<a href="http://www.theyogasanctuary.biz/ys/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Julie-Huffman-e1388355999737.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3050" alt="Julie Huffman" src="http://www.theyogasanctuary.biz/ys/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Julie-Huffman-e1388355999737-224x300.jpg" width="224" height="300" /></a>

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I took my first yoga class 10 years ago. After teaching fitness classes at the YMCA for several years, I enjoyed the calm, quiet, peaceful feeling I experienced after practicing yoga. Growing up in a family of teachers, it seemed only natural for me to do the same. Teaching is what I have always done! I was a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and now substitute regularly at our local preschool.  I often see a child take a yoga posture, such as downward facing dog, without even realizing it. Yoga postures are so natural for us at any age.

The benefits of yoga for me are new every day.  Each time I get on my mat there is a different way to stretch and move into and out of postures.  Most of my early yoga knowledge came from books and daily emails from Yoga Journal. I read everything I could—I was fascinated. The physical aspect of yoga was obvious, and I remained stuck there for a while, completely immersed. At a yoga workshop I attended, my teacher said, "The next step is to take your yoga off the mat."  I wasn't quite sure at the time what that meant.

My husband and I have been spending our last seven winters here in Florida. I was homesick for a while until a friend suggested I take a class at The Yoga Sanctuary. I began taking lots of classes from the incredibly talented teachers there, and in 2013 I was fortunate to be accepted into the Teacher Training program. Thousands of the questions I still had about the discipline of yoga were answered, but Bonnie and Jennifer also left us to discover some of the answers for ourselves. Yoga is more than the physical—it is more than being on the mat. It is how we live our lives. It is how we share our gifts. It is how we shine our light.

Besides yoga, my passions include long daily walks with my dog Roxie, growing flowers and herbs, and cooking healthy foods. I enjoy the sunrise in Florida as well as in my home state of Missouri, and I am usually up long before the sun shines. I also love spending time with my family and miss them terribly while I'm away. Fortunately the friends I have made at Burnt Store Marina and at TYS are also like my family.

Yoga is exciting to me and I am truly honored to be able to share in that excitement through my teaching. The greatest gift a teacher receives is realizing they have made a positive difference in the lives of their students.

Favorite book: the <i>Bible</i>

Favorite Food:  Any fresh local produce, Missouri peaches and tomatoes, and Florida tangelos

Favorite Yoga Pose:  Any restorative pose

Most Challenging Yoga Pose:  All hip openers