Former Level 3 Communications executive makes yoga his focus
BROOMFIELD -- Like many Americans, Charles
Meyers was overworked and stressed out as a
senior executive at Broomfield-based Level 3
Communications. At least that was how it was
until almost three years ago when he discovered
yoga.
On a Saturday morning, Meyers' wife, Beth,
was getting ready for her yoga class and she
invited her husband to try it.
Meyers was not interested in what he thought
would be a sissy meditation-type workout, but
after his wife "double-dog dared"
him, he decided to check it out.
"I walked in intent on proving to my wife
that yoga couldn't possibly be a worthwhile
fitness endeavor, let alone a broader life-changing
discipline," Meyers said. "I walked
out a convert."
After settling into a yoga routine, Meyers
said not only did he notice the fitness benefits
-- weight loss and strength gain -- but he also
became a better executive.
He said he became more productive because yoga
increased his energy level. Yoga differs from
other fitness programs he had done because,
in addition to the physical demands, it also
incorporates quiet time to forget about the
outside world and be alone with your thoughts,
he said.
"I think what separates yoga from other
approaches, like fitness programs or self-help
routines, is that it can be highly individual,"
Meyers said. "You can make it what you
want to make it."
He learned how to relax, something he was never
able to do before, even on vacation. More importantly,
he was able to see his priorities more clearly.
"Like many people, I used to say things
like, 'if you don't have your health, you don't
have anything,' or 'family comes first,' but
when I really examined whether my actions reflected
my rhetoric, I was frequently disappointed with
myself," Meyers said.
Yoga also helped him make a life-altering decision.
At 40, Meyers quit his high-paying job to delve
into the unknown -- opening his own business
that incorporated yoga.
In May, Meyers started Life Restorations, a
life-balance company with a mission to help
people relax, re-balance and reacquaint. The
company will eventually include yoga, nutrition,
life coaching and family retreats.
For now, Life Restorations -- run with the
help of Meyers' wife and daughter and a few
business partners -- is investing in CorePower
Yoga, a local yoga chain that has expanded across
the country. Meyers was skeptical about yoga
when he tried his first class at CorePower in
Highlands Ranch. Now he owns the studio and
is planning the launch of at least 10 franchised
studios across the country. One will open in
December at in Broadlands Marketplace in Broomfield,
Meyers' hometown.
Rebecca Baack, part owner of the Broomfield
CorePower Yoga studio, said the goal of CorePower
is to make yoga accessible to everyone. She
said some people are turned off by the meditation
or spiritual aspect of yoga, but CorePower is
different.
"It has a nod to the spiritual and philosophy
side of yoga, but it's focused on the physical
benefits," Baack said.
Baack is trading in her stressful job in Boulder
to teach at the Broomfield yoga studio. When
Meyers discovered the "yoga high"
about six years ago, she was Meyers' chief of
staff at Level 3.
Now, they will be working together again, trading
in their business suits for yoga attire and
they are much more relaxed.
"After a yoga class, someone could cut
me off on the road and I'd just say, 'they needed
to get some place faster than me,'" Baack
said. "It puts things in perspective."
