July 10, 2021 7:40am
April 1, 2021 2:45pm
This afternoon the Ontario government announced a province-wide shutdown, effective at 12:01AM on Saturday, April 3. At this time the shutdown duration is scheduled for 28 days, meaning we could potentially move back to the “Control” (Red) Zone on Saturday, May 1, 2021.
Unfortunately we are not able to run any in-person group classes while Ontario is in shutdown. However, we will be running a full weekly schedule of Live At-Home Simulcast classes via Zoom with 4 classes every weekday and 2 classes on Saturday morning. These classes use Zoom in a 1-way format, where students at home can see and hear the instructor without sharing audio or video back. This is a great alternative to in-person classes in our current circumstances. Booking yourself into a scheduled class helps create accountability and routine in the midst of most of our lives that have very little routine these days!
Here is the Zoom schedule that will go into effect Saturday, April 3:
• Monday 9:45am – Hatha Yoga* Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Monique
• Monday 11:15am – Vinyasa Flow*** Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Monique
• Monday 5:30pm – Hatha Yoga** Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Amanda
• Monday 7:00pm – Warm Yin Restorative* Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Amanda
• Tuesday 9:45am – Hatha Yoga* Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Nicole
• Tuesday 11:15am – Hatha Yoga** Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Fran
• Tuesday 5:30pm – Vinyasa Flow*** Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Jordan
• Tuesday 7:00pm – Hatha Yoga* Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Jordan
• Wednesday 9:45am – Hatha Yoga* Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Amanda
• Wednesday 11:15am – Chair Yoga* Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Brier
• Wednesday 5:30pm – Hatha Yoga** Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Julie
• Wednesday 7:00pm – Vinyasa Flow*** Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Julie
• Thursday 9:45am – Hatha Yoga** Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Heather
• Thursday 11:15am – Mat Pilates** Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Heather
• Thursday 5:30pm – Vinyasa Flow*** Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Tamara
• Thursday 7:00pm – Hatha Yoga* Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Amanda
• Friday 9:45am – Hatha Flow** Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Diana
• Friday 12:00pm – Hatha Restorative* Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Jess
• Friday 4:00pm – Warm Hatha* Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Haley
• Friday 5:30pm – Vinyasa Flow*** Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Haley
• Saturday 8:15am – Vinyasa Flow*** Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Sara
• Saturday 10:00am – Deep Stretch* Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom with Valeriia
When you sign up for one of these classes through our mobile app or website, you will receive a Zoom link by e-mail before class begins. The Zoom session will open a few minutes before the class starts, and class will begin on-time at it’s scheduled in-studio time. For a full list of our Live At-Home Simulcast classes, visit http://192.249.114.186/~lostnfoundyoga/classes/class-schedule/.
Reformer Pilates Classes & Pre-registered Yoga Classes
If you are enrolled in a Reformer Pilates Group Class or a Pre-registered Yoga Class such as Yoga for Beginners, Pre-natal Yoga, Yoga for Tweens and Teens, etc., these classes will be placed on hold and will restart once we are able to open for in-person classes again. If you are paying on a 2-week Reformer Auto-Pay, this will be paused while we are closed. If you have pre-paid for a 13-session Reformer Group Class pass or for an 8-week pre-registered Yoga Class, you will not have any of these classes deducted from your account while we are closed and these classes will be added on to the extended finish date.
Reformer Pilates Physiotherapy Private Sessions
Just a reminder that our Physiotherapy Reformer Pilates sessions are still running since these services are offered under the supervision of our Physiotherapist partner Leigh deGroot, and are governed by her college. These are healthcare services, which are permitted as an essential service during the shutdown.
If you would like to enrol in our Physiotherapy Reformer Pilates private sessions, please contact us at 905-682-4469 or yoga@lostnfoundyoga.com and we can give you the details about how to do so. A Physiotherapy assessment with Leigh is required before you can begin these sessions.
If you are currently enrolled for “regular” Reformer Pilates privates sessions and would like to switch to Physiotherapy Reformer Pilates private sessions, please contact us and we can give you the details about how to do so.
ALIGN (Yoga for Mental Health) Group Classes
If you are enrolled in an ALIGN (Yoga for Mental Health) group class, these classes will continue to run online in a two-way Zoom format. Nicole will be in contact with you to provide details about how to join these classes. The schedule for these classes will remain the same as it was for our in-person ALIGN classes.
ALIGN (Yoga for Mental Health) Individual Sessions
All of our individual ALIGN services continue to run, either in-person or virtually. These services include 1-on-1 counselling, Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), talk therapy, movement therapy, etc. can They are provided by our registered social worker and psychotherapist staff members, governed by their respective colleges.
We know that many people are experiencing stress, anxiety, depression and other symptoms due to the isolation and fear brought on by the pandemic and the shutdown. Our counsellors are here to help. Please contact Nicole or Brianna to book an appointment at 905-682-4469 or align@lostnfoundyoga.com.
Unlimited Drop-In Yoga Memberships
During shutdown, all of our Unlimited Drop-in Yoga memberships will continue to run, providing our members with access to all of our online services, including:
• Unlimited access to all Live At-Home Simulcast classes via Zoom
• Unlimited access to 3 NEW daily Online Yoga Video Classes sent by e-mail every morning at 6:00AM
• Unlimited access to our Online Yoga Video Library at http://192.249.114.186/~lostnfoundyoga/online-classes/ with 850+ classes and growing
Similar to how we handled the previous 2 shutdowns, we will be offering extensions to members with pre-paid Unlimited Drop-in Yoga Memberships upon request after we reopen from shutdown. These extensions will be available by submitting an application after we re-open.
Once again, we can’t thank our members enough for all of the support that you have shown us through the first 2 shutdowns, we truly wouldn’t be here with it. We hope that you are able to continue your support again through this (hopefully short!) shutdown. We will continue to offer everything we can in a virtual format while we are closed, and we will reopen our doors for in-person classes as soon as we are allowed to!
Class Pass Holders
If you have a class pass instead of an unlimited membership, you can use your passes to access any of our online classes. To access Live At-Home Simulcast classes via Zoom, simply register for these classes through our mobile app or our website as you normally would. To access any of the classes in our Online Yoga Video Library, please send an e-mail to yoga@lostnfoundyoga.com with the Class Name, Instructor and Date that you would like to receive, and we will send this class to you by e-mail. Each class you choose will deduct 1 class from your class pass.
Thank You!
Well, here we go again. We’ve been here before and we know how this works. We will 100% be here on the other side of this, so thank you to everyone for your support and perseverance as we wait this out, one more time. Please call, e-mail, or message us on Facebook or Instagram. We love connecting with you! Join us for a Zoom class, or try out some of the classes from the online library. We look forward to seeing you all again very soon!
Namaste,
April & Bill and the Lost ‘n Found Yoga Team
February 26, 2021 4:45pm
February 8, 2021 2:30pm
Hi everyone,
This afternoon the Ontario government announced that the province will gradually phase out the current Stay-at-Home order, and will transition individual public health units back to the colour-coded COVID-19 Response Framework over the next few weeks. Based on our current metrics and local trends, it seems that Niagara will likely move to the “Control” (Red) Zone of Ontario’s COVID-19 Response Framework on Tuesday, February 16.
