Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra Roldan.
Alexandra, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
The first job I had working with kids was as a gymnastics coach for beginning level children when I was in high school, and I absolutely loved it. I immediately fell in love with the idea of working with kids for the rest of my life. In the years to come, I graduated from Florida International University with a BA in Psychology. While I was in school, I worked with kids at Kendall Speech and Language Center and, in 2017, I became a movement instructor. The therapist that I trained under in movement taught me a little bit about creative relaxation yoga. That’s when I began to discover the amazing benefits that yoga can provide for children. I started incorporating yoga into my movement sessions and, after seeing its effectiveness, I decided to get certified in Creative Relaxation Yoga Therapy. I founded Piece Of Mind Yoga (POMY for short) in 2018, driven by the idea that yoga could be used in the lives of children like a piece of their overall health puzzle to promote both physical and mental health from a young age.
Has it been a smooth road?
I have definitely faced some struggles along the way! There will always be bumps in the road when you’re starting your own business, no matter what that business is. Finding clients and schools that are interested in creative relaxation yoga therapy is challenging at times because it’s not something a lot of people know about. It’s still very new having yoga incorporated into schools but my hope is that little by little, every school will begin to incorporate yoga into their daily schedule. I’ve also found it challenging to manage my time and schedule as a small business owner. It was a huge change, leaving my full-time job to work on POMY full-time and it was a little bit of a shock. I’ve had to learn to be really intentional with the time I have each day.
My advice to young women who are just starting their journey would be to set goals for yourself. I’m a big advocate for the to-do list. It just feels so good to check things off when you complete them! I like to make one big goal for the year, then set smaller more attainable goals I can work on every day. If you do that, you can check yourself every so often to make sure you’re still working towards your goal. And then, just freaking DO IT! Go for it! This is the best time to try something for yourself. There will never be a better time than right now to start working towards something. It will always be scary, if you’re truly passionate, it’ll be hard to stop once you’ve started. That’s not to say that there won’t be hard times. There will be times it will be so challenging, that you’ll question why you even started. But on those days you just have to remind yourself that the big picture is greater than the small defeats.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Piece Of Mind Yoga – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Studies have shown that practicing yoga can improve the sensory needs, self-confidence, speech production, energy levels, balance, and flexibility of children, all while promoting mental peace and clarity. POMY is so much more than just a yoga class, though! We teach breathing exercises featuring specially selected essential oils, imagination play through interactive yoga stories, gross and fine motor skills, and mindfulness moments to empower kids to live all-around healthier lives.
Aside from helping kids achieve peace of mind through yoga, we also want to help their parents by equipping them with techniques and strategies they can use in their own homes every day! That’s one of my favorite parts of this business. I had a mom tell me just the other day that her daughter got angry, but instead of throwing a tantrum, she remembered to breathe. I love that!
Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
There are opportunities everywhere you look. You just need to go out and find one that you feel passionate about taking. Some opportunities may be harder to grasp than others, but if you are dedicated, there isn’t an opportunity out there that a woman couldn’t fill. I happened to find my passion in a field that I think is particularly dominated by women, but that’s not to say I couldn’t have made an opportunity for myself doing something else. If there’s an opportunity that women are particularly well positioned for, it’s because we worked hard to position ourselves there.
Pricing:
- Private Classes are one hour long and take place at a local park near the child’s home, for $40.00 a class.
- Group Classes are hour-long sessions that take place at local schools and gyms on a regular basis, cost varies depending on school or gym.
- Pop Up Classes! We are working on a program that would offer free group sessions in local public schools or parks in underserved areas.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pieceofmindyoga.com/
- Phone: 3052972394
- Email: hello@pieceofmindyoga.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pieceofmindyoga/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pieceofmindyoga/?ref=bookmarks
Image Credit:
Stephanie Cepero – Murals Of Mercy
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
