Why am I a Yoga Teacher?
Well, my life plan never thought of yoga as a job. In fact, it was never even a thought as part of the journey. But, life sends you things you don’t expect and you have to adjust. My adjustment came after leaving a 20 year marriage, moving across the country, and figuring out “what now”?What now was realizing that I would be an empty nester in a couple of years, so I needed a “plan”. The plan started to add to the stresses of life changes, and yoga was suggested to me as a way to relax. I tried it with a $25 groupon and was hooked from the first class.  So I found a studio closer to me and started taking classes, in my 40s, where I thought, “who does this?”.  My first class was a Meditation class. Perfect teacher, perfect class….but how do you sit and quiet the mind….? I had to find out. Next class was a gentle class. Perfect again. These 2 instructors became my mentors, cheerleaders, teachers, and friends on my journey. I bought an unlimited package and began taking classes 2 or 3 times a day, 5 days a week.  Then the “life plan” becomes well wait, you need to work to. So, the “old plan” of finishing my BS came back into play. But even being in school as an adult, I made my schedule work around my yoga classes. Meditation and movement became what helped me focus on papers and schoolwork, what made me get to the library on time so I could still get to class. BS in Business Management finished. Now what? The life change…. a car accident. 2 weeks before the end of classes, I had 2 meetings that day. I was in the library working with someone on one class. Emilie, my daughter, picked me up to get some food for Christmas and then was going to bring me back to school for my graduation and leadership meetings. She was heading back to Orlando for her new position training. We were hit from behind on Dale Mabry, at a red light. The SUV behind us pushed us into the SUV in front of us, which pushed that SUV into the one in front of her. Our little Fiat was totaled. But, we walked away. Long story short, about 7 month of physical therapy for me was where the idea of Yoga Teacher Training came into reality.After these months of physical therapy, where I would see the doctor once a month. He would check my range of motion; I would tell him what I was able to do in yoga. After 7 months he said that physical therapy would no longer help me. He was sending me to a specialist, who would talk about surgery and talk about shots, but what was helping me was my yoga. And, if after I spoke to the specialist, if I wanted another opinion, I could meet with him again. So I met with the specialist. And he talked about shots and surgery, and said he could tell by the look on my face that I didn’t want that….And he agreed with my other doctor, that yoga was the best medicine for me to heal! Well, there must be something to it then! My teacher Debbie Zarnay, was no longer doing private 200 trainings, so I was considering what to do next. Luckily I didn’t research too much because a month later she posted that she was again doing private 200 hour trainings!! Perfect! I worked on my 200 hour training while also training for a new job. So, my unlimited yoga classes came to a screeching halt for 6 weeks. I never planned to teach yoga. I knew I was a good trainer and manager from past experience but the idea of teaching others was never even a plan. I was asked to sub for someone. So I attended her classes, learned what she taught, met the people and did an occasional subbing. Never looked at any other teaching. This teacher then moved and gave me her classes. So I taught 3 times a week in a Community center, where I still teach. This lead to the owner of the studio where I had spent the past 5 years asking me if I wanted to teach there. I tried all different types and times until the right ones stuck. I was teaching 2 times a week at the studio and 2 or 3 at the community center. During my 200 hour training is when I found Pose by Pose. Part of the training was to attend classes and write summaries of what was taught, what the cues were, an evaluation based on learning to teach. Debbie suggested Sun Yoga and was trying a new studio, PBP. She highly recommended it and I started taking classes there as well. After my 200 hr graduation in May 2016, I started attending the weekday trainings, the ones that interested me because, I still never planned to teach past the community center. After about a year of varied trainings, teaching in the community center and the studio, and learning from Jennifer, she finally convinced me to join the 500 hr training. Fast forward: I graduated my 500 hour in Nov. 2018, completed my E-200hr in Nov. 2019 and added YACEP as well. Why am I teaching? Because yoga changed my life. Because yoga showed me that the “life path” you plan may not be where you end up and that’s ok. Because yoga showed me how to quiet my mind and the doubts and fears that can paralyze us. Because yoga gave me a way to share life lessons without lecturing but with compassion and empathy. Because Yoga is Yoga.