At Lost ‘n Found Yoga, we already have a plan in place for operating in the Red Zone. There are significant restrictions for sports and recreational fitness facilities in the Red Zone, but the biggest one is that there is a maximum of 10 members of the public permitted in a facility.
We were in contact with Niagara Region Public Health and the St. Catharines By-law department many times in the Fall, preparing for the eventuality of Niagara entering the Red Zone. In particular, we have advocated that each of the large studio rooms in our St. Catharines location at the Grantham Plaza should be considered an independent facility with regards to how the 10 person limit is applied. The rationale for this is that each studio is isolated with closed doors anytime exercise occurs, and each studio has independent ventilation from the other studios.
Our St. Catharines By-law department was in agreement with this plan, and as such we will reopen our group drop-in classes once Niagara moves to the Red Zone. The emphasis in the feedback we received from the By-law department was to do everything we can to limit congestion in the common areas, such as the hallways, foyer, coat closet, etc.
We have already staggered our class start times by 15 minutes to limit congestion, but there is one additional change we are making to help with this:
Additionally, the 90-minute time limit per stay is still in effect, so we would remind students not to arrive more than 15 minutes before the class start time, and to leave within 5 minutes of the class finishing.
Another restriction of Ontario Regulation 263/20 which governs regions in the Red Zone is as follows:
Unfortunately this means that our showers and change rooms won’t be available while we are in the Red Zone. Please plan accordingly when you come to class.
Updated Drop-in Schedule Coming Soon!
We need a few days to get our drop-in schedule updated and reopened for online signups. There is a lot to do on the administrative side as we get ready, so we hope to have this available by Thursday for online signups.
Pre-Registered Classes Begin on Monday, March 1
We want to ensure that our reopening happens safely and smoothly, so we are going to take a little more time before restarting our pre-registered group classes, such as Yoga for Beginners, Prenatal Yoga, as well as our Reformer Pilates group classes. All of these sessions will begin on Monday, March 1 instead. If you were already registered in a class that was supposed to begin the first week of January, you will be automatically enrolled in the same class beginning the first week of March.
For anyone that is enrolled in a weekly Reformer Pilates group class, these classes will also resume the first week of March. If you have a bi-weekly Reformer AutoPay payment that is currently on hold, these will also resume automatically on the first week of March.
COVID-19 Screening Questionnaires
Every person must complete a COVID-19 Screening Questionnaire every day that they enter the studio. PLEASE submit this questionnaire as early in the day as possible so that our Front Desk can verify that we have received it well before you enter the building. This helps to avoid delays entering the studio and getting into your class on time.
You can access the online COVID-19 Screening Questionnaire on our website here:
http://192.249.114.186/~lostnfoundyoga/covid-19-screening-questionnaire/
This link is also available on our website in an Red banner across the top of every page of our site. Feel free to bookmark it on your browser to make it easy to get to. In addition, we have posted a QR code that will take you to this link on posters at the entrance to the studio so that you can complete the questionnaire on your phone if you have forgotten to do so earlier in the day.
Extension Requests for Drop-in Classes
We will be offering extension requests once we are able to reopen for in-studio classes, as we did after the first lockdown. However, before requesting an extension, we would ask that you consider whether or not you financially need one.
As a small business, this second closure has had another big impact on us, as it is our sole source of income and the main source of income for many of our staff. We have worked even harder this time to provide as much value as possible to our members (and to keep employing our staff) by running over 20 Live At-Home Simulcast classes via Zoom each week, sending out 3 new classes by e-mail every morning, and building our on-demand Online Yoga Video Library to over 700 full-length yoga classes.
We will honour all extensions requested without question or judgement but we would be very grateful if you would consider waiving an extension. Every extension we grant means that we will have further reduced revenue at a time where revenues are already very limited, making things more difficult as we reopen and restart all of our classes. As part of our community at Lost ‘n Found Yoga, we would really value and appreciate your help in lightening the load.
Each request will need to be made on our COVID-19 Request for Extension application form. This will help keep our admin team organized. Application forms will be available by emailing our front desk. Applications need to be sent in no later than March 15, 2021 and your extension will be backdated to the date we reopened (likely February 16). Unfortunately we are not able to allow clients to defer their extension until a later date. This would be an administrative nightmare and would cost our studio even more financially.
Thank you so much for your consideration in this matter. Again, if you fill out this form and submit it, we will honour it with no questions asked and we will honour your confidentiality.
Thank You!
Okay, here we go, we’re so excited to see all of you again in-person very soon! Thank you again to our entire community for sticking with us through a second lockdown. We know that yoga is an essential part of your physical and mental health, and we will do everything we can to continue to serve you. We love you all!
Namaste,
April & Bill and the Lost ‘n Found Yoga Team
December 21, 2020 3:30pm
Hi everyone,
This afternoon the Ontario government announced a province-wide shutdown, effective at 12:01AM on Saturday, December 26. At this time the shutdown duration for Southern Ontario is scheduled for 28 days, meaning we would move back to the “Control” (Red) Zone on Saturday, January 23, 2021.
Unfortunately we are not able to run any in-person group classes while Ontario is in shutdown. However, we will be running a full weekly schedule of Live At-Home Simulcast classes via Zoom with 4 classes every weekday and 2 classes on Saturday morning. These classes use Zoom in a 1-way format, where students at home can see and hear the instructor without sharing audio or video back.
When you sign up for one of these classes through our mobile app or website, you will receive a Zoom link by e-mail before class begins. The Zoom session will open a few minutes before the class starts, and class will begin on-time at it’s scheduled in-studio time. Here are all of the Live At-Home Simulcast classes that will be available as of Monday, December 28, 2020:
Reformer Pilates Classes & Pre-registered Yoga Classes
If you are enrolled in a Reformer Pilates Group Class or a Pre-registered Yoga Class such as Yoga for Beginners, Pre-natal Yoga, Yoga for Tweens and Teens, etc., these classes will be placed on hold and will restart once we are able to open for in-person classes again. If you are paying on a 2-week Reformer Auto-Pay, this will be paused while we are closed. If you have pre-paid for a 13-session Reformer Group Class pass or for an 8-week pre-registered Yoga Class, you will not have any of these classes deducted from your account while we are closed and these classes will be added on to the extended finish date.
ALIGN (Yoga for Mental Health) Group Classes
If you are enrolled in an ALIGN (Yoga for Mental Health) group class, these classes will continue to run online in a two-way Zoom format. Nicole will be in contact with you to provide details about how to join these classes. The schedule for these classes will remain the same as it was for our in-person ALIGN classes.
ALIGN (Yoga for Mental Health) Individual Sessions
All of our individual ALIGN services (ie. 1-on-1 counselling, Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), talk therapy, movement therapy, etc. can continue to run both in-person and virtually during shutdown, as these services are provided by our registered social worker and psychotherapist staff members, governed by their respective colleges. At this time all appointments will remain in the same format that they were scheduled in (ie. in-person or virtual). If you had booked in-person sessions and would prefer to switch to a virtual format, please contact Nicole or Brianna to make arrangements.
