"You can't gloat when you're at the crest."

Poking around Pacific Heights this weekend, I came across "The New Fillmore," a new neighborhood newsletter.


The paper's coverage of restaurant closures and falling home prices makes it apparent that even the city's poshest neighborhood hasn't been immune to the economic downturn-- but there were also bits of optimism and inspiration to be found. I especially liked the Q&A with Brian Monnier of The California Yoga Company.

Some excerpts:

On recently changing the name of his studio from Yogic Motion to The California Yoga Company:

Frankly, one thing that prompted that change was that no one could say Yogic Motion. So it became like a rock band with a bad name. I wanted a name that reflects the neighborhood-- I’m on California Street, after all. And the new name is not as adolescent, which is a better reflection of me being more experienced in business and my clients becoming more experienced in yoga.

On doing business in San Francisco:

There have been times when I considered moving to a cheaper area of the country and starting anew. But every time, my customers suddenly would rally and turn everything around.

His zen outlook on the recession:

After being in business for five years, I don’t get as freaked out as I used to. Now I just keep remembering what the great teacher Bikram said when I took a class from him many years ago: "Life is like waves in the ocean. You can’t gloat when you’re at the crest, since a downturn is sure to come. But when you’re at the bottom, you can look forward to the next upward surge."

Photo from The California Yoga Company's website, http://www.yogicmotion.com/