On Jacksonville Buzz our host Chris Budihas talks to guests making a difference in their communities. Today, Chris has the honor to speak with Carolyne Harris of Cielito Yoga.
Cielito Yoga is a yoga studio devoted to enhancing wellness and unity within families. Understanding the demands of parenthood, our classes seamlessly integrate into parents routine. Empowering parents to practice yoga while cherishing moments with their little ones is our core mission. Within our studio, parents are encouraged to oversee their children in our designated play area filled with toys and activities for harmonious family bonding and fitness.
What Is Your Why (Why Do You Do What You Do)?
Drawing from my own experiences, I realized the profound benefits of yoga in overcoming mental health struggles and staying physically active while navigating a military career. Embracing this practice, I found solace, strength, and inner peace amidst the daily chaos of parenting. Yoga became not just a form of exercise, but a lifeline that anchored me through the challenges of motherhood.
Inspired by my own transformation, I felt compelled to share the gift of yoga with other parents facing similar struggles. Thus, I opened a yoga studio specifically tailored for parents like myself. It’s a welcoming sanctuary where we can experience the simplicity and challenge of yoga, surrounded by a supportive community of fellow parents who understand the highs and lows of raising children.
How did you get started in your field or work?
Decided to find my entrepreneur spirit and get certified, then took steps to start my own business
What’s one thing we should know that makes you or your company unique?: The average parent can really be anyone with children, but the average parent faces a common and obvious obstacle in their daily lives, and that is childcare. Childcare outside of school and daycare is hard to come by and not feasible for most budgets, and while we’d love to have our children be active and engaged in most of our daily routine, most communities have not yet achieved that level. This is not a failure on communities, we have a new generation of parents who prefer a more attached parenting style, so we came up with a simple solution for the simple yet challenging world of yoga fitness and opened our space to children and families.
What are your biggest goals in the next 6 to 12 Months?
I’d like to see our studio grow outside of our space and promote a more family and children inclusive community with partnerships and charity/volunteer opportunities. I hope that we can fulfill the gaps in childcare and fitness for our local parents and hopefully expand to another community where we can open our doors to more families.
