Steph Wall says here yoga classes are "not just coming in to stretch" but more than that, "it is also an outlet for creative people".

Here, she describes how she has built her own relationship with yoga, and is expanding the offering from her Glasgow base, while also pointing to 

What is your business called?

Kali Collective

Where is it based?

In Glasgow city centre, at The Axiom Building.

What does it produce/do?

Kali is a sacred space for sharing yoga wisdom, offering experiences for both students and teachers who feel called to deepen their studies of Yoga. We provide yoga in studio, and on-demand to people around the world, and to businesses. We’ve recently started offering pilates too. As well as providing 40 classes a week, we also provide in-depth and immersive yoga experience both on-site and in remote locations, and run lots of community events - from hiking to cold water dips. Everything we do is about fostering community and deepening its connection to yoga.

'Kali is a sacred space for sharing yoga wisdom''Kali is a sacred space for sharing yoga wisdom' (Image: Kali Collective)

To whom does it sell?

We sell to people who are curious about engaging with yoga on a deeper level – they’re not just coming in to stretch. It’s more than that. I want to attract people who are curious about life. It is also an outlet for creative people, especially with the style of yoga that I teach, as it involves constantly changing sequences and flows. We champion diversity – it doesn’t matter what you look like or where you come from, as long as you’re curious, you’re welcome at Kali Collective.

How many employees?

We have a team of ten including myself, with nine teachers and one assistant. A lot of our instructors have been with us since the start, and for me, this is evidence that we are providing something meaningful in people’s lives. Our employees are constantly developing and learning. This is a journey for us all.

Why did you take the plunge?

The yoga that I was experiencing wasn’t reflected in a studio space – in general most yoga studios are very beige and white. It's about aesthetics and it looks really perfect and put together; there’s no heart of soul in it. It’s clinical. Canada, it’s all so pretty and I wanted to do something that was true to me. It didn’t resonate with me.

I wanted something that showed the darker side of life. When we started, in 2015, one of my friends, who’s from Glasgow, told me that the yoga scene was very much in its infancy, so I made the leap, never once thinking I’d be here almost a decade later! When I moved, there was nowhere offering Vinyasa, which is the style I teach, so I decided I’d forge my own path, and Kali was born! Now I have a studio that’s all black with skulls everywhere - that’s my relationship with yoga.

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What were you doing before?

I was doing odd jobs to support my lifestyle – which was exploring the world. I worked in bars, restaurants and as a caregiver to people in wheelchairs. I was in university studying international relations when I dropped out and decided to move to Glasgow and go “all-in” on yoga.

What do you least enjoy?

At the end of the day, it all falls on me and that’s a lot of pressure. Even though I’ve got the best team in the world, when Covid hits or a VAT bill, you can’t share that load.

What are your ambitions for the firm?

To continue building meaningful relationships with my students and teachers, to grow our community and to continue to deepen my connection with yoga. We want Kali to be around for a long time to come.

What single thing would most help?

If Glasgow City Council and the Government decided to support businesses within the city centre. The cost of running a business is already so high, and things like the cost of parking add insult to injury.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned?

That not everyone involved in the business is going to understand or care as much as I do – and that’s OK. I’ve stopped acting like they should care as much as I do - they have their own lives and their passions and their world doesn’t revolve around Kali as mine does, because it’s my business. Now there’s a better relationship with us all.

What was your best moment?

A collection of moments come to mind, any time something reminds me of how meaningful and valuable we are to our community. That could just be a note or a message, or seeing a friendship form. It’s the ripples that happen because of what we’re doing.

What was your worst moment?

When lockdown hit we had to shut the studio because of Covid. But while that moment and all the uncertainty was terrifying, the outcome was incredible. It was like we got put to the test, to see how resilient the business was. And we came out stronger than ever.

Literally none of our members left us when Covid hit and we switched to virtual classes. It showed people trust us, support us and value what we’re doing. I don’t know how I could have handled Covid without that community. It was a time when everyone needed yoga more than ever. I still had meaning in my work and was providing something that was really needed for people who I got to see every day.

How do you relax?

I relax by hanging out with my dog, Nell, a greyhound who I rescued during Covid. That’s my favourite thing in the whole world. I do lots of yoga and Peloton which helps me relax – I need to work out every single day or I don’t feel ‘myself’. I also DJ – music has been a huge passion of mine since childhood. I’m currently in university for music production and I’m really enjoying practising DJing at home for my dog. My partner puts his headphones on – we have very different tastes in music.