The Five Points neighborhood on the city’s West Side continues to blossom. This time it’s due to Evolation Yoga opening in its new home at 476 Rhode Island Street (learn more).
Owner of Evolation Yoga, David Drost, formerly ran The Icon back in the day. After his days in the Buffalo music and nightclub business, Drost transitioned into the restaurant world, living in NYC, San Francisco, and Maine.
David returned to Buffalo 15 years ago to join up with Evolation Yoga, which had just opened at the corner of Elmwood and West Ferry. After a successful stint at that location, the yoga studio ended up moving to the corner of Elmwood and Delavan, where it has been offering classes for eight years. “We finally outgrew the space,” David told me. “This new location will allow us to grow in the short term, with room for events… we’re almost doubling our size. We will also have room to expand our offerings down the road. We started off with hot and warm practice as our base, then added vinyasa. Now, thanks to the wheelchair access, we will be able to offer gentle and restorative yoga. We are a well rounded and balanced practice that offers several different types of traditions in the studio, which makes us unique. There is such a rich yoga community here in Buffalo, and we all work together, which is also unique.”
Not only will the Evolation students benefit from this move to a historic building with plenty of natural light and vaulting ceilings, the instructors will also benefit. “We will be able to offer a better foundation for teachers,” said David. “The expanded space allows us to broaden our base of trainings. We will be bringing students from all over the world for the programs that we offer. When those students arrive, they will find a home built with wood that was reclaimed from the old floor joists, custom milled flooring elements, oversized sliding glass doors and transom windows that allow us to open the space even further, and a basement with a light-well, a lounge, changing rooms, showers and bathrooms… there is also an ADA compliant bathroom and shower on the first floor.”
Basically, with this move, David got everything that he needed, and then some. After years of living a hectic lifestyle in the nightclub and restaurant industry, he has now discovered his own inner peace. “Yoga is about restoring the human anatomy,” he reflected. “For me, this is a sustainable lifestyle. When I first walked into this building, and I saw the five square window openings that were just above mirror height, I knew that this was the place where I needed to be. We loved being on Elmwood for years, but we’re just as excited to be in this new neighborhood.
Although David does own Evolation Yoga Buffalo, the practice is also a cog in an even larger national wheel. The studio is part of a collective that offers crucial assistance for growth via a strong brand and support structure. For David, that is a big help that allows him to concentrate on what’s really important – the spiritual and physical health and wellness of his students.
Evolation Yoga will close on Elmwood on September 18. The next day – September 19 – the studio will be up and running in its new home on the West Side.
Evolation Yoga Buffalo | 476 Rhode Island Street | Buffalo NY | (716) 882-4151 | Facebook