"Capturing the Beats Between the Noise"
“Before spending a few hours with BBKY, I had not given much thought to yoga + kids at all. In fact, I’d say they didn’t exist in the same brain space for me. Now, I can’t separate them. Yoga is inherently a child-friendly activity and the kids love it! Yoga doesn’t have to be an inaccessible Eastern practice — for these BBKY kids it’s about learning to love themselves and their bodies, gaining confidence, and being a little silly.”
Kylie Larson, you couldn’t have said it better! Just as we love watching kiddos find the magic of yoga, it is equally as fulfilling to see adults understand the power of what we are doing on our mats. As our yoga journey unfolds, we are grateful for all the cheerleaders along the way. One such supporter is the insanely talented Kylie Larson of Kylie Larson Photography. Her recent path of becoming a small business owner has strangely paralleled ours, and we are excited to be sharing the road. We admire her perseverance, leap of faith, and passion for pursuing her dreams. There was a strong pull in both our directions to have her photograph some yoga sessions. We are thrilled that she jumped at the invitation! Kylie truly does have an eye for “capturing the beats between the noise.” Joy simply pervades her images. Her shots from summer camp help to tell the story of our beginning. Through these images, our Busy Buddhas exude confidence and calm, strength and serenity. How lucky we were to have Ms. Kylie travel all the way to Pick. Garden Patch Farms to capture the beauty of family yoga. Perhaps this concept seems foreign to some, but it is an innately human experience. The family bond brightens with each movement and allows for true connection. In a world inundated with distraction from every angle it’s precisely what we need; to reconnect with the ones we love. Kylie’s farm photos encapsulated the allure of this experience. We are forever grateful and humbled by your work. Thank you for featuring our sweet ones on your blog!
Namaste,
Erin and Meg
Buddha Belly in the News
Although we have only been alive for less than a year, we have a prediction: Buddha Belly is going all the way! On June 19th, Vickie Jurkowski wrote an article for the Daily Southtown entitled “Fields of Fun” highlighting a myriad of opportunities for families to enjoy while surrounded by nature. Unexpectedly, we were also featured in Sunday’s Life & Style edition of the Chicago Tribune on June 28th. Humbled and grateful for some exposure in both of these newspapers! More importantly, we would like to thank Tony Ndoca and Lexie Miller of Pick. at Garden Patch Farmsfor believing in who we are and what we do. We are truly more complete because of you. Stay tuned for a blog post devoted to those perfect people at Pick!
Namaste,
Meg and Erin
Buddha Belly Living Its Legacy
Those of you who know us or have read our initial blog post, know that we believe there is no such thing as coincidence. Our Buddha Belly Kids Yoga (BBKY) journey commenced and continues because our minds and hearts are open to what the universe has in store. Amanda McFayden, senior trainer at Rainbow Kids Yoga and founder of BlissKids used the most perfect visual of her hands stacking stones; with each small movement, everything began to build up and fall into place. We truly believe that is what is happening here at Buddha Belly. Jamie Gepner of little om BIG OM, the pioneer of movement and mindfulness in Madison, WI, planted the seed that we had a gift that needed to be shared with Chicago. Soon after, Meg woke up one morning knowing that our name was Buddha Belly Kids Yoga. We are women who don’t mess around with our guts, so it was an easy decision to trust our intuition. Our dear friends jumped on our yoga team to tackle the advertising world. Kristen Paige Gathanydesigned our adorable logo and Joe Calderone of Calderone Marketing gave breath into the life of this website. We knew that in order to grow, we would need to partner with an elite, established fitness organization. Dan Kane of Legacy Sports Camp was absolutely the right route to take in order to launch our inaugural summer camp. Ready for this connection?! Meg and Erin are close friends, co-workers, and business partners. Dan and Erin are childhood friends and fellow Chargers. Turns out that Meg and Dan’s grandmothers grew up as best friends in Oak Park. If that’s not the universe at work, we don’t know what is!
Legacy Sports Camp in Oak Park allows elementary school children to learn proper technique in individual and team settings while instilling positive character traits in these young athletes. However, one could say that Legacy’s myriad of opportunities was missing one thing. Although Dan wasn’t familiar with yoga for kids, he trusted that Buddha Belly meant business and that we would not disappoint. Yoga for kids is the perfect balance to a high energy sports camp. The juxtaposition of these two companies could not have aligned more perfectly. Just like that, Buddha Belly’s Legacy began!
We started the conversation in late winter, began to advertise, hold demo classes, and by the time Chicago looked a bit more like spring, we had our first participant! Thanks to Legacy Sports Camp, Ascension School, South Berwyn District 100, and Oak Park District 97 enrollment for our four week summer camp included the most amazing three through thirteen year olds. Some joined us for a week at a time, while others shared in the entire journey. Themes included: On the Farm, At the Beach, African Safari, Going to the Zoo, Camping, Fourth of July Picnic, At the Circus, Life Cycle of a Butterfly, Story Yoga, Rainbow Colors Yoga, Our Feelings, Gratitude Yoga, Building Balance, Partner Acrobatics, and Yoga Obstacle Course. Feedback from parents and children was nothing but positive and they cannot wait for weekly classes during the school year. Frankly, neither can we! One little yogi received a new yoga mat for her birthday and woke up extra early to start her practice. “She really does love it! What a powerful tool for a six year old to have. Confidence in her body and self.”
Namaste,
Meg and Erin
**Stay tuned for some amazing photos!