Today we’d like to introduce you to Regina Hughes.
Hi Gina, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Thank you so much for having me. My name is Gina Hughes, and I’m the owner and founder of Invitation Yoga and Events. I work with my clients to co-create unique yoga, breath work, and mindfulness experiences for businesses, schools, and private parties. How I got to where I am today is quite a journey. One of the most beautiful things about growing up was meeting different versions of myself along the way and loving each one. As I’ve gone through different life stages, the consistent threads in my life have always been building community through special events and fostering education.
From a very young age, I began honing my skills for event planning. I earned my English and Secondary Education Degrees from a Liberal Arts School in a Chicago suburb. Since I entered college as a commuting student, I needed to foster connections with my peers. Outsiders constantly told me I would struggle to find friends as a commuting student, and I set out to prove them very wrong. To that end, I became a commuter assistant whose job was to ensure that all commuting students would be able to find their niche, and I began planning events specifically for that population.
After graduation, I had the honor of teaching in two different school settings over seven years. There, I learned how to organize, provide clear directions, and differentiate my instruction. During this time, I also began to foster my love for yoga. I started practicing after work in a small studio to manage my stress levels and carve out time for myself, and I fell head over heels for the peace it brought me. The change I felt in my day-to-day life after cultivating my practice was palpable.
I continued to teach and practice yoga for several years before I left the education world to stay home with my firstborn daughter. Then, I studied parenting research and research on infants and young children and opened up a chapter of Attachment Parenting International. This organization works to support parents in respectful parenting methods with their children. Each month, I planned and facilitated group discussions and special events for families with young children to create community and provide support.
After having my second daughter, we moved to Texas in 2018, leaving all of our family behind in the Chicago suburbs. I had a strong desire to create a home away from home, so I began volunteering to lead our community’s social events for over 150 families several times yearly. This gave me an amazing social and creative outlet as I worked with our neighborhood budget to create unique experiences that brought all the neighbors together. From bubble parties to animal shows to line dancing lessons, I relished the opportunities to bring people together in the name of fun.
As my children grew closer to being of school age, I desired to rekindle my yoga practice, which had dwindled during their very young years. I began practicing in a local studio four to five times each week. I began adaptive yoga teacher training, which deepened my personal practice and allowed me to learn breath work skills, mindfulness, and meditation. I was truly blessed that my training was not a pipeline into studio teaching; my mentor, Mel Marie, supported each of her trainees to find and nurture their gifts, and mine were very clear. To combine my love for yoga, education, and event planning, Invitation Yoga & Events was born. I envisioned a fully mobile experience where each event was custom-designed for the client’s needs. I wanted to create mindfulness experiences for schools, non-profits, and businesses. I wanted to help brides de-stress before the big day. I wanted to help pregnant mothers celebrate their new stage in life. I wanted to help couples celebrate their relationships. Invitation Yoga & Events allows me to do it all. More importantly, Invitation Yoga & Events allows me to share my gifts with others: event planning, community building, creativity, communication, and organization.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Of course, starting a new business can be challenging. Part of yoga is about finding your internal and external balance, and that was something that needed some nurturing, particularly in Invitation Yoga’s infancy. As a mother of two young children, the regular parenting responsibilities and home life did not come to a screeching halt just because I had started a business. Homework still needed to be done. The dishes were still there. The laundry still needed to be folded. I needed to find my footing, using pockets of time when the kids happily played or were in classes or camps or into the late-night hours once everyone else had gone to sleep. But instead of feeling exhausted from the added responsibilities, I found that work for Invitation Yoga & Events energized me with a passion and excitement that was previously missing.
As you know, we’re big fans of Invitation Yoga & Events. What can you tell our readers who might need to be more familiar with the brand?
Invitation Yoga & Events is a fully mobile mindfulness events business specializing in unique experiences based on each client’s unique needs. When co-creating an experience, we always begin with the client’s intention or purpose. Are they trying to de-stress? Are they celebrating something? Are they looking for fitness strategies? Unlike a yoga studio with pre-set classes that teach to the masses, we tailor the experience to match each client’s exact vision. From there, clients choose their style of yoga: restorative, high energy, seated stretching, or partner yoga. Then, we discuss the style of relaxation they’d like: guided visualization, a sound bath experience, breath work, or hands-on assistance in their final resting pose. Lastly, they can add optional make-and-take experiences, such as having guests make flower crowns, candles, affirmation banners, mala beads, vision boards, and more. Invitation Yoga & Events is not simply a mobile yoga class. We are a unique, custom-designed mindfulness experience that will help our clients design an event they will remember for a lifetime. And the best part is that we travel directly to our clients’ homes or places of business, or we can find a venue for them.
Pricing:
- Weekend Couples or BFF Private Session: $150.00
- Weekend Small Group Private Event for Up to 10 Guests: $250
- Weekend Small Group Private Event for up to 20 Guests: $350
- Weekday Group Rate for 60 minutes: $100
- Weekday Group Rate Stress Management Workshop: $400 half day/$800 full day
Contact Info:
- Website: https://
invitationyoga.com - Instagram: https://instagram.
com/invitationyoga
Image Credits
Anna Angenend Photography
