Lola Scarborough

Tell us about yourself and your yoga journey.

I have been doing yoga for 27 years now. When I first started, I was doing it for my own education. I had no clue that I was going to one day own a yoga studio. When my family first moved to League City, owning my own studio was a retirement dream and I had all these plans about how it was going to be a slow build and a non-profit. But when Hurricane Ike came and the recession hit and I lost my job, my husband and I decided it was time to throw all our effort into building our wellness and yoga practice, the Health Hut. It’s been about 15 years now and I continue to add to my education and develop who I am so I can offer more to the community and my business practice. I have a 500-hour certification in yoga teaching while my husband is currently at 200 hours. He teaches with me here at the Health Hut. I’ve also recently opened a crystal shop at our center. We sell jewelry, crystals, sage, metaphysical cleansing supplies, elixirs, candles, and many other items to fit people’s needs.

What do you offer at the Health Hut?

We offer many things for many individuals. We serve the community not only through yoga, but wellness and health offerings as well. We’ve done yoga teacher trainings here for six years. I offer energy mastery courses like Reiki, which is a type of healing practice through the laying of hands. I work with people using a modality called Ayurveda, which is the health system of India. It works intensively with herbals, yoga, breathing, and food and lifestyle changes, so that people can optimize their health. I actually studied this practice in India.

What would you say to those who are interested in starting yoga?

The first thing I would tell people is if you try a class and don’t like it, try it a couple more times. It feels very unfamiliar at first to people. Yoga teaches you how to live in your body and where the different muscles, bones, tendons, and balance are in your body. That can be intimidating sometimes. The thing about the beginner’s journey is sticking with it. If you don’t like the type of yoga after 4-5 classes, go try another type of yoga. It’s kind of like Baskin Robbins, where there are 31 flavors or more of yoga. Don’t give up and keep looking, because it’s worth it when you find the right one for you.

Is the Health Hut your only business?

I co-own the Art, Movement and Life Skills Academy with my business partner and friend, Rachael Maly. I met Rachael through my Teachers Training Program, and we felt a synergy right away. She is very art-oriented, having come from the public schools as an art teacher, while I am more business-oriented because of my corporate background. Ours skills meshed beautifully to bring something impactful in the community for youth 8-18 through life skills and creativity. We do a lot of teaching, like manners, time management, and cooperation instead of competition. We hope to take our programs into middle and high schools.

What is something that you’re passionate about?

Animals! I am a big animal advocate. I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 20 years old, and I do a lot to help promote animal welfare. I work behind the scenes with organizations and groups that rescue animals.