Yoga me who?

People have asked how I came up with the name YogaMeDo. I can't recall when I first thought of it, but I do know when I finally decided. It was in Sam's Club. Now I must confess that I am a Costco fan, but in Bentonville Arkansas, home of Sam Walton and the Walmart headquarters, you can't find a Costco, and might have too much time on your hands if you drove the 182 miles to Kansas just for the Kirkland brand.

I had arrived 30 minutes before it opened but I could see people going in. I pulled up a little closer to the building and saw that business hours started at 9:00 am. YogaMeDo was only in embryo at the time, but it was still a business, I was sure of it. (Definition of business: an activity that someone is engaged in). See, it was definately legitimate. I presented myself at the counter and said I would like a business membership. "What's the name of your company" the clerk said. I thought for a moment as I scrolled through the options of names that had run through my mind countless times. "YogaMeDo" I replied. "What?" the clerk responded quizzicly. "You know, I do yoga (I did a partial tree pose just to demonstrate), YogaMeDo?" I instantly had visions of marketing and advertising efforts forever handicapped because I had chosen the wrong name.

I calmly waited as she printed out the card, part of me nervous that she wanted some kind of proof like a business licence number, LLC record, or 501 statement which I didn't have. A moment later she handed me the warm plastic card fresh off the presses with my picture on the front next to the title "YogaMeDo" Business member. I tried not to be immature in my elation, but there it was, I had started my business! YogaMeDo very quickly became the first commercial preventative physical and mental health care class offered to children and adolescents.

That was roughly 5 years and many recipes and yoga sessions ago. Since then we have relocated to Salt Lake City and are very excited to be sharing our unique class at Steiner Aquatics (Salt Lake City Sports Complex) this summer and also featured at the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum on July 1, 2011. We have plans to open a studio in the Fall or Winter 2011/2012 and feel confidant that YogaMeDo can help children (ages 3-17) gain a lifelong passion for healthy living.

Unlike any other class commercially available to children and adolescents we combine hands-on nutrition education with the skills to recognize and relieve stress through yoga in a fun and non-competetive environment. Stress is inevitable, but how a child learns to recognize and manage that stress can largely determine their level of mental and physical health throughout their lives. At YogaMeDo we feel that when a child has a strong foundation of physical and mental health they are free to follow their heart. Our mott0 is, Happy Body Happy Mind.

This blog is intended to be a gathering place for stories, articles, recipes, and general information that relates to the mental and physical health of children and adolescents. Please feel free to contribute your appropriate stories and information that might help the online YogaMeDo community to assist children in achieving optimal health.