Meet Samantha Knies Gray | Yoga and Barre Studio Owner & Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Samantha Knies Gray and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Samantha, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I own Fire Horse Yoga in Jasper, Indiana — a boutique yoga studio in the historic downtown of a small Southwestern Indiana town. We’ve been in business, continuously, for almost 22 years which is nearly unheard of in the yoga studio world. I discovered Fire Horse Yoga in 2016 after moving back home for my husband’s job. I quickly fell in love with the space, the community, and the styles of yoga offered. In 2017, I graduated from Fire Horse’s yoga teacher training and took a spot on the teaching team. I continued to teach at the studio and around the community, but I was very loyal to Fire Horse and never imagined myself owning a studio.

In early 2021, the owner approached me about buying the business. The pandemic had understandably burned her out and she was ready to take a break. The timing was good; I was burned out in my current design job, and was excited and ready to jump headfirst into growing the business. We completed the purchase/ownership transfer in May 2021, moved into a bigger space across the town square on June 1st, added Barre to our line-up of classes in July 2021 and have continued to grow since. I’ve set very specific goals to bring the business back over the last year and a half and have been able to meet them with the support of my husband who acts as my business manager, my Studio Coordinator, my mom who watches our girls when we need to be at the studio, a dedicated teaching staff, and the support of our members and community.

What should our readers know about your business?
Fire Horse Yoga is a pretty special place, and I did not take the purchase of the studio lightly. One of my biggest worries was moving locations so quickly after I purchase the business. The studio had been in that location for 20 years, but definitely needed to move in order to merely survive, let alone see growth. As luck would have it, I had been helping with the facade redesign of a historic building across our town square and knew of a nearly identical space that was open and available. The move was one of the best decisions I could have made, and we’ve been able to realize significant growth over the last year and a half.

Though we do also offer Barre classes, we are first and foremost a traditional yoga studio — and the only one in our town. Our group class and private offerings are unique and held in a distinctive space that you simply won’t find elsewhere in our area. Our primary focus is giving our community a safe space to learn traditional yoga concepts and practice the acting of ‘being without doing’. We are a place to reset yourself from the busyness of every day life by breathing consciously and moving mindfully.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My studio is in Jasper, Indiana which is a small Southwestern Indiana town in Dubois County. There are so many special places in our little community that I love, but Fire Horse Yoga is obviously my favorite. If you’re with me after a yoga class at the studio, we’d be heading over to my friend, Barry, for a coffee from his food truck or Midwest Cafe for an Americano and muffin. The Jasper town square has so many great little shops and the loveliest riverwalk if we stick to town, but I’d have to squeeze in a trip to my farm about 15 minutes from the studio to visit my horses and dogs — and maybe get in a trail ride, too!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I owe a world of gratitude to so many people for the success of this little studio. My husband has supported me every step of the way. He acts as my business manager and maintenance man and is my voice of reason when I’m doubting myself. Danni, my Studio Coordinator, for falling in love with Fire Horse Yoga as much as I did nearly 7 years ago. My friends who lend their ears when I need it, my mom who caters to my ever-changing schedule by being on call to watch my daughters when I need to teach or be at the studio, my landlord for helping us create such a beautiful space in our historic building and believing in my business, every single student and member for supporting us and committing to their practice, and the teaching staff for helping me keep a full 7-day/week schedule of classes and workshops.

Website: www.firehorseyoga.com

Instagram: @firehorseyoga

Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/firehorseyoga

Facebook: @firehorseyoga

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/fire-horse-yoga-jasper

Other: https://firehorseyoga.punchpass.com/