March begins Mind the Mat's TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY celebration and Megan and I are looking back over the years with a sense of enormous gratitude and humor. Forming our LLC in March of 2008, we started out as the one "little studio that could" in Del Ray. After opening our doors for our first classes on June 14, 2008, we have grown to four studios between our Alexandria and Arlington locations.We did it, but not alone. It was with support, encouragement, and love from many individuals in the incredible community where we live and work. There are been many laughs and meaningful connections, intense work, personal and professional growth, successes, a few failures, some tears, but most of all, deep fulfillment and joy.To celebrate, we are looking back...and looking forward (with giveaways!). [divider height="30" style="default" line="default" themecolor="0"]

Looking Back: Pamphlets & Paper Sign-Up Forms?!

These artifacts from our beginning are a reminder to us that Rome was not built in a day and that the dreams we are working on now will take time, just like this dream did. Sometimes in the moment, or from day to day, that is hard to remember. Looking back gives us a fresh perspective and infuses meaning into our every day tasks.1. This is Mind the Mat's first logo. We thought the shadow silhouette of the rolled up mat was pretty cool. Looking back, not so much.2. This was our first attempt to capture our demographic, which are mostly women between 25-75 years old. Social media was not a thing so we spread these pamphlets (!!) around town. Great marketing? Not so much.3. Here is a sample of our first schedule. Note that we offered Hot Yoga, but we didn't have a hot studio. We used space heaters and Vicks Vaporizers plugged in for humidity. What's up with the little tree at the bottom of the pamphlet? Excellent branding? Not so much.4. Registration for class passes was done by filling out our handy-dandy sign-up form and dropping it off at the studio. User friendly? Not so much. And yes, that's a picture of Megan on the floor with babies...back then she was a brunette. [divider height="30" style="default" line="default" themecolor="0"]

Looking Forward: March to Well Ray

To commemorate that March to June beginning 10 years ago, stay tuned for our Ten Year Anniversary Celebration with giveaways, parties, and events each month leading up to the Well Ray Festival on June 23, 2018. Mind the Mat founded Well Ray Festival three years ago and now, presented by the Del Ray Business Association, it is one of Del Ray's favorite community events. We've learned a lot over the years about how to make what we do AMAZING, so don't miss all the special Mind the Mat related offerings this Spring/Summer season, starting with...

10 for 10 for 10 Years!

For the next 10 days, get 10 percent off Class Packs, Workshops, Specialized Series, and Online Gift Cards. Use code 10/10/10.Plus, we're dropping our membership to $99/month through June!

Stay tuned for TEN MORE fun and free events and giveaways from now until Well Ray in celebration of 10 years of community in Alexandria. Look out for posts here on Stylebook and follow us on Instagram (@mindthemat) and Facebook to make sure you get the swag (hint..free classes, free memberships, free free free)! Don't miss the fun fun fun!