Today we’d like to introduce you to Clare Crowley.
Clare, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The idea of Yoga House was birthed in the summer of 2015 during the construction of Haymarket Brewery’s Taproom, our Michigan Location, I am part owner along with my husband in Haymarket Brewing in the West Loop.
I had recently left a busy career in film production and followed my true love, competitive boxing. In 2014, I became a Golden Glove Champion and a yoga teacher (I’ve had a pretty solid practice since 2001.
During the 2 years of construction of Haymarket’s Michigan location and spending weeks splitting time between Chicago and Michigan, I discovered a peace, wholeness and connection to while hiking miles of dunes and country side with my beloved pitfall BlueSky, that I have never felt before. A seed was planted, this is my medicine, this is BlueSky’s medicine. One day in August, I thought, “I should rent a store front and see if anyone would come to a yoga class. I could pay for the rent with the money I made teaching in Chicago, if it’s a bust, I’ll have a cute little store front to dream out of.”
My Michigan realtor, Dan Brake and I connected instantly and looked at all kinds of properties. He picked me up one day and said, “I want to show you this property, you won’t like it but its right next door to where I live. This house has been on the market for years. Think if Marilyn Manson and Tim Burton built a house together…”
This house had 14 acres of land, a disco floor and 2 lions at the front entrance. This “lion house” showed me the yoga bed and breakfast image immediately. I saw instantly, clients from Chicago coming to stay, getting customized yoga classes, enjoying the property, eating foods harvested from the grounds, a refuge from city life. I knew this “lion house” was for me, instantly. When I box, I channel the lioness. Lions are a huge inspiration to my weird little soul, even tattooed them on my forearm.
I like to describe “lion house” as the hot boyfriend that my family and friends hated. So much “potential, so cool, he has lions and a dance floor with a disco ball…” Looking back now, it would have cost us millions and years to get that house ready. I put a bid on the “lion house” and did not get it.
I went back to Chicago and thought “that was so stupid, who would want to come to a yoga bed & breakfast?’
Ten days went by and a loud voice popped into my head, “I WANT TO STAY AT A YOGA BED & BREAKFAST EVERYWHERE I GO!” I went on Zillow and found the home of Yoga House International that day. I borrowed money from my mom and closed on the property in November of 2015.
Great, 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?
Owning a house and maintaining 14.5 acres of land is challenging in itself. We do not have a full-time staff as this work requires a high vibration and I’m super picky about the type of energy that comes onto the property.
The website!!!! Anyone into an energy exchange 🙂
I’ve struggled with pricing. As of now, pricing is half what I’d like it to be. Once the stables and horses are in. I’ll have the confidence and complete need to raise pricing.
Getting the farm together. It is hard to manage the farm life and people life.
I am mostly a one woman show so I have to be careful not to overbook or take on too much. My love affair comes with sharing the love of nature and food connection to my being. Sharing this connection requires me to actually live it and nourish it more days than I can share it. Keeping up with the day to day maintenance of the farm and house, caring for guests and finding time to give back to myself has been an interesting dance. Sometimes I flow, sometimes I fail.
When I am flowing all is flowing here.
Please tell us about Yoga House International.
Yoga House International is a 5 bedroom 3.5 bath house, sitting on 14.5 acres of lush wooded farm lands with a river running right through it. The main living space is a yoga studio and the downstairs den is my Reiki studio for treating patients. We have a hot tub and large fire pit that is used year round.
Our barn is currently home to ducks, chickens and cats, we are in the process of putting in fencing and a corral to welcome horses, goats, pigs and donkeys (coming late 2018-early 2019).
We cook all organic meals, most of which comes from the property. I speak and correspond with each guest before they check in, so every stay is unique to the healing needs of each guest even within a group. I listen to your lifestyle, eating preferences and where you may be feeling stuck then set out on creating your stay.
My yoga training comes from Como, Italy where I travel to multiple times a year, often bringing groups with me. I am a lifetime student of freedom of the mind and wellness of the body, raising the vibration of the self in turn the planet. I am a Reiki healer and continue to study energy healing and wellness. I believe in the healing powers of movement. Food, rest, nature and love sharing all of the tools that provide an opening and awareness in the spirit.
Added bonus, we give private VIP tours/tasting of Haymarket taproom. Balance right? A sweat inducing hike through miles and miles of sand dunes and lake side forests followed by a handcrafted beer made by my husband, Pete Crowley.
Yoga House is my personal dream way of living, I live in a yoga studio on a dreamy wooded property. We walk it like we talk it around here. I feel so lucky and called to share this lifestyle to all are seeking freedom within themselves.
I believe we all become a little stuck and that this free way of being exists just outside of the limitations of our minds. Using the knowledge, lessons and leaning on my own teachers from all over the world, I specialize in listening to the stories of those seeking freedom and then holding a nurturing space to nourish those ready to explore life on the other side.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Oh my gosh, so many of them. The first one that pops up is life with my bestie Cory Dolton in Iowa City. Cory lived across the alley from me and every day in the summer. I’d put on my favorite bathing suit and roller skates and head to Cory’s back door. Cory would be dressed and ready in her finest swimsuit and roller skates laced up. We would hit the streets and not return until we heard someone screaming for us to come in for dinner. Were 4-7 years old! Times were different then.
Pricing:
- $650 2/nights
- $850 3/nights
- $550 starting to bring our services to your location
Contact Info:
- Address: 1878 Marrs Rd
Stevensville, MI 49127 - Website: www.yogahouseinternational.com
- Phone: 312-968-1979
- Email: create@yogahouseinternational.com, clare@yogahouse.us
- Instagram: @yogahouse_international
- Facebook: Yoga House on Moon Acres
Image Credit:
Rose Kaz, Mattia Vacca, Maggie Rife Ponce
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