Reformer Pilates Private Sessions and Physiotherapy Private Sessions
Our Reformer Pilates private sessions are not able to run in shutdown, as these are considered personal training services and are not permitted at this time. However, our Physiotherapy Reformer Pilates sessions can still run as these services are offered under the supervision of our Physiotherapist partner Leigh deGroot, and are governed by her college.
If you are currently enrolled for “regular” Reformer Pilates privates sessions and would like to switch to Physiotherapy Reformer Pilates private sessions, please contact us and we can give you the details about how to do so. A Physiotherapy assessment with Leigh is required before you can begin these sessions.
Unlimited Drop-In Yoga Memberships
During shutdown, all of our Unlimited Drop-in Yoga memberships will continue to run, providing our members with access to all of our online services, including:
Similar to how we handled the previous shutdown in Spring, we will be offering extensions to members with pre-paid Unlimited Drop-in Yoga Memberships upon request after we reopen from shutdown. These extensions will be available by submitting an application after we re-open.
Financially, this is a very difficult time for us, and we would ask that you only request an extension to your membership if you have a financial need to do so. If you requested an extension after the first shutdown, please consider not requesting it again this time.
Once again, we can’t thank our members enough for all of the support that you have shown us through the first shutdown, we truly wouldn’t be here with it. We hope that you are able to continue your support again through this (hopefully short!) shutdown. We will continue to offer everything we can in a virtual format while we are closed, and we will reopen our doors for in-person classes as soon as we are allowed to!
Class Pass Holders
If you have a class pass instead of an unlimited membership, you can use your passes to access any of our online classes. To access Live At-Home Simulcast classes via Zoom, simply register for these classes through our mobile app or our website as you normally would. To access any of the classes in our Online Yoga Video Library, please send an e-mail to yoga@lostnfoundyoga.com with the Class Name, Instructor and Date that you would like to receive, and we will send this class to you by e-mail. Each class you choose will deduct 1 class from your class pass.
Yoga for Beginners: Shutdown Edition
If you have a friend of family member that has never tried yoga before, they might be interested in our 8-session Yoga for Beginners course. Normally this course runs once a week for 8 weeks, but we are offering a “Shutdown Edition” which will run 4 days a week for 2 weeks during the shutdown in January.
Classes will run virtually over Zoom in a the regular two-way format so that students can interact with the instructor and ask questions as they do in our in-person sessions. Classes will run from 1:30pm – 2:40pm from Monday – Thursday beginning Monday, January 11, 2021 and finishing Thursday, January 21, 2021.
These classes will be taught by our Studio Manager and long-time instructor, Jessica Pennelli. You can sign up for this Yoga for Beginners course online at:
http://192.249.114.186/~lostnfoundyoga/preregclass/yoga-for-beginners-shutdown-edition/
Christmas Eve 9:30AM Restorative Yoga & Yoga Nidra
Our Christmas Eve 9:30AM Restorative Yoga & Yoga Nidra class with April Janzen is full, but we have room in both our In-Studio Simulcast class and our Live At-Home Simulcast via Zoom. If you would still like to sign up for this class, please visit our Workshops page on our website at http://192.249.114.186/~lostnfoundyoga/workshops/ and be sure to sign up for one of the Simulcast options for this class!
Thank You!
Once again, THANK YOU to all of you wonderful humans for everything you have done to brighten our spirits this year! Your support, encouragement, e-mails, notes, gifts and (masked) smiles have all meant so much to us! Although we have a little while again that we can’t be together in person, this isn’t “goodbye”, it’s just “see you soon”.
We aren’t going anywhere, and we will 100% be open again as soon as we get the go ahead to do so. And PLEASE don’t give up your yoga practice during this time that we are apart! Yoga is an essential part of all of our physical and mental health, and it helps to bring some normalcy in such a tumultuous year. So keep it up, and we will see you soon in 2021!
Namaste,
April & Bill and the Lost ‘n Found Yoga Team
December 18, 2020 5:15pm
Hi everyone,
This afternoon the Ontario government announced that Niagara will move to the “Control” (Red) Zone of Ontario’s COVID-19 Response Framework, effective at 12:01AM on Monday, December 21. There are additional restrictions for sports and recreational fitness facilities in the Red Zone, but the most significant one is that there is a maximum of 10 members of the public permitted in a facility.
We have been in contact with Niagara Region Public Health and the St. Catharines By-law department many times over the past month, preparing for the eventuality of Niagara entering the Red Zone. In particular, we have advocated that each of the large studio rooms in our St. Catharines location at the Grantham Plaza should be considered an independent facility with regards to how the 10 person limit is applied. The rationale for this is that each studio is isolated with closed doors anytime exercise occurs, and each studio has independent ventilation from the other studios.
Our St. Catharines By-law department is in agreement with this plan, and as such we can continue our current operations with relatively few changes. The emphasis in the feedback we received from the By-law department was to do everything we can to limit congestion in the common areas, such as the hallways, foyer, coat closet, etc.
We have already staggered our class start times by 15 minutes to limit congestion, but there is one additional change we are making to help with this:
Additionally, the 90-minute time limit per stay is still in effect, so we would remind students not to arrive more than 15 minutes before your class start time, and to leave within 5 minutes of your class finishing.
Another restriction of Ontario Regulation 263/20 which governs regions in the Red Zone is as follows:
Unfortunately this means that our showers and change rooms won’t be available while we are in the Red Zone. Please plan accordingly when you come to class.
As in the Orange Zone, every person must complete a COVID-19 Screening Questionnaire every day that they enter the studio. Most of you have done very well at doing this from home as early in the day as possible, so THANK YOU! For the rest of you, PLEASE submit this questionnaire as early in the day as possible so that our Front Desk can verify that we have received it well before you enter the building. This helps to avoid delays entering the studio and getting into your class on time.
You can access the online COVID-19 Screening Questionnaire on our website here:
http://192.249.114.186/~lostnfoundyoga/covid-19-screening-questionnaire/
This link is also available on our website in an Red banner across the top of every page of our site. Feel free to bookmark it on your browser to make it easy to get to. In addition, we have posted a QR code that will take you to this link on posters at the entrance to the studio so that you can complete the questionnaire on your phone if you have forgotten to do so earlier in the day.
Announcing NEW Classes Starting in January 2021!
We realize that the small class size limits have already made it more difficult to get into some of our most popular classes. Since there is usually a surge in demand in January, we are have added several new classes to our drop-in schedule beginning January 3, 2021, and we have made some small schedule adjustments to make room for some of the new classes while still keeping start times at least 15 minutes apart.
Here are the changes:
Weekday Afternoon REWIND Classes
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Announcing Evening and Weekend Live At-Home Simulcast Classes via Zoom
In addition to our new In-Studio classes, we are also adding lots of new Live At-Home Simulcast Classes via Zoom, including classes on weekends and evenings. These Live At-Home Simulcast classes will use Zoom in a 1-way format, where students at home can see and hear the instructor in the studio while they are teaching their in-person class, but without sharing audio or video back.
