DEXA scan
- Variable – VO2 Max Test
- Variable – MX3 Hydration Test
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pureyogatexas.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pureyogatexas/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pureyogatexasaustin
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PUREyogaTV
Image Credits
Monica LeBansky
Megan Fine
Tyler Stevenson
