Abraham Iwazian’s goal is very simple.
“I just want to make people happy,” said the 56-year-old businessman and owner of the soon-to-open Yoga 4U on Brand Boulevard. “There are a lot of misconceptions about yoga, and I want to clear them up.”
In fashioning his new Yoga studio as the everyman’s workout, Iwazian said he hopes to lure customers with greater alacrity than the previous tenants of 333 1/2 N. Brand Blvd., which have included a clothing, chocolate and flower shop.
That could be complicated by the $7,500-a-month rent and lofty goals that Iwazian holds for the 2,500-square-foot space that is set to have a late July opening.
Prices for yoga classes run from $15 for a single class and up to $205 for a package of 20 classes.
Customers can also purchase an unlimited package of yoga classes for $50 per month when they sign a one-year contract, Iwazian said.
Classes for families will also be offered, an idea that has ignited the interest of 9-year-old Gary Ayvazian.
The third-grader said he would take yoga classes when the studio opens, which would make Gary the first of his friends to do so.
“They all know what it is, but they’ve never done it,” he said. “I like it because I’ll get flexible, and my fatness will go down. It’s good for the body and good for the mind.”
Gary’s sentiments coincide with Iwazian’s basic premise: Yoga should be open to all ages and economic groups.
“You don’t have to be rich to do yoga,” Iwazian said. “I wanted to be in the middle of everything. But I’m not looking for big money.”
Iwazian’s journey to yoga started more than 40 years ago, after an injury to his left leg left him hobbled and achy. Subsequent misdiagnoses from doctors and heavy doses of painkillers failed to fix the ailment, which later contributed to back and neck problems.
Though he does not consider himself homeopathic, Iwazian said taking pills and following the strict orders of doctors who advised rest and relaxation was not the best path to recovery.
“I couldn’t get better, so I started to take yoga,” he said. “That was the only thing that helped me.”
Four years ago, the Lebanon-born Iwazian began to cull donors and file the necessary paperwork with the city to open the studio. He recently signed a seven-year lease and will pay $3 per square foot in the rectangular lot.