If you sign up for one of these classes, you will receive a Zoom link by e-mail before class begins. The Zoom session will open a few minutes before the class starts, and class will begin on-time at it’s scheduled in-studio time. Here are all of the Live At-Home Simulcast classes that will be available as of January 2021:
Announcing REWIND YOUR WAY In-Studio Simulcast Classes
In addition to the scheduled weekday afternoon REWIND classes, we are also going to offer REWIND YOUR WAY In-Studio Simulcast classes. These classes will feature a REWIND class of your choice, which can be any of the classes from our Online Yoga Video Library.
These classes will NOT have an instructor present (except on the video screen!) There is no set schedule for these classes, but they can be scheduled whenever we have one of our Simulcast rooms (either Satya or Training Room) available. There is generally availability on any weekday afternoon, and there is occasionally some availability on weekdays in the late morning or in the evening, and on some weekend mornings as well.
To book a REWIND YOUR WAY class, just call us at 905-682-4469 or e-mail yoga@lostnfoundyoga.com and make a request with the day and time you would like to come, as well as which class from our Online Yoga Video Library you would like. There is space for up to 6 students in Satya and up to 8 students in the Training Room, so once we have confirmed your booking we will add the class to our drop-in schedule for other students to attend if they wish.
REWIND YOUR WAY classes are included at no additional charge for students with unlimited memberships, are also available for class pass holders to use passes for.
If you would like to try practicing in the studio, away from kids, pets, work-from-home partners, laundry, etc., this is your chance!
PLEASE cancel out of classes early!
We have wait lists for lots of our classes these days, and we expect this to only increase in the New Year. We hate to see available class spaces go to waste when some of our students don’t cancel out of class early when they can’t attend. PLEASE cancel out of classes as early as possible if you know you can’t make it. This will let in students that are on the wait list who otherwise won’t be able to come to class.
Some of you who have been chronic late-cancellers or no-showers have been already been contacted. Although we have chosen not to charge a fee for these late cancellations as other studios have done, you may risk temporarily being bumped to wait lists if you have been a repeat offender.
Once again, don’t be afraid to add yourself to a wait list, even if you register in a Simulcast option for the same class. Students who are wait listed often get into classes as other students cancel out for various reasons. The only thing we ask is that if you get into a class from the wait list, please remove yourself from the Simulcast option for that class. The system cannot do this for you automatically, and this will open up a space for someone else in the Simulcast class, since you can’t be in both rooms at the same time! 🙂
Thank You!
Whew! Nothing stays the same at Lost ‘n Found Yoga lately except for change. Thank you again to our entire community for sticking with us as we adapt and pivot. We know that yoga is an essential part of your physical and mental health, and we will do everything we can to serve you in these crazy times. We love you all!
Namaste,
April & Bill and the Lost ‘n Found Yoga Team
November 14, 2020 4:25pm
Hi everyone,
Yesterday afternoon the Ontario government moved Niagara to the “Restrict” (Orange) Zone of Ontario’s COVID-19 Response Framework, effective at 12:01AM on Monday, November 16. There are several additional restrictions for sports and recreational fitness facilities in the Orange Zone, but the 2 that are most relevant to our members at Lost ‘n Found Yoga are the following:
Beginning Monday, all students at Lost ‘n Found Yoga will be required to submit an online COVID-19 Screening Questionnaire every day that they enter the studio. Obviously this will create a significant administrative burden for our Front Desk staff, so PLEASE submit this questionnaire as early in the day as possible to avoid delays entering the studio and getting into your class on time.
You can access the online COVID-19 Screening Questionnaire on our website here:
http://192.249.114.186/~lostnfoundyoga/covid-19-screening-questionnaire/
This link is also available on our website in an Orange banner across the top of every page of our site. Feel free to bookmark it on your browser to make it easy to get to. In addition, we will post a QR code that will take you to this link on posters at the entrance to the studio so that you can complete the questionnaire on your phone if you have forgotten to do so earlier in the day.
The 90-minute limit on the duration of stay means that we now need to ask students not to arrive until 15 minutes before class starts, and to leave within 5 minutes of class ending. We know that some of you truly value chatting and connecting with each other after class, and we love that part of our Lost ‘n Found Yoga community, but for now at least we will have to ask you to continue your conversations outside the studio so that we can remain compliant with the new government regulations. Sorry!
Announcing Live At-Home Simulcast Classes via Zoom
We realize that the class size limits of 10 people per room (including an instructor) that came into effect when we entered the the “Protect” (Yellow) Zone this week has already made it more difficult to get into some of our most popular classes, even with Live In-Studio Simulcast options available. We also recognize that some students may feel less comfortable participating in in-studio classes at this time.
Fortunately, we have recently invested in some new equipment that now allows us to run in-studio Simulcasts in multiple rooms at the same time as a Live At-Home Simulcast over Zoom. We know that not everyone is comfortable practicing in a Zoom class at home where the instructor and other students can see and hear them in their home. These Live At-Home Simulcast classes will use Zoom in a 1-way format, where students at home can see and hear the instructor in the studio while they are teaching their in-person class, but without sharing audio or video back.
For now we have added Live At-Home Simulcast Options to our schedule for many of our weekday classes. If you sign up for one of these classes, you will receive a Zoom link by e-mail before class begins. The Zoom session will open a few minutes before the class starts, and class will begin on-time at it’s scheduled in-studio time. Here are the Live At-Home Simulcast classes we have booked for this week:
Once we get our feet wet with this and get staff trained, if there is sufficient interest we can start offering evening and weekend Live At-Home Simulcast options as well. Please give us your feedback on this, we would love to hear from you!
Announcing REWIND In-Studio Simulcast Classes
We have been brainstorming about how we can best use all of the resources we have at the studio to offer as much value as possible to our students. The new equipment we purchased also allows us to record high-quality video and audio during our live in-studio Simulcast classes, making it possible to replay these classes in our Simulcast rooms. As an experiment, we are going to offer REWIND In-Studio Simulcast classes during weekday afternoons when the studio is quieter.
These classes will NOT have an instructor present (except on the video screen!) We will start by adding 2 afternoon REWIND classes every weekday. These classes will feature one of the morning Hatha classes from that day. For now, here is the schedule for this week:
Each REWIND class will run twice each weekday afternoon:
For now, these classes will have limited class sizes of no more than 6 students. The purpose of offering these classes is to give students that might be uncomfortable attending classes at the busier times a chance to come into the studio when there are very few people around. It also allows us to add more “mask-only” options for people who are more comfortable in this setting. If you are more comfortable practicing at home with our online video yoga library, please continue to do so. But if you would like to try practicing in the studio again, away from kids, pets, work-from-home partners, laundry, etc., this is your chance!
If there is sufficient interest in these REWIND In-Studio Simulcast classes, we can certainly add more to the schedule. We could even take requests for class types, teachers, etc. Give us your feedback and let us know what you think!
PLEASE cancel out of classes early!
We hate to see available class spaces go to waste when some of our students don’t cancel out of class early when they can’t attend. PLEASE cancel out of classes as early as possible if you know you can’t make it. This will let in students that are on the wait list who otherwise won’t be able to come to class.
And for those of you who have been chronic late-cancellers or no-showers, we will be contacting you to find a way to resolve this. We need everyone to do their part!
