G: Tell us about your business: What do you do? What did inspire you to start?
My name is Charlotte Wellfare and I teach Dynamic Vinyasa Flow Yoga in and around Shoreditch. My background is city based as I was originally a Commodity Broker beforehand working the daily grind for almost seventeen years that was until yoga totally changed my life for good ! As a stressed out city girl I was recommended yoga for a bad neck from being on the phone all day long and little did I know what was just about to happen to me. I can honestly say that literally in my first yoga class something in my brain just clicked. I felt as though the lights had finally been switched back on after a slightly dark period of time in my life and I automatically knew there and then that I did not want to continue my job anymore to pursue a career within the yoga field. It happened that quickly ! If you had said to me just one day earlier “Charlotte you are going to give up your high flying city career and want to become a yoga teacher in the forthcoming months” getting paid next to nothing in comparison with what you earn now I would have burst out laughing most probably at you while ordering a large glass of red and a handy pack of Marlboro lights for the night to come !
So here is where my yoga journey started: When my teacher Stewart Gilchrist (who is one of my biggest inspirations) told me he was doing his first ever teacher training program in 2012 everything became very clear. I quit my job within three months and attended the 200 hours of intensive yoga training held over a one month period and passed my exams with The Power Yoga Company in Fulham ( which actually very nearly killed me ). Since then however things have been moving very quickly and I have been teaching Yoga mainly at Frame dance and Fitness studio and at Shoreditch House, two places that I both love to teach at and also to hang out at.
G: What is unique about what you do?
Shanti Boom Yoga will be running lunchtime classes of Dynamic Vinyasa Flow and Mindful Flow and Meditation. These will be held four times a week in-between 12.15-13.15 starting on the 7th of April at the Bozdag Taekwondo basement 60-64 Kingsland Road. You can expect a fresh and funky class very much suited to the general buzz and vibe of Shoreditch. Think of Ashtanga’s naughty little sister “Vinyasa Flow” coming out to play with her funky house beats and deep Ujjayi breath helping to energise, soothe and heal the body all in one sitting ! I mean what could be better than being this good to yourself in one’s lunch break it 100% beats going to Pret in my books !
G: What were the biggest obstacles launching the start-up and how did you overcome them?
The set up of a small business is not to be taken lightly and especially if you do not like social media then just forget it ! The biggest obstacle I had while setting up was actually the amount of processes you need get through. There are flyers that need designing and printing, not to forget Facebook pages and events also Instagram and Twitter, I mean the list just goes on and on … So don’t think you can just hire a space to plonk your mat down at and just teach a few lovely people how to open their mind, body and soul Oh No there is a lot more to it than that. So just be prepared is my advice for anyone following in my footsteps !
G: Why did you choose Shoreditch to launch your start-up? Or Why do you choose Shoreditch to run your business?
Life for me is all about East London I live, eat, sleep, breathe and work East there is no other part of London that I would rather be ! So Shoreditch is basically the inspiration for the set up of “Shanti Boom Yoga with Charlotte Wellfare” my little business venture. This was founded on Valentines night after a cheeky Vietnamese meal out at the Hanoi Cafe on the Kingsland Road with my sister Debbie. We basically stumbled upon the Bozdag Taekwondo’s basement on the way home which is practically underneath The Grocery (that amazing organic grocers you could literally spend your life savings at) and it was here that we met Seyit and his Dog Snoopy who were mucking about downstairs in this amazing space. After a brief introduction I totally fell for the vibe of this place. There is something very special about it, I mean don’t get me wrong it’s a Taekwondo club in a basement it’s not exactly Tri Yoga Chelsea … but it works ! There is a feeling of space and tranquillity here, not only for your body to practice in but also for your mind too. So this roomy space alongside the spongy floors which will be great for any headstand / handstand practice and so on will make the perfect venue for lunchtime yoga and meditation in Shoreditch which is what I am about to do.
