Natasha Ivantsova is a force. She has a confident grace and an obvious heart that make you instantly love, respect, and feel safe with her. She is equal parts compassion for others and passion for her business: Glow Yoga and Wellness.
Whether you are taking to the mat at an advanced level or need to literally take to the mat in child’s pose for the duration of class, Glow is a space for healing and community—not judgment and competitiveness. It's a one-stop shop for wellness, focusing on sustainable fitness for everyone through yoga classes, pilates, resistance training, and meditation, as well as workshops and offsite retreats, corporate wellness for local businesses, and spa offerings like massage, facials, red light therapy, and reiki.
“Glow is like how I feel after I come from a yoga class," says Ivantsova with a smile. "It's this soulful feeling from the inside, like your heart is renewed and your cheeks are rosy because it was a hard class. It's like that glowing way.”
The serene lobby of Glow Yoga and Wellness(Courtesy of Glow Yoga and Wellness)
Ivantsova is the modern embodiment of the American dream. Born in Belarus, in a small town near Minsk, the self-proclaimed “village girl” has followed the flow of her life, letting her work ethic, ambition, and quest for independence guide her to this country and to what she refers to as the “gorgeous bubble of serenity” that is Glow.
Her journey to get here was pure chance—a Green Card lottery she won while studying in Ireland. “Anyone can play from around the world," Ivantsova explains. "The [Diversity Immigrant Visa] program allows the United States to diversify their population by letting people from other countries come and participate in the economy."
It was the fresh, foggy air and the palm trees along the Embarcadero that sold Ivantsova on settling in San Francisco. Determined to improve her English, she enrolled in classes at City College and got a job working the floor at CompUSA. Within six months, she was promoted to their business services department, and soon went to work at an investment company.
When Ivantsova began having chronic neck pain, her chiropractor suggested she try yoga and pilates. Six months later, the treatment was working but traveling across the city to attend yoga in the Mission or pilates in the Marina was exhausting. Tired of running around the city for classes and perplexed by the lack of studio offerings at the time around the Embarcadero, Downtown, and North Beach, Ivantsova began cold-calling studios, encouraging them to open in the area. When no one was interested, she decided to do it herself.
Natasha Ivantsova, founder of Glow Yoga and Wellness(Courtesy of Glow Yoga and Wellness)
“When you are young, you have this attitude of ‘It helped me. It is going to help everybody,'" she says. “When I started feeling better, I was like, this is my mission now—to help other people feel better, too.”
She got her yoga teacher's certificate and, armed with her education and a business plan, she went seeking a small business loan to open the studio. The bank said no. Ivantsova was surprised but undeterred. She sought advice from the Small Business Administration and found a way through.
“I am telling you, when you are in the state of flow, when you believe everything is possible—even if it is a naive belief—if you know you can do it, you can do it! Somehow, you will find a way,” Ivantsova says. “I had the belief and the blessing of the naiveté of an immigrant that this was possible, because this is America.”
Glow Yoga and Wellness opened in March 2011, and it has been a place where welcome and wellness have coexisted ever since. “I wanted to offer spiritual yoga for all ages, a place that welcomed all levels so that everyone was included,” Ivantsova says—a commitment to access that includes offering free memberships in exchange for volunteer shifts and a 20 percent discount for anyone who makes less than $90,000 a year.
A class at Glow's studio in North Beach(Courtesy of Glow Yoga and Wellness)
“Everybody can come and do self-care. There's no way you're not able to. I've never, ever turned anyone away in 14 years who could not afford it. I will find a task for you,” she says. The studio also offers a variety of workshops and events that allow outside professionals in the wellness sphere to speak, inform, and inspire, "helping other small businesses and our students to find different ways to take care of themselves."
According to Ivantsova, the hard work put in during classes is not only about perfecting a pose or simply getting better at yoga or pilates—it is meant to be taken off the mat, outside of the studio, and into the world. "That's the whole point of self-care," she says. She facilitates it by organizing everything from painting parties, salsa dance classes, and city jazz bars to kayak trips in Jenner, and icy breathwork done under the aurora borealis in Fairbanks, Alaska.
“After retreats, everybody's so much closer. Like now you’ve actually made a friend—not just five minutes here and five minutes there after class. Stepping away from Glow, from the city—it's so good for you,” she says.
A corporate wellness class with Glow(Courtesy of Glow Yoga and Wellness)
With her family across the world, Ivantsova knows the importance of meaningful friendships and community. She has found that through Glow. Ascending the stairs to the studio, the walls of which are dotted with inspirational quotes and positive affirmations, you just know you are headed somewhere good. The studio smells of incense and radiates positivity and light—it's an enclave of calm in a busy part of the city.
“This is the place that I created, and it keeps feeding me with love. I just feel so much care here,” Ivantsova says. “I no longer feel lonely because I have this space. It's my little home. I love everybody I work with, and I'm so inspired by the people who come to Glow.”
// 1548 Stockton St. (North Beach), glowyogasf.com