Once again, don’t be afraid to add yourself to a wait list, even if you register in a Simulcast option for the same class. The only thing we ask is that if you get into a class from the wait list, please remove yourself from the Simulcast option for that class. The system cannot do this for you automatically, and this will open up a space for someone else in the Simulcast class, since you can’t be in both rooms at the same time! 🙂
Thank You!
Wow! Another week, another round of big changes at Lost ‘n Found Yoga! We’re once again thankful to our Lost ‘n Found Yoga community for continuing to roll with the punches with us. Your patience, encouragement and constructive feedback is so welcome! We love you all!
Namaste,
April & Bill and the Lost ‘n Found Yoga Team
November 8, 2020 1:30pm
Hi everyone,
The Ontario Government has released the updated regulations for the Ontario COVID-19 Response Framework that was announced last week. We had been waiting for clarity on what aspects of the new regulation would be applicable to yoga studios, as the bullet points previously released last week were unclear.
The full update to Ontario Regulation 642/20 (amending Ontario Regulation 364/20) explicitly includes yoga studios in the definition for “facilities for sports and recreational fitness activities”, and as a result all of the new regulations for the “Protect” (Yellow) category will apply to Lost ‘n Found Yoga, effective immediately.
The biggest changes will be reflected in our maximum class sizes, as we are now required to provide a minimum of 3 metres of distance between each participant, and to limit the number of people in any fitness class to 10 (including an instructor).
This effectively means that we can no longer accommodate more than 9 students in any of our classes, and because of the 3 metre distance requirement, our smaller rooms will have even smaller size limits.
What is Lost ‘n Found Yoga doing?
We will be working diligently this afternoon to place new floor markings in all of our studios in yellow tape at a distance of 3 metres on centre. We will also be updating our drop-in schedule to add approximately 20 new Simulcast classes in either our Satya studio or our new Training Room studio so that we can try and accommodate as many students as possible, especially for our most popular classes.
Additionally, we are adding some new classes to the schedule in Fort Erie where we are not able to simulcast into another room. The new classes are as follows:
Unfortunately, these new distancing requirements make our Aerial Suspension Training classes unfeasible to run, and all Aerial classes will be cancelled, effective immediately. With the requirement for 3 metres of distance between each participant, and the location of the anchor points for the Aerial apparatus, we can only accommodate 3 students plus an instructor in the room, with obviously no options for a Simulcast class. Although very few of our classes are running cost-effectively with the limits in place since we reopened, a maximum of 3 students is unfortunately not feasible at all. Any students that are currently registered for one of our upcoming Aerial workshops will be contacted regarding your account.
One other scheduling change is as follows:
This change is necessary to shuffle some room assignments to accommodate a Simulcast class for our Tuesday 7:00pm Yoga for Beginners class.
Our 7-week Yoga for Beginners classes on Tuesday at 7:00pm and Thursday at 7:00pm are both fully subscribed with 14 participants in each. Had we known that our class sizes would be limited to 9 when we setup these classes, we would not have enrolled 14 students. However, since these sessions have already started, we will have a Simulcast option setup next door in our Satya studio for anyone who is not able to fit into our Lotus studio. Room assignments will be based on a first-come, first-serve basis, however, anyone that is placed into the Simulcast room will be guaranteed a space in Lotus for the following week’s class. Our apologies for this arrangement, as we are doing our best to be flexible in this changing environment.
There are also some classes this week that have more students signed up than our new restrictions can accommodate. For these classes, we will be moving students into Simulcast classes wherever possible, and if the Simulcast class is already full (or isn’t available) we will place students onto a wait list in the order that they signed up for class. If you are affected by this we will be contacting you by phone or e-mail as soon as possible.
What changes do I need to make?
For the most part, there are no additional changes you need to make at this time. One requirement in the “Protect” (Yellow) category is that “no member of the public may enter the facility unless they have made a reservation to do so.” So please continue to always sign up for classes as early as possible using our Lost ‘n Found Yoga mobile app, our website, or by calling the studio at 905-682-4469.
When you enter your class, please take note of the new yellow floor markings, and setup your mat so that it is centred on one of the yellow markings. Note that we are changing the location of the instructor in several of our studios to accommodate the new layouts:
If you are curious about the details and would like to review the new Ontario Regulation 642/20 (amending Ontario Regulation 364/20) yourself, you can access this Ontario government’s website here:
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/r20642
Regulations applicable to facilities for sports and recreational fitness activities can be found in Section 11, a little more than half way through the document.
What can I do to help?
We would appreciate any efforts you can make to help us advocate to the government for a distinction between low-intensity fitness classes such as yoga & Pilates, and high-intensity classes such as spinning or cardio. We feel that 2 metres of distance is sufficiently safe for the vast majority of our classes, with the exception perhaps of higher-intensity classes such as hot yoga or Yoga & Weights.
One of our members provided us with some helpful feedback last week that when dealing with government, brief messages of under 150 words are the most effective. Many of our members have already notified us that you have contacted the Preimier’s office, and we truly appreciate this. If we could get as many of you as possible to advocate on our behalf with a quick message indicating that class sizes of up to 15 people with a minimum of 2 metres of distance is sufficient for low-intensity fitness classes such as yoga and Pilates, that would really go a long way for us.
You can provide this feedback on the “Contact the Premier” page of the Office of the Premier’s website here:
https://correspondence.premier.gov.on.ca/EN/feedback/default.aspx
PLEASE cancel out of classes early!
Now more than ever we don’t want any available class space to go unused by someone who wants to come. So PLEASE cancel out of classes as early as possible if you know you can’t attend. We have seen more and more studios and fitness centres charging $10 or $15 for late cancels or no-shows. We really don’t want to do this, but we need your help to keep things running smoothly! This past week we had over 160 same-day cancellations, which means there were several classes with vacancies that went unused, even though they may have been full or even had wait lists the day before. If you can’t come, the sooner you cancel out the more likely it is that someone will be able to take your spot, so please be courteous to your fellow yogis!
Also, don’t be afraid to add yourself to a wait list, even if you register in a Simulcast option for the same class. The only thing we ask is that if you get into a class from the wait list, please remove yourself from the Simulcast option for that class. The system cannot do this for you automatically, and this will open up a space for someone else in the Simulcast class, since you can’t be in both rooms at the same time! 🙂
Thank You!
Whew! Our heads are spinning a bit with all of the changes coming our way, but we are infinitely thankful to our Lost ‘n Found Yoga community for your resiliency, flexibility and support! We love seeing your smiling faces and hearing your encouraging words. See you on your mat!
Namaste,
April & Bill and the Lost ‘n Found Yoga Team
November 6, 2020 4:30pm
Hi everyone,
The Ontario Government announced today that Niagara Region is being placed in the “Protect” (Yellow) category of Ontario’s COVID-19 Response Framework, effective Saturday, November 7 2020 at 12:01am. However, at this time it is not clear if there will be significant changes to our current operations here at Lost ‘n Found Yoga.
