Today we’d like to introduce you to Tess Cao
Hi Tess, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Our journey with LXRYOGA started almost 5 years ago, a few months before the pandemic.. talk about great timing!
We had to shut down completely for the pandemic (2020). During that period, we had extra time on our hands so we decided to get a pet, and decided on a ball python. We’ve always talked about how it’ll be cool to do snake yoga one day! We got our second snake a year after, and kept adding on.. we now have 8 pet snakes!
We operate in a 2 story building & our main yoga space where we promote breath & movement is upstairs. Our first floor has basically been our break room for almost 5 years. Imagine paying rent for a huge space in Costa Mesa/Newport and not utilizing it!
We had many people come to us with business collaboration ideas—even had an investor wanting to franchise LXRYOGA early on.. but at the end of the day, we felt that none of that aligned with us since we are very protective of what we bring to our community. It’s obvious to our LXR family that we’re not in it for the money.
We just recently turned our first floor into our dream break/snake room; as small businesses owners, we spend most of our days here & now are so happy to have a few of our snake babies with us. We handle all of our snakes about 3 times a week for ~15 mins, or sometimes they’ll have enrichment time with new friends a few times a week.
It gives us some exposure which will help keep our doors open to provide space for our community.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been a little over 3 months since we went live with our snake yoga experience & we are completely blown away by all the love from near & far—from connecting with amazing people all over Cali, out of state, even country to being featured all over the news. Our hearts have always been full with our LXRYOGA community & this LXRPYTHONS venture is definitely a cherry on top.
We know that introducing such a unique offering to the world can lead to different opinions & we totally get it! Some will say a jalapeño is sour before even taking a bite. Our snake yoga is something you have to experience first hand to really understand! Some might say our offering is a “gimmick like other animal-incorporated yoga” & we have no say since we’ve never experienced those ourselves, but we truly believe in what we offer. In a regular yoga practice, sometimes our minds shift and our thoughts wander. With snake yoga, we are holding a live animal, so it helps us stay fully present in our practice.
Some may take our class for fun, some are curious about snakes, & some really want to overcome their fear of snakes. But what matters most is we’ve seen everyone leave feeling empowered, along with a new perspective & appreciation for snakes (not to mention, many want their very own snake after their experience)!
We want to continue to educate & help individuals unlearn everything they thought they knew about snakes.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We own an infrared heated yoga studio called LXRYOGA. LXRYOGA brings luxury to where you least expect it. We understand there is nothing “luxurious” about the yoga practice itself. With LXRYOGA, we represent the feeling you experience when you give yourself the gift of renewal physically, mentally, and spiritually. Give your mind, body, and soul the luxury of yoga; that amazing feeling carries along with you and everyone around you.
The yoga practice has brought immense positivity and genuine self-growth into each of our lives throughout the years; we feel it is only right to share that feeling with the world. The yoga community has given us the luxury of physical, mental, and spiritual health, a gift we strive to give back to the community.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
LXRYOGA was a passion project that we created to give back to the community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lxryoga.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lxrpythons
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/lxryoga
