Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Bentley.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started off as a Personal Trainer back in 2014. It was my desire to help women feel confident in their bodies now. Not when they reached their goal, but rather to begin to love and accept themselves right now. Unfortunately, this way of training doesn’t bode well in a corporate gym setting and I butted heads with several bosses as I was trying to find the perfect fit for me. I ended up deciding that a corporate gym setting wasn’t for me and went back to bartending.
During this time, I started to begin my own personal journey of uncovering who I truly am and stepping more into a spiritual mindset. This started when I was invited to see an Angel reader with a friend for her birthday. This reader was also a reiki master and he told me I’m a natural healer. Not ever knowing exactly what reiki healing was or what it even meant to be a healer, really started to propel me deeper on my journey of truth. I took the classes to become reiki certified and created a daily mediation and yoga practice.
I began to hear my inner voice. This voice was guiding me to start my own business using the education and tools I had gathered throughout the years. From my troubled times at a gym, I didn’t think this was possible and I kept pushing that inner voice aside. This voice however became louder and louder. I started to wake up in the middle of the night with business names in my head and a desire to write out all my plans. I took my thoughts and ideas into a journal where I wrote out business plans, retreat ideas, workshops, and more. My goals were to lead multiple retreats a year, become a yoga teacher and eventually have my own space where I could offer support to others regarding their body, mind, and spirit.
Using the resources, I currently had and with a small budget, I registered my business in the state of Ohio and built a gym in the basement of my home. I started to train women in this gym with the exact approach I had initially set out to complete. In the meantime, I also became a certified yoga teacher, meditation, and mindfulness teacher. I also sought out different yoga studios in the area where I could start to offer reiki. This led me to Half Moon Yoga in Medina, Ohio.
The moment I walked into Half Moon, I felt home. This space has such an incredible energy that is hard to describe but it is shared by many. I began my reiki healing journey and started to teach classes. One thing unfolded into the next and suddenly I’m leading and co-leading retreats and workshops much like I had written about in my journals. I started working with private clients in their mindfulness journeys, became trauma certified and deepened my offerings…
2 years ago, I was presented with the opportunity to purchase Half Moon Yoga. It was smack dab in the middle of the pandemic but I knew I had to take the leap and that the Universe was offering me the answer to my prayers.
Personal training has fallen to the side but I am still focused on helping people create home within themselves and approach this with the whole body, mind, and soul connection. I offer this guidance in all areas from yoga classes, workshops, 1:1 support, and retreats.
I am now in the process of growing HMY to the next level to purchase a bigger space where we can offer yoga, massage, therapy, and more
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Running a business during a pandemic is a challenge within itself but it has also been about trusting my vision and following my passion even in the moments of rejection.
We’ve been impressed with Half Moon Yoga, Medina, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I offer an all-inclusive yoga studio experience with classes, workshops, and retreats. I also offer 1:1 trauma-certified support with the intention to help you regulate your nervous system, heal trauma, and create home within so that you can live a life of freedom and joy
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
To trust that what is here for you and what is in your highest good will always be delivered for you. Release control and enjoy the ride- let your focus be on gratitude for all that is here already
Pricing:
- Various class pass offerings
- Various workshop prices
- $60 reiki, meditation, private sound bath, or breathwork
- 4 for $280 or $75 for private sessions
- Various retreat pricing
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hmyoga.org/
- Instagram: @iamlaurenbentley
- Facebook: Half Moon Yoga, Medina
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/LaurenBentley
Image Credits
Mackenzie Osborne