We have contacted Niagara Region Public Health, and as of late Friday afternoon they have not yet received a formal regulation from the Government of Ontario regarding the new COVID-19 Response Framework. They are working from the same slides that were distributed to the public when the announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon. As such, they were not able to provide clarity on whether or not yoga studios are included in the new requirement of 3 metres of distance between participants when a region is in the “Protect” category.
What is Lost ‘n Found Yoga doing?
Until we have more details in a formal regulation, we will maintain our current operations with a minimum of 2 metres between each student (currently 8 feet of distance between the centre of each mat). This means that at this time class sizes will not change from there current limits.
However, we are currently installing another projector, screen and audio equipment in the Training Room downstairs to accommodate additional Simulcast classes, even if we are not required to change to 3 metres of distance between each student. Also, we have mapped out the locations of mats in all of our studios with 3 metres of distance between the centre of each mat, but we have not placed these markings on the floor until we can confirm whether or not this is a requirement for us.
What is unclear about the Protect (Yellow) category?
We have been working from the .pdf slides of the COVID-19 Response Framework announcement that were released on Tuesday. If you would like to review these slides yourself, you can access them on the Ontario government’s website here:
Page 14 of this document provides Proposed Measures for Sports and Recreational Facilities. In the “Protect” (Yellow) category, here are the bullet points:
What we are unclear about is the wording in the second bullet point about whether or not as a yoga & Pilates studio we are considered a “sport or recreational facility”, particularly since gyms and fitness studios are referenced directly in the “Control” (Red) category, but not in the “Protect” (Yellow) category at all.
We are also unclear on whether or not our yoga & Pilates classes are considered a “Recreational program”, and therefore whether or not we are limited to 10 people per room indoors.
When will there be clarity about potential changes?
At this time we are waiting for Niagara Region Public Health to receive a formal regulation document from the Ontario government so that they can provide us more details about the requirements for yoga studios in the Protect category. They have suggested that this documentation should be available early next week, hopefully by Monday or Tuesday. If there is new documentation released publicly over the weekend we will review this and hopefully have an answer sooner.
What can I do to help?
In our e-mail on Wednesday we shared an open letter to Premier Ford about why we feel that 3 metres of distance is an unnecessary requirement that places undue hardship for studios offering low-intensity fitness classes. You are invited to share this letter with Premier Ford and provide your own comments as well.
You can provide feedback on the “Contact the Premier” page of the Office of the Premier’s website here:
https://correspondence.premier.gov.on.ca/EN/feedback/default.aspx
One other thing you can do to help is to make sure to cancel out of classes as early as possible if you are not able to attend. We have noticed this week that our same-day cancellations rate has increased again, and this has lead to several classes that had wait lists, but then ended up have several vacancies at the time the class started. If you can’t come, the sooner you cancel out the more likely it is that someone will be able to take your spot, so please be courteous to your fellow yogis!
Thank You!
Thank you again to everyone in our Lost ‘n Found Yoga community! We know that things keep changing for all of us, and you have all been so supportive as we pivot and adjust.
Thanks again everyone!
Namaste,
The Lost ‘n Found Yoga Team
November 3, 2020 5:30pm
Hi Bill,
As you may have heard in the news today, Ontario has released a new COVID-19 Response Framework that will go into effect on Saturday. This new framework introduces a colour-coded system of increasing restrictions that will apply at a public health unit level. The criteria for categorizing a public health unit are based on metrics such as weekly COVID-19 incidence rates, test positivity rates, COVID-19 reproduction rates, and more.
There are 5 different classifications:
For full information on the new framework and all of the details for each category, please see this document from the Ontario government: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/7281345/COVID-19-Daily-Update-Nov-3-9-a-M.pdf
At this time, the Niagara Region Public Health Unit is proposed to be classified in the green “Prevent” category, meaning there are no significant changes to the way we have been operating in previous “Stage 3” of the province’s reopening plan. As such, there are currently no changes to our current operations at Lost ‘n Found Yoga.
However, it should be noted that this proposed classification is based on Niagara’s data from the week of October 26. Unfortunately, Niagara’s incidence rate since last Friday has been significantly higher than in previous weeks, and today’s case count of 38 is the highest daily count since June.
In light of this, we are preparing an operations plan that will allow us to transition as seamlessly as possible to comply with the increased restrictions that would be involved if the Niagara Region is reclassified to the Protect (yellow) or Restrict (orange) categories in the future.
What type of restrictions are there in the other categories?
There are several additional restrictions in the Protect and Restrict categories, but the ones that would impact us most directly is the amount of space required around each practitioner in our group classes. At the Protect classification 3 metres of space is required between each student, increased from the current requirement of 2m. Currently we have our floor markings spaced at at least 8 feet (roughly 2.4 metres) from each other. Although an increase to 3 metres may not seem like much, it would significantly reduce the number of participants we could accommodate in each room.
Two other potential restrictions in the “Restrict” category are the requirement to screen all patrons with a questionnaire before entering the facility, and limiting the duration of stay. While we are not exactly sure what this could mean for us at this time, it might mean slightly reduced class lengths, and possibly restricting students to 1 class per day.
What restrictions are NOT included?
The one restriction that has not been required in any of the categories at this time is the requirement to wear a mask while exercising. We understand that there are several differing views on this within our Lost ‘n Found Yoga community, but at this time we will maintain our current mask policy. To clarify, masks are required at all times in the studio until a student is stationary on their mat, ready to practice. If you need to leave your mat for any purpose such as to get a prop or use the washroom, masks must be worn. Exceptions to this policy are the same as those outlined in the current City of St. Catharines bylaw.
What is Lost ‘n Found Yoga doing?
At this time, we are not making any changes to our operations. However, we have a plan in place to update our floor markings to comply with the 3m distance requirements, should that restriction come into effect. This would reduce our maximum room capacity, and we will explore options to increase the number of in-studio Simulcast classes we offer to safely accommodate as many students in-studio as possible. These Simulcast classes have been very well received so far, and we have the technology available to offer these classes in several rooms simultaneously if necessary.
In the meantime, we will continue to monitor all local and provincial public health requirements and we will make adjustments to our operations as necessary.
Thank You!
Once again, we want to say a big thank you to our incredible community here at Lost ‘n Found Yoga! You have continually been flexible as the our situation adapts and we truly appreciate all of your support.
Please continue to do your part by pre-registering early for classes, cancelling early if you know you can’t attend, wash/sanitize your hands when you enter the studio, wear a mask, and show courtesy and patience to your fellow students.
Thanks again everyone!
