Former Olympian shoots commercial in Goshen

A commercial featuring former Olympian Lolo Jones, one of the few athletes to compete in both the summer and winter Olympics, was shot on location at the Happy Buddha Yoga Studio in the Village of Goshen on April 2.

The commercial was for a national retail brand promoting active lifestyles as part of their brand.

“It was pretty cool,” said Charleen Predmore, the owner of Happy Buddha. “We got a phone call from Rebel Reels that they were interested in our location. We had a complete production crew and Ms. Jones and it was amazing Had to be about 50 people there. I’ve never seen anything like it. They were there four hours. Seeing our space utilized was amazing.”

Jones, 42, was a hurdler for the U.S. track and field team in the 2008 and 2012 summer Olympics, as well a member of the bobsled team in the 2014 winter Olympics. Predmore said Jones was generous with her time and spent several minutes talking to her grandson Daniel.

“They paid me rental.” Predmore said. “I had to cancel evening classes and everyone understood. Our community was really excited for us.”

Several years ago, when Happy Buddha was at a different location in the Village of Goshen, Guinness Book of World Records visited the studio for hosting the world’s oldest yoga instructor, who was 99 at the time, Predmore said.

Predmore has been owner of the Happy Buddha for nine years and the studio is 17 years old. Happy Buddha is located at 119 West Main St. in Goshen and is open seven days a week. Predmore said they have classes for all ages, all body sizes and all levels of ability. She also works with dogs and people with disabilities.