Hi, Yoga Northwest Friends,

For the last 43 years I have passionately been building up Yoga Northwest into one of the most premiere Iyengar Yoga Centers in the whole Northwest. We have been voted Best Yoga in Bellingham 15 years in a row and have also had some of the most highly trained yoga instructors in the greater Northwest area during the last decade.

I just turned 72 and Sweden is calling me back home where my whole family lives near Stockholm. I am now looking for somebody to take over Yoga Northwest, so our teachers can continue to share their many years of experience, expertise and passion for yoga with our community in a beautiful and serene space

1. YOU who loves Iyengar Yoga

2. Are a teacher OR student of Yoga

3. Have excellent business and management skills

4. Plenty of energy, creativity and funds!

5. And love to see Iyengar Yoga continue

to enlighten our Bellingham Community

with vibrant health and mindful living      

How did a Swedish girl end up teaching yoga in Bellingham?  

Fifty years ago I had a dream to travel the world. I left Sweden with a backpack on my back and hitchhiked through the Sahara Dessert, danced on rooftops of Ghana, travelled the Trans Siberian Railway, studied pottery in Japan, snorkeled in Samoa, explored New Zealand, trekked in Nepal, and studied Yoga with Yoga Master B.K.S Iyengar in India. After several months in India, doing yoga 8 hours a day, I left all inspired to share my love of Yoga with the world. On a round about way I ended up in Bellingham, which reminded me of Sweden and felt like home away from home.

After 2 years in Bellingham I was teaching yoga 12 classes a week, at Western Washington University, Health clubs, Physical Therapist Clinics, at Lairmont Manor and the City Jail. But after a few years of biking all over town, I had another Dream to open my own yoga studio where I could offer classes in one location, together with other teachers. I also wanted a space where I could invite world class yoga instructors to bring us inspiration straight from India. I found my studio in Fairhaven, above Archer's Brewery! Within a few years we had over 20 classes a week, and most classes were full with waiting lists. This was back in the 80's and 90's with not much competition in town.

But 20 years later the traffic noise became unbearable and the 100 year old maple floor got too uneven and squeaky, so I was ready for my next Dream Studio. I found it in a more quiet location in Fairhaven, next to a green belt, where we could do yoga with birds singing outside, on a radiant heated floor in a beautiful oriental setting with Japanese Shoji Screens. We are still in this magical space. After just a few years our studio again grew with 35 classes weekly.

Then the Pandemic hit us!!! We lost 2/3 of our student body and also some of our teachers. At the same time the rent increased, including all utilities and advertising costs. The first year of the pandemic we had some help from the Governments with their PPP programs. But, during the second year of the pandemic we had no financial support and were face to face with needing to close the studio November first, 2021. Not wanting to see the doors to Yoga Northwest close, one of my students offered to create a "Go Fund Me". We were stunned by the amazing support and testimonials that poured in with wonderful words of appreciation and gratitude from all the years we had been sharing our passion for yoga with our community.

Our Landlords generously offered to charge us only half rent for 6 months to help us get back on our feet, while taking us towards the end of the Pandemic. We are now finally seeing "the end of the tunnel". Students are gradually coming back to our in studio classes which feels wonderful. People come exuberant, expressing how good it feels to be back in our peaceful and beautiful yoga studio, where they now again can get more individual guidance while experiencing the joy of practicing together in a peaceful communal setting, face to face, smile to smile!!

So, now I have another DREAM! After fifty years away, Sweden is calling me back home. I have found my dream place in Northern Sweden up in the mountains, where I will teach yoga at a beautiful resort by a lake. I will continue to conduct Yoga Hiking Biking Sweden Adventures, Yoga Sweden Ski trips including more Bhutan and Bali Adventures. I would also love to come back to Bellingham to teach yoga workshops, Spring and Fall.

My LAST BIG DREAM is to find somebody who can take over Yoga Northwest, my Baby! As I already mentioned...I am looking for You who loves yoga, have lots of experience in business and management, full of creative spirits, have some funds and would love to see Yoga Northwest continue to offer life changing yoga classes for many more years to come. You don't have to be a yoga teacher, just love to see Yoga Northwest continue to be a sanctuary for our community, with our amazing, caring, inspiring, expert teachers! Or, if you know of somebody near or far who might like to relocate to beautiful Bellingham for an exiting and rewarding new adventure in life.

Look forward to hearing from YOU!

Warmly,

Ingela Abbott

Director and Founder of Yoga Northwest

Please pass this email on to any friends near and far who might be interested!

I'm really grateful and feel super blessed for how welcoming and supportive the people of Bellingham have been in my journey to share all the gifts of Iyengar Yoga with our Community for the last 40 years! I know it's going to be hard to say goodbye, but I hope we will meet again in Sweden, Bali, Bhutan, on Zoom, or back in Bellingham for future workshops!