Namaste,
The Lost ‘n Found Yoga Team
September 28, 2020 – 3:30pm
Hi everyone,
We are excited to announce 7 new drop-in classes to our weekly schedule in St. Catharines! These classes are in response to demand for classes that have regularly had full classes with wait lists over the past several weeks. Most of them are hot yoga classes, where our class size capacity is very limited with our current social-distancing restrictions. There are also a couple of schedule changes and adjustments. The new classes and changes will go into effect beginning Sunday, October 4. Here they are:
NEW CLASSES:
Sundays at 11:00AM – Hot Vinyasa Flow with Sabrina/Lindsay
Mondays at 10:00AM – Warm Hatha (Level II) with Angela
Mondays at 7:15PM – Hot Vinyasa Flow with Austin
Tuesdays at 9:30AM – Hot Vinyasa Flow with Stephanie
Tuesdays at 6:45PM – Hot Vinyasa Flow with Jordan
Wednesdays at 6:45PM – Hot Vinyasa Flow with Terra Burke
Saturdays at 9:30AM – Hot Vinyasa Flow with Sara
SCHEDULE CHANGES:
Sundays 10:00AM Hot Vinyasa Flow with Sabrina/Lindsay changed to 9:30AM
Thursdays 9:30AM Core Fusion with Kathy changed to Hatha (Level II)
In addition to the new classes that we have added to the schedule, we are excited to announce that we are adding a new Live In-Studio Simulcast option for some of our busiest classes.
As many of you have probably noticed, some of our more popular classes, like the weekday morning Hatha classes, have been full a lot lately. We have been brainstorming various ways to alleviate these wait lists given our current constraints of 14 students maximum in our Lotus studio. We already have other Hatha classes running at similar times (ie. 9:30am, 10am or noon) on several of these days, so just adding more classes isn’t dealing with the demand completely.
Since our Satya studio goes unused most of the time because it has a capacity of only 7 students plus an instructor, we decided to experiment with a Live In-Studio Simulcast option from Lotus to Satya. We have installed a projector and large screen in Satya, along with a speaker at the front of the room. There is a video camera mounted on the ceiling of Lotus near the front of the room, and the instructor wears a small microphone while they teach. Music is played in both rooms. We have done a few test runs of this last week and we have had a very positive response.
We realize this isn’t an ideal option, as most students would obviously prefer to be in the room where the instructor is teaching. However, it is a good “second best” option for students that would otherwise not be able to attend the class at all because of full classes and capacity limits. Additionally, some students may even prefer to be in Satya with fewer people in the room, depending on their level of comfort being back in a group yoga setting.
For selected classes on the drop-in schedule you will now notice a second class of the same name at the same time with the same instructor, with a “Live In-Studio Simulcast” label on it. If the regular class is full (or if you just prefer a room with less people in it), you can sign up for this class instead. Please note you can still add yourself to the wait list for the regular class as well. If you get in from the wait list, just make sure to remove yourself from the Simulcast class so you aren’t registered in both.
We know this is different than anything we’ve ever done, we’re just trying to find ways to make things work with all of our current constraints. Thanks everyone for being flexible in these crazy times!
Reminders RE: Reopening
The following are some reminders about some of the new policies and procedures we have in place at Lost ‘n Found Yoga since our reopening at the end of July. For those that have read this already, here are a couple of key updates since last time:
Have you had a chance to join us for a class at Lost ‘n Found Yoga since we have reopened? As you have probably heard, the studio has been open now for about 2 months, and it has been SOOO good to see so many faces (well…. masks, at least) in the studio again! We sent out a couple of emails similar to this one before, so if you have already read this information and have been attending again, please disregard. For the rest of you, we have lots of great information about the studio reopening packed in here. This is a long section of this email, but it is a very important one, so please read it through carefully.
We reopened our drop-in classes at both our North Niagara location at the Grantham Plaza in St. Catharines and our South Niagara location at 96 Jarvis St. in Fort Erie on Monday, July 27th. The North Niagara schedule is back to our full slate of over 60 classes each week, however, because of lower attendance (pre-COVID) at some of our South Niagara classes we have only kept the best-attended classes on the updated schedule.
Operating in Stage 3 in Ontario comes a whole new way of doing things. First and foremost is the safety and well-being of our students and our staff. We have a detailed cleaning and santization plan which we use and document throughout the day. There are a number of other items to make note of, so we are going to review all the “new normal” things we will have to get used to for a while in this email.
Masks
In keeping with the St. Catharines and Niagara Region mask bylaws, all individuals entering the studio will be required to wear a mask until they are on their mat and class is ready to begin. The exception will be front desk staff who are behind a barrier and individuals who cannot wear them due to medical reasons. However, if you do not wear a mask, you will not be asked why or turned away as that would be a violation of your privacy. We do ask, however, that if you can wear a mask that you please do so that we can squash COVID-19 as fast as possible.
Once your class is ready to begin, students can then choose to either practice with their mask on or off. Practicing with a mask on could increase the risk of breathing difficulties for some folks so this will be solely up to the discretion of each student. We do ask that ALL students respect each student’s choice with regard to wearing a mask during exercise or not.
Arrival and Class Check-in
Students must complete a self risk assessment questionnaire before entering the studio. This assessment is posted at the entrance to our studio and throughout our studio. You can also access this assessment ahead of time by visiting https://www.niagararegion.ca/health/covid-19/pdf/screening-tool-colour.pdf. If you determine that you are not eligible to participate in your class, please do not enter the studio.
When entering and exiting the studio, please use your elbow to activate the automatic door operators to minimize hand touches of the door handle itself.
When you arrive, we ask that you either use hand sanitizer immediately upon arrival, or (preferably) wash your hands with soap and water in the washroom. Please use your knuckle when signing into the iPads. These will be cleaned often. If you aren’t comfortable touching the iPad, please let our staff know and they can sign you in.
Drop-In Schedule Changes
Our North Niagara Drop-in Schedule has been adjusted to stagger class time starts by 15 minutes. This means that instead of having up to 4 classes starting at 9:45am on some days, these classes will have start times of 9:15am, 9:30am, 9:45am and 10:00am. A few classes have been moved to larger rooms as well to allow for more social distancing. These staggered start times will help reduce congestion in our entranceway, foyer, coat closet and hallway areas and allow for more social distancing. Based on our experience during the past few weeks, these staggered start times have been working very well to ensure there is never a big group of people in these areas.
Class Sizes and Mat Setup
Due to the public health requirement of continued social distancing through Stage 3, our class sizes will have a much lower maximum capacity. All of our classes have approximately 8 feet between the centre of one mat and the centre of another mat. Smaller class sizes will ensure that we can maintain social distancing, but the unfortunate reality is that sometimes you may be waitlisted for a class that has already filled up. When you setup your mat in class, please do not select a space at random. In order to accommodate the reduced class sizes and maintain distancing, we have taped off green “X”s at the CENTRE of where mats should be placed in each studio. There is also a red “X” for the centre of the instructor’s mat.
Pre-sign Up for Classes
Due to the limited space in classes, EVERYONE will need to pre-sign up for classes. This can be done through our website or our mobile app, but if you are not comfortable with technology you can simply call the studio and our staff will be more than happy to sign you up for your class. You can pre-sign up as early as 2 weeks in advance, and we recommend doing so as early as possible to secure your spot in class. Also, if you have signed up but cannot attend, PLEASE cancel out of the class as soon as your plans change in order to open up a space for someone that might be on a wait list for that class.
