ATLANTA — Three Black women took a chance on another, leading to the growth of a yoga studio in the Vinings neighborhood. Their passion grew into a decision to empower a community in 2017.
Miriam Frost, the founder of Stellar Power Yoga, first got her start in yoga when she visited a hot yoga studio. Her passion for the discipline grew, inspiring Frost to start a practice of her own. Her business is built on many pillars, some of them being dignity, respect and empowerment.
"I realized that I can utilize something that I'm good at, which is empowering people," Frost said. "I can do that using the practice of yoga, using the principles of yoga, which align with my beliefs and my moral compass."
Frost also tries to follow up with everyone who attends classes in her studio, even if it's tedious. She also gives first-comers welcome messages personally from her when they try a class.
Black women building each other up
The three Black women, who played a role in growing Frost's business, attended one of Frost's classes. Six years later, they still show up. Frost sees the encounter as a chance taken on her to help her business strengthen.
“They came to my class, and I said, 'I'm about to open a studio, and I need your support, and I'm doing this pre-membership,'" Frost said. "They showed up. They are still at my studio and still loving on me and still supporting me to this day."
The yoga studio owner said she was amazed by their ability to believe in her, giving her the will to keep going even when things got hard.
Creating the Foundation of Community
Frost loves to help her teachers understand what it's like to build a community. She tells them to teach with their hearts and not their heads to help them understand those who are learning from them.
"What we do at the studio is we use the practice and we use our words and our energy and our pillars to allow people to see that it is possible to be filled with love and peace and still be exceptionally great and a good person," said Frost.
Frost feels the community is essential to help empower others, especially those in the Black community, to become better people and foster growth in each other.
"It's the ability to not only empower other people of color to be their best selves and to be their greatest selves, but to also recognize others in that light," Stellar Power Yoga founder said.
Bouncing Back from COVID-19
Like many business owners, the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the biggest hardships. Many businesses lost revenue, including small Black-owned businesses. Most business owners had their whole market reimaged to fit remote environments.
Frost was one of the few business owners who left the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown debt-free.
"What I am proud of the most is my tenacity and staying power that I was able to have," said Frost.
The Stellar Power Yoga owner and her team had to rework their yoga practices in a more remote setting. Frost said that sometimes she had only a few people in her classes at times. The studio had to shut down at least once due to people getting COVID-19.
"COVID was a challenge, but it was a learning situation. I'm proud of the fact that we didn't skip a beat," said Frost.
Frost recommends that entrepreneurs who want to start a business continue fostering the dream even when they believe they have reached the finish line.
"You can jump all in and it be all or nothing, but you don't have to. You can balance out your life and still be successful in both your relationships and your entrepreneurialism endeavors, your work, something that pays your bills," said the yoga studio founder.
Frost hopes to open more locations around the city and even in the country.
Stellar Power Yoga owner focuses on creating empowering community
This story is a part of a series highlighting local Black businesses and their embodiment of Black excellence in light of Black History Month. To view more stories, visit 11alive.com/blackhistory
