Roman Szpond, is an E-RYT500 yoga teacher, and founder of The 4 Pillars of Freedom Student And Teacher Training Programs. For the past two decades, Roman owned and operated 7 prominent yoga studios and trained hundreds of teachers eager to tap into the power of yoga to help transform their lives and the lives of the yoga students they serve.
Roman's journey as a teacher and leader in the industry began over 20 years ago. Roman's first visit to India touched him so deeply, that upon his return to the U.S., he immediately began his research and studies of yoga. Roman immersed himself with senior Iyengar and Anusara yoga teachers as well as mentors like Francois Raoult, Baron Baptiste, and Rod Stryker. Like his teachers before him, Roman began to develop a system that was inclusive and extracted all of the best qualities from the different systems he studied.
In 2000, Roman opened Inner Strength Studios to bring together, train, and work with some of the best yoga teachers in the Boston area to offer real, powerful yoga and help transform lives. Built on the success of his first studio location in Watertown, Massachusetts, he opened two more Inner Strength locations in West Roxbury and Sudbury, Massachusetts.
In May 2018, Inner Strength Studios was acquired by YogaWorks. After battling cancer in early 2018 and surmounting it, Roman had a calling to relocate to Raleigh NC with his family and begin sharing his love for yoga again. Having a renewed sense of purpose and direction, Roman purchased Gratitude Hot Yoga in Raleigh N.C. in December 2018 and Element Hot Yoga in August 2020 and has since rebranded it as Gratitude Hot Yoga Center's 2nd location in Raleigh.
Roman and his partners opened Gratitude's first franchise in Falmouth, Massachusetts of July 2022 and are very excited to open Gratitude Hot Yoga Sudbury in September of 2024.
If you're interested in franchise opportunities email Roman at feelgratitudeyoga@gmail.com