New owners expand yoga offerings

Health and fitness are heating up for one business in the Flathead Valley. 

New owners have taken over Mandala Montana, a hot yoga studio north of Kalispell, and they have big plans for the business. 

“Our tagline is ‘center for mindful living,’ speaking to a bigger piece of health and wellness,” said Samantha Ray, one of three owners. “We’re hoping to build a sanctuary away from the hectic world.” 

Ray, along with other owners Arlisa Houston and Michelle Richards, took over the hot yoga studio in November. They spent several days remodeling the studio, ripping up old carpet, laying new hardwood floors, painting walls and installing new fitness equipment. 

“It definitely needed some love and attention,” Houston said.

Walking into the studio now, located at 203 Business Center Loop on U.S. 93, customers find a bright entryway with a welcoming, airy feeling and the newly renovated hot yoga studio upstairs. 

The owners have been friends for many years and have strong backgrounds in health and wellness. They hope to bring more than just yoga to their customers. 

Since taking over the business they have introduced several new wellness one-on-one classes, including weight-loss programs, wellness coaching and massage therapy.

“The name mandala means circle,” Ray said, adding that they hope to invoke healthy living in all aspects of life, creating a full circle of wellness. 

In addition, the group has added many new classes and no longer specialize only in yoga. 

Classes now include meditation; TRX, a body-weight exercise class using suspension ropes; Total Barre, a dance-based cardio and strength training class; Ecstatic Dance, a free-form dance class; and a variety of morning classes. 

The studio also added several heated and non-heated yoga classes, all with different goals and styles.  

In the summer, the studio will have fewer heated classes and will stick with traditional yoga classes, and the owners plan to change the class schedule with the seasons. 

The owners also added a retail line that includes protein powders, bars, drinks and oxygenated coffee imported from Mexico. 

Within the next month, the women hope to add an infrared sauna, which they say is a healthier way to detox the body, lower inflammation and assist with healing within the body without the stifling sensation of a regular sauna.

They plan to create a place where their customers can invest in their health, be it through diet, meditation, exercise or natural medicine. 

“Everyone has been incredibly supportive and helped us out through everything,” Houston said. 

Richards added: “This whole project has been a really community effort.”  

People seemed to come out of the woodwork to fulfill the studio’s needs. When Mandala needed a new paint job, the owners were able to trade classes for an independent painter’s services. When they needed equipment installed, a friend came forward who was able to do the work. Their public relations manager simply wants to support the new owners’ efforts, and provides her services for free. 

Even the studio’s lawyer exchanges her services for yoga classes. 

“There’s a big push right now in this valley for a healthier life style,” Ray said. “I think people have tried diets and that sort of thing, and realize that they don’t work. Instead, they’re looking for something that makes them feel good, something that works.” 

Mandala promotes lifestyle changes in lieu of fad diets or workout addicts for a more “holistic” health experience. 

The studio has 13 instructors who teach a variety of classes throughout the week, and many work-study volunteers who trade services for classes. 

Reporter Brianna Loper may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at bloper@dailyinterlake.com.