Meet IMA Yoga, a yoga studio that once started as a small studio under the Modo Yoga brand from Montreal but has since flourished into a vibrant community, offering a welcoming space that feels like home to everyone. As the founder of IMA Yoga, Cleo Vo-Dai’s journey from a career in PR and marketing to becoming a leader in the yoga world is a testament to her passion for creating spaces that nurture both body and soul. Under Vo-Dai’s leadership, IMA Yoga embraces core values like kindness, presence, sustainability, and inclusivity. These principles guide everything from the studio’s design, using non-toxic materials, to its community outreach efforts. To learn more about Cleo Vo-Dai and IMA Yoga, read on.

Where are you based?
Miami

What inspired you to make the leap into the world of yoga and wellness and start your company IMA Yoga?
I was living in Miami, and it was such an amazing place that I felt inspired to contribute to the community. At first, I opened the studio under the brand Modo Yoga from my hometown Montreal. Seven years later, the community evolved and grew so much that it felt right to create my own brand.

How did your past marketing and PR experiences influence how you built and grew your yoga community?
I knew a wide range of people when I opened the studio, artists, businesspeople, world travelers, and locals. Ima Yoga became a place where everyone would not only come for a class, but also to gather, a true community.

What is the meaning behind the name of IMA Yoga?
Ima means mother in Arabic and Hebrew. It also means now in Japanese and magnet in Portuguese. It is especially meaningful to me since the studio opened the week my daughter was born. It also refers to the idea that students felt like the studio is their second home or home away from home, a little bit like mom’s house :-)

What does the concept of 'IMA' mean to you personally, and how do you incorporate these values into your studio’s practices?
We have guidelines for our community that reflect our culture.
-be kind
-Focus on the present
-protect the planet
-live to learn
-welcome all
-grow stronger

Mindfulness is a big part of what you offer through IMA Yoga. Could you share your top three mindfulness practices that everyone should incorporate into their daily routines?
Number one: when you come to practice, give yourself that hour completely. No phone, no smartwatch, stay present, you deserve it. Never skip savasana. Practice gratitude. It is very easy to focus on a half-empty cup, but we have so much to be thankful for. It is a good practice to be reminded of it daily.

You are deeply involved in philanthropy, hosting events and classes to support nonprofits like Little Lighthouse Foundation, Lotus House, and Global Empowerment Mission. What inspired you to initiate these events?
Honestly, the bulk of our work is inspiring people in our direct community to be good humans and do better. All the involvement that we have in these organizations is because someone knocked on our door and asked for help and we never say no.

What do you hope to achieve by working with these organizations?
Sometimes it feels like any charitable participation is a drop in the bucket, but our real goal is to change awareness and to change behavior. This is why we get involved.

Can you tell us more about your teacher training scholarship for BIPOC teachers? What impact do you hope this initiative will have on the yoga and wellness community?
So when we were under the umbrella of Modo Yoga, we would offer one full scholarship to the training of BIPOC aspiring teachers, hoping to bring some diversity to the yoga scene. We would like to continue this practice when we announce our first IMA training in the next month. In parallel, we are also working on a scholarship for single mothers.

In addition to your yoga practice, you have embraced a sustainable and conscious lifestyle. Can you tell us about some of your favorite sustainable beauty, cleaning, and lifestyle products that you use and recommend?
It is important to know the studio was constructed using nontoxic materials, even the paint.

We also use nontoxic cleaner and recycled and biodegradable material. For cleaning products, we make our own mixing benefits and essential oils with products like vinegar and baking soda.

For cosmetics, I am a huge fan of my friend’s brand Tata Harper. It is an incredible line.

For makeup, Ilia is my go-to.

Looking ahead, what are your goals and aspirations for the future of your business?
Many people have described Ima Yoga as their home and love the feeling of coming home. I am super intent on keeping this unique feeling no matter how much the brand grows. We are so excited for IMA YOGA to grow as a brand while remaining a special place for everyone.

Are there any upcoming projects you would like to share?
We are launching our own training and soon announcing our second location on Miami’s mainland. In my humble opinion, our team of teachers is truly the BEST of the BEST and I simply cannot wait to give them a platform to expand their incredible talents.

It has been a crazy past few years, how have you been staying positive?
In one word, the answer is Community. The past few years were beyond crazy. Honestly, there were some difficult times but so much positivity came from it. In 2020, during the pandemic, it was a very uncertain time business-wise, and we were not sure how we were going to survive. A few days into the pandemic, I found out I was pregnant with my second child, and it helped me to slow down and embrace the change that was coming. At that moment, I quit the corporate world and started focusing more on the studio.

At the same time, people were so in need of community at that time that we really all came together. It was actually a beautiful time that I am very thankful for.

What is your motto in life?
Haha, I have several mottos, but I believe in staying balanced, in abundance, and also very importantly in karma. If I had to choose just one, I think it would be the French phrase: “Gagné pas donné” which means “earned not given” because I believe nothing can be as enjoyable as the fruits of one’s labor.

To learn more about IMA Yoga, please follow the links below:
Imayogastudio.com
Instagram: @imayogastudio

Cleo Vo-Dai - Mind, Body, and Community