Some.Press
Boston Magazine
Somerville Journal
http://somerville.wickedlocal.com/article/20141003/News/141008236S
Somerville Beat
http://somervillebeat.com/features/4894/a-new-yoga-studio-with-old-somerville-roots/
Lisa Natale comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. Her grandfather was one of the original pizza makers in the North End, bringing some of the first Neapolitan-style pies to Boston. And her father operated Middlesex Glass out of a triple-decker on Medford Street in Somerville that also housed her family and her grandmother. Now Natale is opening her own business, Some.Yoga.Studio, in that very same house.
“I thought we lived in the best place on earth,” Natale said of growing up in Somerville. “Somerville was happiness to me.”
So it only made sense that after jettisoning a long career in finance, Natale would come home to open her a business of her own.
Natale was the first person in her family to graduate from college, paying her own way through Northeastern to earn a business degree. Her father told her that as a woman, she wouldn’t ever use it, but she went on to have a successful career in finance. Natale took the money she earned during the booming 1980s and invested in real estate. A bet that paid off big when she eventually sold the houses and used the money to buy a place on the Cape.
But when the financial markets collapsed, Natale was laid off like so many others.
“The market disappointed me and a lot of people,” Natale said. She began to question the world in which she’d been operating as she watched hard-working blue collar people, just like her parents, lose their houses.
Natale always had a passion for health and wellness after taking up running at 17 and yoga later on to complement her workouts. A self-proclaimed “sweat junkie,” she was hooked after just one class.
“It was more about the physical practice for me,” Natale said. “Then it starts to become about the mind, body, spirit. Now I’m hooked on all aspects.”
When she found herself without a job and deeply unsettled by what she saw happening in the financial industry, Natale knew she needed a change. So she headed to the Berkshires for yoga teacher training, which turned out to be quite the enlightening experience.
“It was eye-opening,” Natale said. “Meditation was the hardest part for me. After a month, I got it. Yoga’s like a cave that you’re exploring but it’s never-ending. It’s all good, it’s all positive.”
Around the same time, Natale purchased the Medford Street triple-decker from her grandmother. With a new craft and a space to practice, she decided to open Some.Yoga.Studio.
“That’s what I’m meant to be putting my energy into, helping people get fit,” Natale said. “I’m not going back to finance. I have the space. It’s time to take the leap.”
It took a few years to get Some.Yoga.Studio up and running because in the meantime, Natale’s focus shifted to her newborn son who’s now old enough to practice yoga with her. But after years of hard work, Some.Yoga.Studio is set to open its doors.
You can join Natale for a complimentary class and juice tasting this morning at 9:45 a.m. (RSVP). Starting next week, Some.Yoga.Studio (370 Medford St.) will be offering regular classes on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings. And stay tuned for details on Some.Yoga.Studio’s grand opening on October 16.
Natale has worked hard to set Some.Yoga.Studio apart. When you take a class, you reserve your mat ahead of time and Natale gets it–as well as all the props you’ll need–set up before class begins. And the class sizes are kept small so everyone has enough space to practice.
“It’s a whole sensorial experience,” Natale said. “It’s the yoga studio that I wanted when I was a busy executive. You can take a deep breath, get on your mat and start to melt.”
In addition to regular vinyasa classes that will be suitable for both beginners and more advanced practitioners, Some.Yoga.Studio will have a focus on family and kid yoga.
“It’s amazing what they learn and retain and integrate into their lives,” Natale said. “And I learn so much from the kids.”
Knowing that many people dread exercising, Natale has set out to make Some.Yoga.Studio a pleasant place where people want to return.
“I want it to be a place people think of as a positive experience,” Natale said. “It’s a gift you give to yourself. It’s your yoga ultimately.”
Images courtesy of Some.Yoga.Studio.