Mystical nudge spurs resident to teach yoga

Word to the cosmos -- Gayla Coughlin can take a hint.

The 38-year-old Centennial Hills resident watched last year as the stars aligned and she was propelled into the world of small-business owner. Job loss, prime reality and a void for boutique fitness studios near her home coincided around the time for the certified medical masseuse .

"It was like the universe took me, drop-kicked me and said, 'Go,' " Coughlin said.

Back in the Las Vegas stratosphere, Coughlin opened Namaste Yoga Studio, 7240 W. Azure Drive , Suite 115 , in February . Classes range from various levels of yoga and vinyasa flow to Zumba cardio and aerobic fusions such as hot hula and piloxing , or Pilates and boxing.

Coughlin is in the process of obtaining the proper permits to perform massage and holistic healing such as lymphatic drainage and myofascial release. Five instructors, including Coughlin, lead classes and blend decades of experience, practicing fitness around the world.

Juggling tasks was an evolved skill for Coughlin. A longtime Las Vegan, Coughlin was a dealer on the Strip and later a pit boss. She worked in the corporate world before becoming a mother and healer.

Coughlin said she watched the rise and fall of the economy, namely in the storefronts at the business park where she'd later rent.

Her future 1,500-square-foot studio was a former karate dojo , unused for four years. She discovered it during trips to its neighboring Starbucks and nail salon.

"I looked at this and said, 'I am home,' " she said.

Her then-boss didn't liken to Coughlin's workplace excitement over her plans for the studio, she said. She was fired.

"That's what I mean when I say the universe just drop-kicked me," she said. "But it all happened at the right time."

Coughlin and her fiance, a certified yoga practitioner, set forth on creating a strategic business plan and online buzz. The duo sought input on schedules, class size, course diversity and more before opening the business' doors.

"I was getting calls before I got the keys," she said.

Coughlin pegs a client's comment, "I felt welcome before I even came," as a successful testament to their social media plan, she said.

The studio came equipped with large mirrors, retail space and an office.

It didn't take much for Coughlin to take the main room from red, white and blue dojo to calm and open space.

"I wanted to create the feel people have in their home," she said.

Namaste Yoga Studio has partnered with The Spirit Within U, 4780 W. Ann Road, Suite 4, a new-age gift shop, to sell its wares. The shop helped direct an audience during its pre-opening online push.

One pair of clients, Centennial Hills resident Pam Folle and her daughter Kimberly , 15, began yoga for the first time thanks to a warm reception by Coughlin and staff, Folle said.

"She just has a dynamic personality," she said. "Everybody is just so friendly and nice and really knows their stuff."

The mother-daughter duo took part in Zumba, piloxing -- a Pilates and boxing cardio hour -- and yoga in the first two weeks of their membership, Folle said.

"I had never taken yoga, and I fell out of the poses a few times, and Gayla just came and repositioned me," she said. "It wasn't intimidating, and everyone is so helpful. I'm just going to recommend it to everyone."

Coughlin hopes to add children's courses and host health workshops and expos with other Centennial Hills businesses. On a smaller scale, she hopes to erect a community board to highlight the goings on of her business park neighbors. Schedules of Namaste Yoga Studio courses are available in a bin near the front door.

But before her plans can take form, Coughlin hopes to foster a one-on-one connection with each client.

"I want to get to know every face and know their every ache and pain," she said, "a nd make those ails go away."

Membership is $40 a month for unlimited classes. Without membership, classes are $12 each. Zumba drop-in classes are $2 .

For more information, visit namaste
yogalasvegas.com or call 683-1872 .

Contact Centennial and North Las Vegas View reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@viewnews.com or 477-3839.