“I always loved the reward of physical exercise done in the community of a group”
I believe that yoga has a way of finding people when they need it most, and that was exactly the case for me six years ago. Just a few months out of college, I was facing the harsh reality that college was over and the idea of living on my own and working a “real job” wasn’t all I’d dreamed it would be. I found myself working behind a desk, doing a job that didn’t challenge me or incite any kind of passion. After three months that felt like three years, I started toying with the idea of going back to graduate school, changing careers, and becoming a high school English teacher. While many important people in my life supported this idea, many doubted, questioned, and even criticized my thought process. Not so coincidentally at the time, I was required to attend a promotional yoga class in a hotel courtyard for a client I was representing at my current job. I didn’t know it at the time, but that class changed my life.
“I always loved the reward of physical exercise done in the community of a group”
Being a college athlete, I always loved the reward of physical exercise done in the community of a group, but I struggled to find group fitness classes that didn’t leave me feeling totally depleted. Remembering my one yoga class in the hotel courtyard, I decided to sign up for a class at a local yoga studio. For the first 30 minutes of class, I seriously considered walking out. I had no idea it was hot yoga, and I thought anyone was crazy to pay for this; however, once we got to the restorative part of class, I felt a release like I’d never experienced before. To conclude class, the teacher left us with a message to “trust our instincts,” and I knew at that moment that yoga was exactly what I needed in life.
Fast-forward seven years: I have practiced countless hours all across the country, completed a 200-hour and 300-hour teacher training, earned an Art of Assisting Certificate from Baron Baptiste, and co-lead my own Teacher Trainings at my forever yoga home, Yonder Yoga. Today and every day, I am feel so incredibly lucky to love what I do.
“I know that there is still so much more left to uncover.”
It sounds like a cliché, but what keeps me coming back to yoga is the practice. There is never a day that I walk out of the studio and feel that I have mastered yoga. Sure, my handstands get stronger, my patience has improved (mostly), and I’ve learned more than I ever imagined about myself through sharing yoga with others, but what I love about yoga is that I know that there is still so much more left to uncover. I am honored to have the opportunity to share this beautiful practice with the Yonder community, so join our journey as we #wanderyonder.
