Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Grandinetti.
Hi Megan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am Megan, the founder of Sattva Center for Meditation in Downtown York, PA. I became a yoga teacher by accident. I went to law school, practiced law for 5 years, and realized I didn’t at all like what I was doing. I had been practicing yoga and finding myself through yoga, so I took a leave of absence from my law job to attend yoga teacher training to find myself and work on my practice. I never went back to my law career, and at some point, I fell absolutely in love with being a yoga teacher. I had a similar journey with learning massage and bodywork–I’ve learned various modalities for fun and curiosity, not because I wanted to become a massage therapist. But I fell in love with this type of work, too.
At some point, I knew I needed to open my own space. I had already been teaching yoga for 8 years at that point, at many different yoga studios, gyms, and private homes (including my own), but my students needed a home for our Ashtanga Yoga program. I opened Sattva’s doors in 2021, on a wing and a prayer that we would make it through our first year of paying rent.
I began Sattva with a vision of creating a different kind of yoga studio. One that people come to for various offerings, but all centered on one thing: finding themselves on a deeper level. Yoga can be many things, and it can touch people in many ways, but I wanted to draw people here who were interested in more than fitness or cool music or having a beer after class.
Over time, I also realized that it’s not just what’s offered a yoga studio that can change how people view yoga. It’s how you ask them to show up for it, and how your teachers are paid. With our Ashtanga Yoga program, we grew by asking people to join via a monthly membership (not dropping in for classes off and on). And I continue to ask new students to practice with me a few times a week for at least a month before moving on because it’s the commitment that really lets yoga do its magic. I realized that this model didn’t have to be exclusive to Ashtanga Yoga–we also decided to use this for our Qigong program, which is flourishing under the guidance of a close friend of mine. The payment piece is really important, too–I pay teachers a fair share of what their students bring in–not some small amount to compensate them for showing up. Do I make more money as a studio owner? Probably not. But what happens is that these other teachers are happy to be here, happy to build their offerings, and happy to receive appropriate compensation for their time and energy. And so on and so forth.
We do have one-off offerings, and ways for people to join classes from time to time at Sattva–but those offerings are part of what we already offer with our other programs: a space for people to explore themselves and their practices.
We are in a growth phase right now, and I am transitioning Sattva to a space with a larger (twice the size!) footprint. We will be changing our name to “Sattva Center for Movement and Healing” (because we have many types of movement now, not just yoga) and also because I am in process of forming a holistic wellness collective of folks that will practice alongside our movement space. I have an acupuncturist, a physical therapist, a massage therapist, and a holistic psychotherapist, among others, that will join me in this great endeavor. This is a really exciting time for Sattva!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being a brick-and-mortar business owner has definitely not been a smooth road. As someone who tends toward overwork, I spent the first couple of years working too many hours to make sure that Sattva could pay its bills (and also give me a small income). My massage business was our savior in the first couple of years because it was a steady source of income when class income wasn’t always consistent. At some point, I had to take a step back from doing as much, and it really was a blessing because it allowed other parts of Sattva (and other programs at Sattva) to flourish.
Another challenge as a sole business owner was the birth of my child in 2024. I had to somehow plan for maternity leave, save enough money for maternity leave, train people to take over in my absence, and then also figure out how to do it all again after I came back, exhausted and unsure of what life is supposed to look like after becoming a parent.
One of my students gave me a generous gift after my child was born–and I used that gift to hire an administrative assistant and marketing professional for Sattva for a trial period. This allowed me to offload some of the mental load and the work that I don’t enjoy onto her, so I could work on things I do enjoy (like working with the body and teaching yoga and planning this new collective!). And I’ve kept her on ever since, recognizing that I’d rather work a few extra client hours a month than do the work she is doing. Plus she is great at marketing and bringing new, fresh faces into our classes. I couldn’t be where I am without her help.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Sattva Center for Meditation & Yoga ?
Sattva was born from a clear vision: to create a space rooted in sincerity, breath, and steady practice — a place for those seeking depth, not performance.
We have, as our core offerings, Ashtanga Yoga, Yin Yoga, Meditation, and Qigong. I also offer private somatic bodywork and massage sessions, tailored to each person’s body and its needs.
What sets Sattva apart is experience. I only bring on experienced teachers and professionals, the ones that have been on their path for a long time, to share their offerings from their own in-depth experience. We don’t do yoga teacher training programs (which only churn out more inexperienced teachers) and we don’t offer a lot of different options because we want people who come here to be here because they want to be here and because they’re interested in learning from us. We are more like a school than a commercial yoga studio.
I am proud of where we started, I am proud of where we are, and I am proud of where we’re headed. I am proud that medical professionals regularly send their patients to me. I am proud that my students know their bodies and themselves well enough that they are able to take what they have learned on their mats and apply it in their everyday lives. I am proud that each day, I get to give someone a little more space to be themselves, to laugh and play and be silly and childlike, and to remember that they are more than what the world thinks they ought to be.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
As a child, I loved lying in and playing in the grass. I would lie in this one spot in my parents’ yard, a little blocked from the street and a little blocked from my siblings, and I would stare up at the sky with the earth underneath me. (I think this was my first exposure to meditation, without realizing it.)
I would pick grass and dandelions and do handstands and cartwheels. I would play and play and play in the grass until it was time to go inside. I can still feel the grass underneath me, the sun shining on me, and the sticky dandelions in my hands.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sattvayogayork.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sattvayogayork/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sattvayogayork
