When I lived in northern Kentucky in 1999, my roommate and I signed up for a six-week, once-weekly yoga class learning the sun salutations in a gymnasium. We went every week and loved it. But that was the end of yoga for me until I moved to Ft. Myers in 2003. At that time I was stressed out from work and not feeling well. I needed something, but wasn’t sure what. I found my way back to yoga, taking a class a week when I could. I instantly loved it as I had before, but soon life took over and I stopped going to class.
Yoga didn’t come back to me until 2008 when I found The Yoga Sanctuary. I cherished going to class on Saturdays. The Yoga Sanctuary was a beautiful place with kind people and great teachers—not to mention the fabulous eye pillows for Savasana. I loved the way the practice made me feel, although I didn’t enjoy Trikonasana (Triangle Pose). It felt awkward.
I soon found myself going to class four times a week. I enjoyed the asana practice and started to take workshops. In 2010 I was excited to take the teacher training at TYS. We read books about yoga philosophy and were taught about asana, pranayama, meditation, Ayurveda, chakras, etc. In a short period of time I learned a lot. Life seemed to make more sense with this new knowledge. Things started to click, and life seemed to flow easier. The asana practice brought me to yoga, and the philosophy of yoga keeps me on the path.
After becoming a teacher I continued my home practice, which I now cherish. With more practice I became stronger and more confident. The stuck energy in my chakras began to open up—hips, spine, shoulders, throat, heart. And now I really enjoy Trikonasana! I am still working on my core, but this summer I discovered that by using breath of fire with some core asanas, my manipura chakra has better energy already.
I am a huge Deepak Chopra fan. From him I have learned more about meditation and life. There is so much more to learn. I feel blessed and grateful to the teachers and students at TYS as I continue on this journey. In my classes I want people to feel cherished for who they are, to enjoy the peacefulness and lightheartedness at the studio, and to enjoy the practice using the breath to create space and energy in the body and mind so they find clarity, joy, and peace in their daily lives.