Q: What type of business do you operate — what do you sell, or what service do you provide?

A: I'm the founder of Cooke's Yoga Gym, which is comprised of a series of ropes, pulleys, and pyramids that I've invented to facilitate stretching and strengthening the body. Currently the gym consists of nine pyramids, which hold the Yogasizr from a crossbar. We do various positions like hanging upside down, suspended splits, or pull-ups. The pulleys make the body lighter and the stretching is gentler on the body. This system changes our relationship to gravity freeing up muscular tensions and misalignments of the spine by stretching the entire myofascial network of tissues into alignment through tension and gravity.

Q: Where are you from, and why did you decide to open your business in Summit County?

A: I'm from Hingham, MA. and Conway, NH. I moved to Colorado in 1979 to attend The Colorado College. I got my master's in education at the University of Denver and was a special education teacher, but through synchronicity discovered that my real passion is teaching the science and philosophy of yoga. I got into yoga as a result of a variety of ski related injuries and found that I needed the ropes and pulleys to rehabilitate my body from the trauma. Four years ago I became an adjunct professor of yoga at Colorado Mountain College and when the town acquired the old campus building at 103 S. Harris the space became available to create my yoga gym.

Q: What experience do you have in this field?

A: My first teacher was Norm Allard in Crested Butte in 1989 and he opened me to the possibilities of healing through the practices of yoga. From 1989–1995 I was special education teacher working with emotionally troubled adolescents as well as the physically and cognitively impaired students. From 1995–2000 I studied with a variety of teachers around the country and in 1998 I developed the Yogasizr while I was on my personal retreat on my 50 acres in Salida. In 2001 I debuted the entire system, Yogasizr Power Pyramid, as a concept of four-dimensional yoga. From 2001-2006 I toured the country promoting and teaching my system of yoga. Now I'm very pleased to have opened my own gym.

Q: What sets your business apart from other similar businesses?

A: Cooke's Yoga Gym is unique in that the system of technology and methodology I've derived facilitate the stretching and strengthening of the human body by changing our orientation to the field of gravity. For example, we hang upside down on the Yogasizr and put our body in positions of twisting, this often alleviates back pain and has the effect of rejuvenating organs with fresh blood supply and calming the mind by just getting our brains upside down, changing our nervous system to a relaxed state.

Q: What types of customers do you hope to reach in Summit County?

A: The Yogasizr Power Pyramid is unique in its ability to help people across the age spectrum. For example, we have 12- and 14-year-old gymnasts and we have senior citizens in their 60s benefiting from this work, or should I say play. August 30th, I will be offering a men's strengthening and stretching class through Colorado Mountain College, as well as a hybrid class, since my gym is right next door to our traditional yoga gym.