"Mark was at the juice bar drinking wheat grass and I thought - Healthy Person. I need to talk to him," Anna Ferguson remembers. One smoothie later, she and Mark Stroud became business partners making 'World Peace' their occupation.
Anna dreamed of opening a yoga studio and vegan restaurant that embodied yoga philosophy. She and her new partner found a space in the gaslight district and began holding yoga classes and study groups.
"The World Peace Diet study groups are almost like a support group - people can come and feel like they're not such a freak!" she says. Mark adds, "Or they can come and be with other freaks."
The study group, which meets every other Monday and includes a bounteous vegan potluck combined with a discussion of The World Peace Diet by Will Tuttle, is home to even more non-vegans than vegans. The conversation is non-judgmental, with World Peace at its very core from sound to taste. The community that is formed in the study groups, the potlucks, and the yoga classes is exactly what Anna and Mark feel is raising the collective consciousness of not just the studio, but the city itself.
"We want to involve entire families. That's why we have prenatal, postnatal, and children's yoga, as well as adult yoga, because nothing gets done without the support of others around you," Anna says.
That sense of community has become both their business model for
World Peace Yoga and Motion and a practical strategy for accomplishing their current renovations. Mark and Anna have created an environment of giving and gratitude, and as they give to their students, the students are willing to give back to the studio by helping with construction and planning the opening. Renovating with eco-friendly materials like recycled blue jean insulation, cork flooring with non-toxic cashew based sealer, and non-toxic vegan floor glue, the studio is unique in its intention to make everything friendly toward our bodies and toward the earth as well.
"What I'm most excited about is having a space to practice yoga that is indoors and emulates a natural outdoor setting," Anna says.
The renovations will include two studios in the upstairs and a vegan restaurant downstairs with everything from spicy field greens salad with vegetable and herb cheese, to sushi, pizza, enchiladas, and lemon cheesecake - all vegan. The classes will include yoga for every age, and vegan cooking classes as well.
"Our dream is creating a spiritual Urban Village, a place to retreat within the city to connect with nature, recharge and get grounded in spirituality," Anna says. In addition to the studio and restaurant, the 'Village' would include a juice bar, environmentally and ethically conscious retail, live music and more.
As Anna and Mark renovated the space, they rediscovered their own teachings which are the pillars of the studio. "What we teach as a practical way toward world peace is mindfulness. We mindfully chose only non-toxic, vegan materials, even if it was a big price difference. We use every opportunity to give back to the earth," Mark says.
For more info on the June Grand Opening of the newly eco-renovated World Peace Yoga and Motion Studio and the future World Peace Jubilee Restaurant, visit
here.
Writer: Alison Vodnoy
Photography by Scott Beseler
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