June, 2019
Yoga was introduced to me at a Barre Fitness studio that I was committed to for a few years. My classes were loud, fun, and challenging. The instructors were all so energetic and motivating. These classes was a way to take time for myself, to focus on myself. I loved how quickly I began to notice the change my body was going through from the outside. As time went on, the studio owners began to hire a few new instructors who also happened to be certified as yoga teachers. These instructors started to incorporate little bits of yoga into their classes. It was a full hour Barre/Fitness class and there was about 20 minutes of yoga poses and an easy flow throughout. I absolutely loved the mix these classes provided for me. I still remember how I felt the first time I attended one and how I couldn’t wait to sign up the next time. There was a form of beauty in the way my body moved through the yoga poses that I fell in love with. There were a few moments where I felt like I was the only one in the room. It was just myself on my mat with my own breathe. I was able to just be, even if it was just for a few moments. As I continued Barre, I started to reflect on my classes and thinking about how I felt after just the 20 minutes of Yoga that was intermixed with my Barre workouts. After months of committing to theses classes, I came to realize what I needed most was to still my mind, and find a sense of peace in my body and the only way to truly feel this way is through your own breathe. Yoga IS just this…. always moving with your breathe at your OWN pace. This is when I made a decision to look into a few yoga studios to attend a few times a week.
There was a point in my journey where my physical practice of moving my body was very important to me. I loved to feel my strength as I held certain poses, I loved to see how my body was still in the shape it was while doing Barre. However, slowly over time my interest became stronger than the physical. My continued practice made me aware of how deeply rooted Yoga can be. As I learned to sit in stillness for 5, 10 minutes….I became more aware of my own judgements, my self-talk. I began to truly look deeper into my soul, into the person I truly am inside. Prior to my yoga teacher training, I was striving to practice more, to learn more about why I felt the way I felt after stepping off my mat, and WHY I couldn’t wait to get back on my mat even if it was just 30 minutes. Going at it alone was a little challenging for me though. It was hard to express myself and my thoughts of how a little bit of me was changing, changing for the better every time I practiced yoga. Every time I stepped on my mat something lite up inside of me. I had this strong feeling to want to go deeper and I knew the only way to do that was to commit to a training. It was a way to hold myself accountable. I knew if I enrolled in a training, I would create space for myself, a space where I could slowly become “unstuck”, which is how I was feeling. A training was exactly what I needed to get closer to my goals, which was to learn how to quiet my mind, to look within, to feel more present in my everyday life as a mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend. At this point I was ready for a change in my life, and boy did it change a lot in me… in ways I didn’t even expect. I made an investment in the future of my whole-self and family.
As I think back to this time last year … the first thing that comes to my mind is the memory of the family we created together within my training. We created a space of peace, we watched each other grow and change on such a deep level. In my everyday life prior to this training it was so hard to find and connect with people who shared the same interest as me, of Yoga…personal development, nutrition, health & wellness.
Together, our training pushed us to reflect on our values, question our beliefs, and develop spiritually. Sharing such a personal experience easily created a bond, a bond that I will hold dear to my heart. A yoga family was created as they will always be a part of life now.
My YTT training was more about studying the beautiful practice of yoga than it was about wanting to actually teach in a yoga studio. Sure I could have studied many of these topics I learned about “What is Yoga” on my own, but, NOTHING compares to the structure and depth that came with a training like this, or the opportunity to experience it as a part of a small community.
My training taught me to truly listen on a deeper more intuitive way. Most importantly I learned how to hold space for someone with more intention. This has made me a better parent, wife, daughter, sister, friend. I feel like I can truly be present in my conversations and I feel that is what our world truly needs more of.
With a new year upon us soon, you may be thinking about your own journey. Whether you start a journey on the physical, mental, or spiritual level, please remember starting on a new journey is never easy, especially if this journey involves you steeping out of your comfort zone. It helps to just be curious, follow your intuition, build a community of like minded individuals, ask for help, maybe find a mentor, but most importantly… surrender and don’t give up!!!Just remember to LOVE YOURSELF FIRST and YOU ARE ENOUGH!
Sending you Love & Light…from my heart to yours, Stacey
