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We are honored to have been asked to be Yogis of the Month. Eddie and I are originally from New York State—Eddie is from Yonkers, and I grew up in the Bronx. We later moved to the Hudson Valley where these two city kids found themselves living in the farm country of Dutchess County. Eddie and I have been married for forty six years and we have two grown children, one of each. Our daughter and her husband have blessed us with two beautiful grandkids, and our son and his wife have just informed us that we will soon be grandparents for a third time, which we are overjoyed about.

Eddie and I met while we were both employed by the Old New York Telephone Company. After moving upstate I was a full-time mom for a good number of years but later worked at various positions: the Home Insurance Company; managed a bookstore in Rhinebeck, New York; and then mostly worked as a medical assistant both in New York and in Florida. Eddie left “Mr. Bell,” a job he was just not happy with, and took the test to be a firefighter, making a career out of that. He loved the job and would probably still like to be doing it, but injuries ended his career after 23+ years.

As to why we started yoga, for Eddie it was more or less a dare. He attended a class with the previous owner of The Yoga Sanctuary, Bonnie, when she taught at the Punta Gorda Fitness and Tennis Club. After taking the one class he thought, “Wow, there is really something to this,” and has practiced ever since. I had belonged to the same gym and also started with Bonnie. We then followed the practice to the building known as the Swiss Chocolate factory, which became The Yoga Sanctuary. It was here where we were introduced to Jennifer, the current owner (who by the way did a great job transitioning the business), and immediately liked her.

At this time we both are taking level one classes for the most part. Eddie has had some back problems and thinks the yoga has been more helpful to him than anything else. Since I retired I have been practicing a variety of classes four to six times a week, mostly level one, occasionally mixed, sunrise which I really love, chair, and restorative. Some of you probably know that I recently fractured my pelvis, a freakish accident that made me realize how much yoga meant to me and how much I missed it. I absolutely attribute my road to rehabilitation to have been hastened by my previous yoga practice.

At this time, Eddie and I would also like to thank all of the wonderful people at The Yoga Sanctuary for their thoughts, prayers, and well wishes. Thank you all. We try now to make it at least three times a week and I’m sure that this is what has helped me gain more mobility and to find improvement every day. Without actually knowing it, per se, yoga has also helped us deal with the ups and downs life has to offer, and of that we are both appreciative.

When we are not practicing, Eddie likes to dabble in the arts. He draws mostly in charcoal and paints oils and sometimes pastels. He also likes to fish and enjoys sports. I hope to get back to my biking, spin classes, and hopefully running one of these days. We also enjoy road trips with no special destination in mind and no time restraints—we are very fortunate to be able to do this. We usually end our road trip at the grandkids. Did I say no special destination in mind? The grandkids are of course very special to us.

My favorite poses are Child’s Pose and Legs Up the Wall, which currently I am unable to do completely, but I know that in time I will be able to do them again. Eddie still says his favorite pose is whatever comes next, especially if it is something new. After 13+ years of practice, it always amazes and delights him when one of the class instructors demonstrates for us something we have not done before.

As for my favorite quote, well I’m not sure if I’ve heard this somewhere before, but I heard myself saying it to a friend just the other day: “I would like to do today what I could not do yesterday.” As for Eddie he told me his favorite quote of all time is when I say, “You’re right.” He said this laughing, and he better be. Love to all. —Karen and Eddie