Business & Tech

Former Ananda Yoga Becomes Yoga Morristown

Local studio gets new owner, new name and new attitude.

Sometimes the opportunity one seeks appears as if out of blue.

Such a development took place recently for Daryl Ferrara, who, with his spouse, recently took ownership of Ananda Yoga and turned it into a brand-new business, Yoga Morristown.

For the past four years, the couple have owned and operated Yoga Montclair, a studio in the Essex County municipality known for its upscale urban feel and bohemian atmosphere. Ferrara said the yoga business has been very good to him and his wife, and in the backs of their minds they thought about expansion. Out of the blue—there is that phrase again—they heard about an opportunity from Janice Molinari, one of their former students who, after earning her certification, plied her trade in Mendham, and then moved her studio, Ananda Yoga, to Morristown.

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"Her schedule led her to not have the time to focus on Ananda Yoga," Ferrara said. "She instantly thought of us  when coming to the conclusion of wanting to sell. Having seen the community we have fostered and built in Montclair, she thought Morristown was a good fit for us."

And so the Ferraras opened a satellite studio in the same Speedwell Avenue location where Ananda once served the town.

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Moving into new digs turned out to be like kismet for the pair.

"We kind of lucked out that Montclair and Morristown both start with M; we did not have to change our logo," Ferrara said. "It came into being from asking for it. We always wanted to open another location, but Ananda dropped that into our laps.

"This will take hard work, getting out there, knowing the community can come to us to be themselves."

Ferrara says he believes their approach to yoga will be great for Morristown.

"Morristown can expect to get a community-driven center that focuses on relevant yoga," he said. "Why is yoga relevant to you—[that's] what we will steer the student toward.

"Yoga is what you make of it. For some it is a mental practice and for others it is purely physical. Our goal is to have each student find that voice for themselves. Yoga Morristown is here to be the radical affirmation of 'yes' in your life."

To introduce new students to what YM has to offer, the studio is offering a special: $54 gives newbies unlimited yoga for the first month of membership.

The Ferraras' experience in Montclair has been and continues to be successful and fulfilling, Daryl Ferrara said, adding that he's finding he's having to negotiate adjustments to get used to the new location.

"Being from Montclair and having lived there for a long time, it was an easy transition into [being] business owners there," he explained. "I think the biggest challenge moving ahead is getting used to the town. Montclair is a hidden gem tucked away in a rural area. While similar to Montclair, it is vastly different."

In what ways?

"Morristown has a feel of New York City, where Montclair is more like Brooklyn," he noted. "Morristown has a quicker pace. Our goal is to teach smart yoga that meets the professional level of excellence that a hub of life like Morristown demands. 
We want to offer the same level of extraordinary yoga, but gear it toward the different populations. Both centers create light and give education that helps folks to live more purposefully [and become] more aware and conscious."

Ferrara said he is confident that he, his wife and Yoga Morristown will become accustomed to their new surroundings and thrive.

"We need to find the pulse of Morristown," he said. "We will find the pulse."


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