We are so excited to bring you a new series on the blog, highlighting the amazing husband-wife team behind Robinson Family Wellness and Sweet Feet Yoga! Ron and Dana have been so supportive of the Iowa City Moms Blog from day one, and we are very happy to share their story with you. Without further ado…
“Meet The Robinsons”
Tell us a bit about yourselves. Who is Ron Robinson? I was born and raised in Iowa. I grew up in Cherokee, Iowa. I spent a majority of my childhood playing sports and riding my bike, which are still things that I enjoy doing. I participated in numerous activities, but my passion was wrestling. It was wrestling that took me to Luther College in Decorah, Ia., where I met my future wife Dana. While at
Luther, I studied Biology and German. Following Graduation, Dana and I
moved to Portland Oregon, where I attended Chiropractic College at Western
States Chiropractic College (Currently University of Western States.) In my
free time I love to be with my family, but also enjoy being outdoors hiking,
biking, running or doing Yoga.
Who is Dana Robinson? I was raised in Des Moines, IA with my younger sister and brother. I loved being outdoors playing with the neighbor kids (hide and seek throughout the entire neighborhood was a favorite) or on my grandparents’ farms. I also grew up singing and dancing from a young age. Somehow singing in front of hundreds of people never phased me, but I couldn’t handle doing a short speech in front of my English class in school. So, music and movement have always been a part of my life, and a wonderful way for me to express myself. I attended Luther College in Decorah, IA where I got my degree in Music and Theatre/Dance, and I met Ron there the first week of classes. After college, we moved to Portland, as Ron said, and I started teaching music and preschool in a daycare, and I was the administrator and children’s music director at our church after our oldest daughter was born. After Ron graduated, we moved back to Iowa to start Robinson Chiropractic and be closer to family. After realizing how much Sophie loved doing yoga with me at home, and seeing the benefits of yoga both for body awareness and brain development, I was trained in yoga for babies through preschoolers and started Sweet Feet Yoga shortly after we moved to IC. I now have many trainings in children’s yoga, yoga therapy for children, and prenatal yoga, and I have been teaching for 7 years here in the Iowa City area. I absolutely love what I do! When I am not teaching, I am a stay-at-home mom to our 3 children. I love to experience life through their eyes and watch them grow. I also love to read, hike, bike, do yoga (of course), go on dates with Ron, and take time to be with my girl friends.
Tell us about “The Robinsons”. What is a typical day like in your house? Ron and I graduated from Luther College in 2002, and we got married a few months later in beautiful Decorah, where we met 4 years earlier. We still hold a special place in our hearts for Decorah and the amazing friendships we formed there with both classmates and our professors.
We have three beautiful, energetic kids. Sophie is 9. She is our outdoor girl who enjoys running, horseback riding, archery, anything with animals, and yoga. Nella is 6. She enjoys playing “school” (she truly loves school!), dancing, singing, taking care of others, and yoga. Tymen is 4. He is still getting used to the idea of preschool, although he really enjoys it once he is there. He is all about sports, especially wrestling and baseball. You will find him at every Hawkeye wrestling meet with Ron, cheering on his favorite wrestlers, and then he comes home to practice on his poor sisters!
A typical day at the Robinson house?? I don’t know if we have any typical days, but we truly try to keep a balance with owning our own businesses, sharing our passion with others, while also making sure that we sit down to family meals made at home, sometimes with the help of the kids, and take time to have a conversation while actually being able to look into each other’s eyes. We try to practice what we teach—having a life of balance, not over-scheduling, making family and God a priority, and eating healthy family meals together. Of course that does not always happen, but that is what we strive for. Our children are a big part of Robinson Family Wellness/Sweet Feet Yoga also. You will see them in the office getting adjusted, and they also participate in the weekly yoga classes. Not because we force them to, but because they have experienced how it makes them feel great! They are the ones to come up to Ron and ask to get adjusted, because they feel a sore throat coming on, or they ask me to do some poses or breathing with them, because they feel the need to calm down or de-stress. In fact, just last night, Tymen noticed I was getting a little panicked about something, so he turned to me, looked into my eyes, told me to breathe, and he lead me in “flower breath” (a calming breath we do in kids’ yoga). That is my wish for all kids! To know their bodies—physically and mentally—well enough that they know when they need to pull out a tool that they have in their “tool box”” to bring them back to being the best that they can be.
