Following years of training and a cultivated passion for yoga, owner and founder of FoCo Yoga Jared Pelton is working to bring mindfulness and improved wellbeing to local communities who need it the most.

“Yoga ultimately transformed my life,” Pelton said. “Yoga became the catalyst for much of my personal growth and the path that led me to teaching and supporting others with their yoga practice and journey.” 

Pelton said he began practicing yoga regularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and later started attending in-person classes at Meraki Yoga Studio in Fort Collins. Inspired by his experience as a student, Pelton chose to become a yoga instructor himself. It was on this journey, during his training courses, that he was prompted to think about the ways yoga could benefit different communities. 

“One of the things I immediately thought of was veterans,” Pelton said. “I have lots of family members who are veterans. … I thought veterans would be a great … group to support with yoga because it made such a huge difference in my life.”

Once he finished his training in November 2022, he began to volunteer with Comeback Yoga, a nonprofit that aims to help veterans and current military personnel explore trauma-informed yoga. 

Not long after, he said the idea of starting his own practice began to form and FoCo Yoga was born. 

One of Pelton’s goals for FoCo Yoga was to continue volunteering with veterans. Cole Schlam, the program director for Comeback Yoga explained how Pelton’s presence was a welcomed inclusion for the group, as he is their only volunteer instructor in Fort Collins. 

“(Pelton’s) been patiently waiting for us to have classes in Fort Collins — so now we have one,” Schlam said. “We’re just at the baby stage of bringing Comeback Yoga back to Fort Collins.” 

Schlam also said giving back to the community and providing a place to find it is an important part of both Comeback Yoga and Pelton’s classes.

“There is power to coming together in a particular space with other folks who’ve had similar lived experiences,” Schlam said. 

According to Schlam, Pelton’s work alongside Comeback Yoga has allowed him to shine as an instructor due to his ability to cater the activity to everyone in attendance. 

“What makes people, and some of our teachers like Jared, so great at what they do is that the goal is to still hold the class for everybody while also making sure everyone feels like their needs are being met,” Schlam said.

Pelton has also offered chair-based yoga classes that can help the participants from all backgrounds find greater comfortability while doing the exercises. Schlam said all versions of yoga can assist in the healing process.

“Any type of yoga can become trauma-informed and therefore it can support anyone,” Schlam said. “And that’s true whether you’re a veteran or whether you’re a college student or whether you’re just a human living in this world.”

Outside of its collaboration with Comeback Yoga, and despite its lack of permanent location in the city, FoCo Yoga has a consistent schedule of classes and workshops for people to attend. 

One of the most popular classes Pelton teaches is Yoga on the Oval, a recurring Thursday afternoon course at The Oval on the Colorado State University campus where students, staff and faculty can slow down and exercise in the middle of the workday. 

Matt Markham, a CSU staff member, said he has taken men’s beginner courses with FoCo Yoga and is a regularly attendee of Yoga on the Oval.

“It was just a really welcoming environment,” Markham said. “It’s beautiful out there, and Jared just has such a chill, calm (and) welcoming demeanor that even though it’s always scary starting something new, it felt like a safe place to go.” 

Markham also said the class helps bring people on CSU’s campus together to get a bit of sunlight during their working hours. 

“I see other staff and faculty,” Markham said. “It’s fun to see them in a different setting and, like, to come together in that kind of community with colleagues.”

Markham said part of what makes FoCo Yoga special to him is his impression that everything Pelton does with yoga comes from a place of kindness.

“He’s doing a lot of this selflessly and without compensation or things,” Markham said. “That really showed that it’s so genuine to me and I think that makes me want to show up more.”

Reach Maiya Kreamer at life@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.