Collider is dedicated to sharing the stories of entrepreneurs and small business owners in Rochester! We recently chatted with Anthony Williams, who is passionate about sharing the practice of yoga with others and opened Radiant Sōl Yoga Studio in Rochester in 2018

For Anthony Williams of Radiant Sōl Yoga Studio, owning a business and teaching yoga classes has less to do with entrepreneurship and making a living, and much more to do with sharing the practice that saved his life.

Anthony was born and raised in Germany and moved to Arizona at the age of 16, where he struggled for many years with alcoholism and substance abuse. In an effort to change his life and escape his problems, Anthony eventually moved to Rochester, where he initially considered becoming a police officer.

“No matter where you go, there you are,” Anthony said. “I was running from myself and I ended up here doing the same things I was doing in Arizona. At the time, I still hadn’t figured out that what had to change was internal, not connected to my surroundings.”

Anthony looked into classes at Rochester Community and Technical College related to his desire to pursue a career in law enforcement. At the same time, while at his local gym, Anthony noticed a yoga class on the class schedule. Out of curiosity, he attended.

“I went into the class and got on the mat. At the end of that class, I was completely disoriented. I forgot my locker number and where I had parked my car. I was experiencing a moment of intense clarity where I realized that yoga was what my life was missing. I didn’t immediately know I wanted to become a teacher, but I knew there was something there that I felt deeply called to investigate.”

That class at Anthony’s local gym started what has now been seventeen years of practicing and learning about yoga.

“A couple of months into my physical practice with yoga, I literally began trading my alcoholism for yoga-holoism,” Anthony explained with a laugh. “At the time I was welding for work, attending school for law enforcement, and going to a health and wellness center in the twin cities as much as I could for yoga classes.”

Not long after, his yoga teacher asked him if he had any interest in teaching yoga himself.

“My immediate response was, ‘Oh, that’s ridiculous,’” Anthony said. “But she planted a seed of curiosity and I started considering the possibility.”

Anthony went on to change his career path by acquiring his yoga teacher certification and teaching at Breathe Yoga Studios, where he would continue teaching for the next eight years. He also continued his education through additional yoga teacher training and education on wellness, breathing practices, and mindfulness practices.

Although Anthony has pursued education in yoga, for him, it isn’t about scholastics and credentials.

“This is about so much more than being able to say you completed 200 or 10,000 hours of training; a piece of paper doesn’t mean much to me. In my personal journey, I’ve pursued a deep practice of internal awareness. I’m trying to both learn and teach a lifestyle and practice that will help both myself and others become more aware of what is hindering us and learning how to get unstuck in our lives through yoga.”

When Breathe Yoga Studios closed, Anthony had a decision to make.

“At that moment I was faced with a choice. Whether to go find a new studio to work for, spread myself thin teaching at several different places, or build my own business. I never had the desire or intention of being an entrepreneur or starting a business. But, in my mind, it was the door to freedom and the ability to teach what I wanted and run a studio that conveyed my beliefs about the practice.”

Anthony and his wife began exploring the idea further, looking at spaces, and determining whether the jump was financially feasible. In 2018, they moved forward and opened Radiant Sōl Yoga Studio, where they now have two additional teachers and predominantly offer vinyasa, hot, and yin yoga classes.

“Hot yoga is one of my favorite practices because of the way that it pushes your mind to handle challenging situations. On one hand, during the practice, you can say ‘It's so hot. My heart is beating so fast, I can't breathe,’ or you can sit in it, take a deep breath and move through it. This practice can teach us a lot about managing discomfort in our daily lives. You can take a deep breath, or freak out. You have a choice. We don't always get to choose our circumstances, but we do have the opportunity to choose how we respond to difficult moments,” Anthony explained.

Anthony is grateful that other than challenges faced during the pandemic, that things have gone smoothly for the studio since opening.

“It has been a huge affirmation that we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing.”

Anthony continues to work a part time job outside of the studio on the weekends, but looks forward to a time when he can teach full time. He also hopes that the future holds opportunities to expand the studio into a larger space or to join a wellness center to serve more people.

As a word of advice to others considering business ownership Anthony said, “Trust yourself. There will be a lot of opinions and advice coming your way telling you to do things one way or another. Advice can be valuable, but be careful to continue listening to yourself and your intentions for what you’re creating.”

Outside of teaching and his work, Anthony finds joy in nature, swimming, playing music, poetry, skateboarding, deepening his spiritual practice, mala creation, and spending time in stillness and meditation.”

He concluded, “In my heart, yoga is less about a yoga mat and more about your state of consciousness and what we can discover about ourselves through the practice. It is such a brilliant gift to help people see through a more commercialized version of yoga, and instead find the joy in turning inward. It’s an honor to see things beautifully unfolding.”

Thank you for taking the time to read Anthony’s story! If you find value in this content, please consider donating to help Collider continue amplifying the voices of Rochester entrepreneurs. You can also learn more about Radiant Sōl Yoga Studio by clicking the link below.

Radiant Sōl Yoga Studio

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Article by Corrie Strommen, Director of Communications at Collider.