Name:
Mahri Relin
Company:
Body Conceptions by Mahri Ltd
Contact info:
website: www.bodyconceptions.com, email: mahri@bodyconceptions.com
How many years have you been in business in NYC?
I have owned Body Conceptions for 4 1/2 years, have been in the fitness industry for 7 years, and have danced in the city for 12 years.
How did you get your start and what was your initial inspiration?
Dance and music are my true passions, and I was so happy to be able to perform in musical theater for so long and in such amazing venues throughout the world. (I started dancing at my local library when I was five years old.) In a wonderful coincidence, I was invited to audition for the Tracy Anderson Method right when I decided I didn’t want to travel for theater as much anymore. I was so inspired by the way she combined dance with fitness in an effective and creative way and was hooked immediately.
What do you feel differentiates you from others in your field?
There are several big and little things that differentiate me. On a cultural level, I started the company with a mission to serve clients in a superior and deeply personal way, while also empowering each one of my instructors. I want my company and clients to feel as happy and supported as possible. I also worked to develop a method that was accessible to anyone (not just dancers!) and was safe, effective, and very fun. I am extremely alignment-based — and so proud to have one of the lowest injury rates I have ever seen in the industry.
We are also a company that specializes in pre- and postnatal fitness. Every instructor has either national prenatal certification or specialized prenatal training in our method. I always thought it was important to understand fitness during pregnancy since we work with so many women from the moment they start preparing for their weddings through their 2nd and 3rd babies and beyond!
What do you feel gives you longevity in this big city with so many options?
To me, integrity, consistency, caring, and quality are some of the most important qualities that define you and also keep you around for the long haul. I care about each and every person who comes through our doors (instructor or client!), and I want my studio to be a place where people love to be.
We do several challenges a year, and we measure everyone’s progress on a weekly basis. I am consistently amazed by the changes people experience and the progress they all see from beginning to end. This is a workout that works amazingly well and that achieves a physique that’s long, lean and sculpted like a dancer. These results are undeniable, and they also keep our clients coming back for more for a long time.
How do you positively impact your clientele?
You’d probably want to ask them!! Oh boy - I’d like to think it’s my deep passion for the work I do and the level to which I care about their lives and the progress they make with their bodies. I want my clients to feel excited by the experience, hear the best music all the time, and get the results they want. And I hope that my involvement with their lives helps support them to choose a healthier and more balanced lifestyle.
What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part is connecting with people and helping to make them happier and healthier. I want to help people feel better about themselves from a place of balance, strength and support - not deprivation or self-punishment. When I see people truly excited and proud of how far they’ve come, I couldn't feel happier for choosing this business.
What is your favorite secret NYC spot?
The path along the Northern edge of Inwood Park in Inwood where I can sit with my dog and look out over the Hudson River with a muffin and coffee from Indian Road Café.
How do you benefit mamas?
As I mentioned, we specialize in pre- and postnatal fitness. All of our instructors are certified and trained to adapt the method to pregnancy. I emphasize the importance of giving pregnant clients as much information as possible so that they feel very safe to put their experience in our hands. And amazingly, I have trained several women up until mere days before they give birth! Postnatally, we also know how to adapt our workouts to the healing process, and we are also skilled in addressing diastases and other postnatal conditions.
I have spent a lot of time connecting with the mommy community as a business, and we provide several classes during times that mothers can attend (like 9:30am during the week). I do mom-focused events (like our event coming up with Randi Zinn at The Studio at Athlete!), and we even host private classes for moms who can’t come to class during our regular times. Most of our private clients are also moms. It’s amazing how much it helps to have someone come to you rather than take those 2 extra hours to schlep back and forth to a fitness class in the city!
What is the most memorable feedback a client has given you?
I have a client who has known me for a long time. She is amazing in business, and she gives me great suggestions all the time. She said to me one time in the middle of a conversation, “Mahri, of course you know this method works.” It stopped me in my tracks. I had always thought I needed to keep pushing forward and forward and forward without really taking stock. This is a workout I do believe in completely. I need to go from that place of passion and belief in my work fundamentally, and realize that I can’t ever forget it moving forward into whatever happens next.
What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?
The best advice I ever received was from a fellow student in my neuropsychology graduate program (years ago!). She said, “Mahri, nothing in this world is too difficult.” Ok, I will never win Olympic diving competitions no matter how hard I try, but her words had a profound impact on me. Once you take doubt and fear out of the equation, there is SO much more we can accomplish than we ever imagined. Who would have thought that a bookish dancing artist from Cape Cod could have ever run her own fitness business in New York City??
As moms, the day can escape us, what is your best time-saving trick?
Combine workout moments with mommy moments. Do sit-ups next to your baby on the play mat. Run with your baby in the stroller. Use nap time to fit in a quick fitness video. (It will actually give you more energy than taking a quick nap!) Use quick opportunities to run errands as your chance to jog from place to place and perhaps take the long way home. Exercise does not have to be done all at once. It can be broken up throughout the day.