Business in Shoreditch: Fat Buddha Yoga

Jordan Stewart

11 years ago

G: Tell us about your business: What do you do? What did inspire you to start?

In May this year I founded Fat Buddha Yoga – A modern approach to the ancient art and science of yoga for the next generation of urban yogis. I currently run pop-up classes all over East London using venues such as rooftops, night club basements, cool offices and always on the look out for new spaces.
I think the inspiration behind FBY came from attending so many uninspiring yoga classes. I’ve been an avid yogi for years, and since my teacher training my perception of teachers and classes became very different. I started to get bored and sick of teachers preaching hippy-dippy ‘yogic’ rubbish made up by someone hundreds of years ago.
I became completely disillusioned by the yoga industry – the over-priced classes, pretentious chanting, dry music, insincere proverbs and teachers prancing about in their ridiculously expensive leggings.
It was at that point I decided if I was going to continue teaching I wanted to do it on my own terms and teach the kind of class I would like to attend – something with more of an edge.
So that’s what I’ve tried to do with FBY, affordable yoga in unusual environments, good music, a fun approach and less of the bullsh*t.

G: What is innovative / unique about what you do?

I guess that’s what’s different about FBY. I try to keep it fresh with classes at different venues – the more unconventional the better.
As well as teaching yoga I also DJ – Music is a huge part of my life and plays a key role in my classes. I spend hours carefully putting together playlists and mixes to suit different types of classes. I LOVE doing it and have started putting them up on my Soundcloud as free downloads for people to practise at home. I collaborate with other brands (e.g. drinks, clothing etc) who give FBY loads of support and the odd give-a-way. Vita Coco always supply my classes with free coconut water (mega bonus) which people go mad for. When I launched my classes at Dalston Roof Park an awesome brand called ‘Iam Vibes’ sponsored the launch giving away some wicked tees and leggings to some of the people who came. As far as my teaching style goes – it’s very fluid and can get pretty fiery at times. Aside from an emphasis on music, there is a huge focus on movement and the body from more of a mechanical point of view. I like to open and close the classes with some gentle meditation – but there’s no chanting and you’d be lucky to get an “om” out of me.
….Don’t get me wrong though! As much as some of the airy-fairiness can make my skin crawl – I’m a huge believer in being positive, projecting good energy and the importance of breathing properly – so I’ll always be encouraging this in my classes.

G: What would you say has been your most memorable experience while developing your business? What were the most successful or unique projects?

FBY is still pretty grass-roots. I still get super chuffed when a student gives me a tweet or likes a post (sad… I know). So you can imagine how excited I get when I get a mention in a cool blog or newspaper/ magazine. My rooftop sessions got a lot of attention; they would always sell out and be at (and sometimes over) capacity. I picked up a wicked following of regulars and gained a fait bit of press. I think that goes to show how much Londoners love the summer and crave some air and space away from the grind and concrete jungles of urban life. Now that the weather is turning I’ve moved FBY underground in the basement of The Book Club – totally different vibe – mood lighting and disco balls -but really cool none-the-less.

G: Why do you choose Shoreditch to run your business?

I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else in London other than Shoreditch… I’ve lived and worked around here for the last 5 years and love it! There’s always so much going on. Always new places and businesses opening and launching, lots of art and music – it’s a hub for creativity.

G: Who/what are your favorite CEOs/Businesses in Shoreditch?

With the rise of Silicon round-a-bout, there’s loads of new tech start-ups scattered all over the place. I’d have to say my favorite is Fitness-Freak.com. It’s based at Google Campus (where I run some of my classes) and basically act as an online one-stop-shop for everything fitness in London. It’s the site I use to list my classes allowing people to find FBY and book online – it’s awesome!

G: What are your favorite places in Shoreditch?

I’m big on breakfast and coffee shops – I love Fix 126, always get eggs and avocado at The Breakfast Club and Ozone do amazing coffee. I run classes at The Book Club and love all the small events they do there. Casa Negra do the best margaritas (yes yoga teachers like a good cocktail too) and if I’m not drinking coffee or cocktails I’ll be eating at Loong Kee. I’ve eaten at every single one of the Viet restaurants on Kingsland Road and this one is ‘hands-down’ the best! It’s clean, the food is delicious and super cheap.

G: What does the future have in store for your business?

The future of FBY? More pop-ups. More venues. More mixes. More collaborations. I’ve got some exciting things in the pipeline with the clothing brand Iam Vibes. Not to mention some projects coming up with some major sports apparel brands… so watch this space!

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