Priority for Ongoing Members During Closure for Pre-sign Up
A BIG HUGE THANK YOU to those of you who continued to support us by continuing your membership throughout the closure. We truly wouldn’t still be here without you. For those of you who have maintained your membership throughout our closure and do not ask for an extension of your membership when we reopen, we are forever indebted to you. As a show of our thanks, you will continue to receive FREE access to our online video library of more than 400 classes. You will also be given first priority to pre-sign up for classes. We will review class registration 24 hours before a class starts, and if a member that has maintained their membership throughout the closure and not asked for an extension has been waitlisted, we may withdraw the last person to sign up from the class that was not also one of these members. Anyone withdrawn from a class will be notified by e-mail at least 24 hours before class begins and will not be charged for that class.
Props
Some instructors will not use props at all during their classes as instructors need to disinfect the props after class. All studio blocks and bolsters used will be disinfected and rotated to the back of the shelf.
Blocks – For the time being, we would much prefer if you brought your own blocks to the studio. We have blocks for sale for $20.00 for two blocks. If you choose not to bring your own blocks you can use ours, but we would really prefer that you brought your own to reduce the amount that instructors have to disinfect. When bringing your own blocks, we recommend writing your name (or initials) on them with permanent marker to avoid any mix-ups.
Straps – Studio straps will not be available for use. If you like to use a strap in your practice you will need to bring your own. We have straps available for sale at the studio for $15.00.
Blankets – Studio blankets will not be available for use. If you like to use a blanket in your practice you will need to bring your own.
Bolsters – If you have your own bolster, please bring it. We have some new bolsters for sale that we have recently added to our inventory that retail for $108. If you choose not to bring your own bolster and use ours, you will need to bring your own blanket or towel from home to place over the bolster or use one of our rags.
Assists/Consent Cards
There will be no hands-on assists at this time, therefore there will be no use of consent cards. The exception would be if a student needed first aid or was going to fall.
Online Video Classes
Although we have taken every reasonable precaution to make the studio a safe environment for all of our students to practice, we recognize that some of you may not be ready to return to the studio quite yet. Our online video library of over 400 classes is still available for you to use, and we are still distributing 3 new video yoga classes each week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to everyone with an active membership. Most of these new classes are being filmed during “live” in-studio classes, which is a nice way for you to be able to get a bit more of the feeling of being back at the studio.
Child Minding, Change Rooms, Showers and Water Dispenser
At this time, child minding will not be running at our North Niagara studio. Change rooms and showers will be available again beginning Sunday, October 4. There will be a limit of 1 person at a time in the men’s change room, and 2 people at a time in the women’s change room. High touch areas of the shower rooms (ie. door handles, faucets, light switches) must be sprayed down by the user with a disinfectant spray both before AND after use.
The water dispenser is not be available for client use. Please be sure to arrive with a full water bottle ready for your class.
Let’s Practice Patience
We know that you are all eager to get back to your mat and we are happy to let you know that things are running smoothly so far as we all adjust to some of these new processes and procedures. When you return to the studio, PLEASE be patient and respectful with each other, including our front desk staff, instructors, your fellow students and even yourself. We are fielding lots of questions and we might not be able to get you as quickly as usual, but we will help you as soon as we are able. Be patient with your body, since it may not move the way you want it to if you have been away from your practice for a few months. Don’t worry, it will come back, but don’t push too hard too quickly as we don’t want anyone to be injured. Breathe in. Breath out. It’s going to be okay.
Final Thoughts
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who poured out so much love and support to use during this incredibly difficult time. We are absolutely over the moon excited to see you again!! We. Just. Can’t. Wait.
We will see you on your mat real soon!!!!
Love
April, Bill and the Lost ‘n Found Yoga Team
July 20, 2020 3:30pm
Dear Lost ‘n Found Yoga students,
March 13, 2020 10:30pm
Dear Lost ‘n Found Yoga students,
We are so sad to post this, but effective immediately both our North Niagara location at the Grantham Plaza in St. Catharines and our South Niagara location at 96 Jarvis St. in Fort Erie are closed until further notice due to the risks around the COVID-19 virus. This was not an easy decision to make, but our first concern is for the health and safety of our community, and we don’t want to put anyone at risk.
For those of you on an unlimited membership, we are willing to consider an extension of your membership for the duration of the closure should you feel this is necessary for your own financial stability. We want to provide you with the full service that you paid for if this is truly a need for you. Requests for extensions can be made after we reopen.
As you can imagine, this will be an extremely difficult time for us financially as well. However, we have committed to paying our staff during this closure, as we feel that this is the right thing to do. We are a community, and we need to stick together.
Some of you may be more resourced and might be able to forgo an extension to your membership. As small business owners with a young family, we would certainly appreciate any of you who are willing to do so, and we have a temporary option for those of you that hold an unlimited membership during this closure (see below).
We know that many of you rely on your yoga practice as an integral part of your life, and we want to do our best to provide for you during this time. Starting Sunday, we will be offering daily between 1 – 3 online video classes taught by our Lost ‘n Found Yoga instructors you know and love. These online classes will be distributed via e-mail every day to anyone holding an unlimited membership, either annual, monthly, or 3-month. Hopefully this will help to tide you over during this difficult time.
For anyone currently enrolled in pre-registered classes, we will be extending these sessions by however long we are closed for. You will not lose a class that you have paid for, but at this time we are not able to provide a new schedule for these classes until we know when we are able to reopen. These pre-registered classes include Yoga for Beginners, Baby & Mom Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Teen & Tween Yoga, Beginner Mat Pilates and all Group Reformer Pilates classes.
Private Reformer sessions and Private ALIGN sessions may be able to continue during the closure if both the student/client and the instructor/facilitator are comfortable doing so, but this will be handled on a case by case basis. If you currently are scheduled for a private session we will be in contact with you personally over the next couple of days.
Our policy has always been that we do not offer refunds or holds, although at times we have made exceptions to this. In regard to COVID-19, we apologize that we are not able to offer an exception to our refund policy, but please understand that this is not because we don’t care or are acting out of greed. Lost ‘n Found Yoga is not a large company or part of a big conglomerate. Rather, it is a small business that we have committed our life savings to in order to enhance and grow this incredible community here at our studio.
If we make exceptions to our policy for one person, we would have to do it for everyone, and this could threaten the viability of this community, even after the current health turmoil has decreased. Beyond our own concern for ourselves as a family with three young children, we would be heartbroken if the Lost ‘n Found Yoga community were not able to continue due to financial constraints. The relationships that we see being formed and fostered in this space are invaluable to us and our staff and instructors rely on the income they make from the studio to pay their bills and provide for their families. During the closure we have committed funds from our own personal savings to paying our instructors and staff, as we value each and every one of them just like you do.
The next little while will be very painful for everyone. We know it is painful to have your schedule disrupted and have to postpone coming to classes in person together. It is also painful for us as we experience a serious decline in sales and attendance over the next number of months. As a community, we hope our students will understand the situation that we are all in together and appreciate that we are not being strict with our no refunds policy out of greed, but because if we shoulder all of the pain through this situation we may not have a community for people to come back to.
Thank you all for your understanding during these crazy days, we know this is a lot to digest. We are trusting that God will provide for us and for our amazing community. We have prayed through this decision and we really feel a peace about it that this is the right thing to do.
Finally, please wash your hands, stay safe and healthy, and do your part. We love all of you and look forward to seeing you again soon!
Sincerely,
April & Bill Janzen