Sonya Patel

 

Founder of Zenworks Yoga

 

by Tionna Patrick, crew 3

 

 

Do you know that yoga is the most relaxing activity? It takes pressure and stress off your mind.  This is what Sonya Bapna Patel, 31, is trying to spread across Cleveland though her business, Zenworks Yoga.

 

Patel’s parents moved to the United States in their 20s, and she was born here in Solon, Ohio. When Patel was younger, she wanted to run her own company. She went to New York University and upon graduation was accepted into Teach for America. Patel first became interested in creating Zenworks Yoga when she was a teacher in New York City. Sonya saw kids who were really stressed out and nervous. “While working with my students, I noticed that they were very over stimulated and stressed whether the pressure it be from the pressure at home or other environments,” she explained. When Patel got married and moved back to Cleveland, she started Zenworks Yoga to bring yoga to Cleveland classrooms.

 

As the CEO and founder of Zenworks Yoga, Patel has many responsibilities, like finding and paying instructors. She also markets the program and does fundraising as well. The hardest part of her job is that “the work never ends. You have to do everything,” she said. The best part of Patel’s job is when she gets feedback from the kids on how much they like the classes. Patel’s business is successful and growing. The way she gets help to teach yoga classes is by referrals from other instructors. Zenworks has hosted yoga classes in different places such as preschools, local libraries, Girl Scouts, the YWCA, and lastly the Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland. Also Zenworks went to The Intergenerational School for eight weeks.

 

Patel enjoys doing yoga with her daughter, Layla, who is two years old. She also has been doing yoga for a long time. Patel explained, “I have been doing yoga since I was younger and started doing it more regularly the past few years.” Her favorite pose is savasana. To her, one thing that makes a good yoga class is people who make it fun. Patel said she is different now because she is more mature and has better focus. Also better time management and organization skills help her be a good CEO because she makes plans for want she have done each day. At the end of it, Patel said she is the same daring and courageous person she was when she was younger.

 

In 10 years Patel hopes to be with Zenworks Yoga, but she also want to own her own restaurant. One idea she has is opening up a vegetarian and gluten-free restaurant. Patel loves baking, so she would love selling her goods. Patel had many challenges she had overcome in order to achieve her passion. Her advice for kids is “Dream big and don’t be afraid to get rejected. If you work hard enough you will get there!” She took her own advice to follow her dreams and started her own company that is benefiting kids across Cleveland.