Share with us the history of Robinson Family Wellness & Sweet Feet Yoga. How did these two businesses begin? What are your mission statements? Robinson Family Wellness started in early 2006 as Robinson Chiropractic. We moved back to Iowa from Oregon, because of the proximity to family and the great opportunity to share our message of family wellness. The clinic originally started within Eastwind Healing Center in downtown Iowa City and Sweet Feet Yoga classes were held in Heartland Yoga next door. Following four years at that location, Dana and I thought it was time to combine our two businesses into one location because of the many shared ideas and visions around health and wellness. In 2010, we moved into our current location in Coralville, IA. Robinson Family Wellness is dedicated to the health and wellness of all members of our community, but it is unique because of Dr. Ron’s certification from the ICPA in the Webster Technique and his certification in Pediatric and Family Wellness. He is currently the only Doctor in Eastern Iowa to hold both certifications. The mission Statement of Robinson Family Wellness is to educate and empower the members of our community to be the best that they can be through chiropractic and a wellness lifestyle.
What would you like our readers to know about Sweet Feet Yoga? Why should they bring their little “sweet feet” to your studio? Sweet Feet Yoga is the only studio in Eastern Iowa dedicated to children, families, and pregnant women. I, as well as the rest of our instructors, are highly trained, qualified, and above all, passionate about bringing the best yoga and wellness classes to our community and helping the children, women, and families to be the best that they can be…and have a lot of fun while doing it!
Our children’s classes (Baby & Me through Tweens) help children of all ages to gain strength, confidence in their bodies, learn how to calm themselves and deal with stress in this busy world, help them to sleep, grow, and use their imaginations all through age appropriate poses, games, and songs.
Our prenatal yoga classes give the pregnant mom a comfortable place to continue (or begin) a safe exercise routine that gains strength and flexibility needed during pregnancy and labor while connecting to their baby, as well as their own mind and body. They will also enjoy a warm community of other expectant mamas.
Looking for a way to make it through the midweek slump? Join our Wednesday morning Adult Vinyasa class to keep your week moving in the right direction…and start your weekend off feeling great with our Saturday morning Adult Vinyasa class!
You can find out more about each of the classes that we offer for babies through tweens, pregnant women, and adults on our website at www.sweetfeetyoga.com.
What would you like them to know about Robinson Family Wellness? Are there specific events/workshops/seminars that would cater to moms and families in our area?
I answered an aspect of this above, but I will elaborate here. I, Dr. Ron, would like the readers to know that RFW is the only Chiropractic clinic with a certified prenatal and pediatric doctor in the area. Not only do we hold certifications, but our approach to health and wellness is unique. It starts with our state-of-the-art exam process and interpretation of the exam findings that brings patients in from all over the state. Chiropractic care at RFW is not what most people think of when they hear Chiropractic. I have seen amazing results with Allergies, ADD/ADHD, seizures, colic, headaches, anxiety, ear infections, and many other common pediatric complaints. Also, our certified prenatal care helps the pregnant mom feel great and get rid of the normal (as well as severe) aches and pains of pregnancy. Safe chiropractic adjustments help to keep the expectant mom in good alignment, which also helps the baby to be in the optimum position for birth, and brings about an easier labor and delivery. Adjustments also relieve stress in both the mom and baby, calming the nervous systems and allowing for a healthier, happier pregnancy and birth.
Our office offers free monthly teleseminars on many of the same topics. We have about 50-60 specific presentations about family wellness that we would love to share with your moms’ groups or your child’s class.
What are some of your favorite things about Iowa City?
We love to visit The Iowa City Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings—getting local, organic produce, eating breakfast at the Salt Fork Farm Speakeasy, listening to local bands, and chatting with everyone that we run into. We also like to visit the local libraries, local restaurants—such as Devotay, Baroncini, Chez Grace, and hanging out at Reds Alehouse’s outdoor patio. We also like hiking around Lake McBride, and our children love the Museum of Natural History on the UI campus on rainy days.
**Stay tuned for more with the Robinsons! A special thank you to Ron and Dana for this interview!
