My Yoga Path
My Journey
Every first step on the long journey of yoga begins differently. Mine began when a friend relentlessly pushed me to join her for a class. I eventually gave in and attended my first yoga class at the age of 38. I enjoyed the way I felt at the end of class each time we went and the general atmosphere of the classroom. After about a year of practice, I wanted to learn more about yoga, and an opportunity presented itself while my family and I were living in Japan. Senaji Studio in Japan offered a dual language 200 hour yoga teacher training; this was an unusual offering, so I walked through that open door. Barry Grossman brought a light into my life that I had never experienced before. Learning about the Yoga Sutras and other philosophy, as well as meditation, opened my mind and heart to a path I never would have imagined. I felt my spirit open and welcome in positive energy, love, compassion and kindness in a deep and honest way. I completed my 200 hour training in May 2019. Toward the end of my 200 hour training, my family faced adversity and it became harder for me to stay focused on that positive energy. I am a physically driven individual, and when stressed, my best release of tension is through physical activity. It was during this time that I worked one on one with one of my favorite yoga teachers, Polly Lang, a 500 hour registered yoga teacher who trained in Rishikesh, India. Her knowledge of alignment and adjustment brought a new depth to my physical practice. Her challenges were exactly what I needed to find my space again. The practice of the asanas is just a small piece of yoga, but for those that may be wired the same way as me, the physical practice is an important part of returning us to mindfulness. I am forever grateful that I was blessed with the presence of Polly as a teacher; giving me the tools, knowledge and capability to physically work through the stress of the adversity so that I could be present and mindful of how I chose to act in response to it. I continued working one on one with Polly until she left Japan. Before she left Japan, she told me I was definitely ready to finish my training at the 500 hour level. In January of 2020, an opportunity to go to Rishikesh, India, presented itself. I attended Rishikesh Yogkulam under Yoga Master Amit Payal for my 300 hour yoga teacher training. It was a complete immersion into a new culture and yoga. I am forever grateful for every moment that I was given in Rishikesh. The teachers helped me deepen my love, compassion, and perception through meditation, Ayurveda, and philosophy; shared their knowledge and deepened my understanding of the human body and how and why it functions in certain ways; and increased my confidence in explaining, understanding, and practicing the asanas. I completed my training on January 29, 2020. My gratitude for my family, friends, and teachers is never ending. My goal is to help my students find their own paths, in whatever way works best for them.