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My path to Yoga was long and it began with my mother.
She learned Transcendental Meditation and then had our family learn
it. I was 15. I have meditated off and on ever since. The first Yoga
class I attended was over twenty years ago. It was part of a stress
management course at the University of Maryland. I learned the Sun Salute
and a few other poses. I thought of yoga as a physical exercise. In
my 20's and 30's I did triathlons (swimming, running, biking), 100 mile
bike rides, hiking, skiing, etc. I didn't think I had time for Yoga,
although I did a lot of the postures as stretches. I remember thinking
that I wanted to try yoga "someday" when I had time. Like
many people, I thought yoga was just gentle stretching and I wanted
my "workout"!
After my second daughter was born and stress levels were rising I asked
my husband for some Yoga videos. I owned them for almost a year before
I even looked at them! During the blizzard of 1996 while stuck at home
with two small kids, I finally watched Kathy Smith and Rod Stryker 's
Power Yoga video and began a regular 3 times a week Yoga practice! Six
months later I quit my job as the Training Specialist at the Hebrew
Home of Greater Washington to stay home with my children. It was a huge
adjustment and I came to depend on my practice for both physical and
mental health. But even then I didn't really consider it my spiritual
practice. I took classes at the local YMCA and then attended a Yoga
retreat and met four fabulous teachers: Sarabess Forester, Kathy Rowley,
Hilary Blackman, and Simone Heurich. I began to study with Sarabess
and that is when I began slowly to view my Yoga as a spiritual practice
as well.
After the birth of my third daughter in 1998 I found WSYC through a
friend. I had a bad hamstring attachment injury that Suzie immediately
picked up on. (I kept thinking I needed to stretch more, making it worse!)
I studied with John Friend when he came to WSYC. I loved the alignment
principles and the spiritual heart of Anusara. I found my Yoga home.
I love teaching and I love yoga so it seemed like a natural progression
to combine the two into a new career that fit nicely into family life.
When Suzie began the first Teacher Training program I was interested
but wasn't sure that I was ready. Some friends and I went on a Yoga
retreat and during the retreat one of them had a dream in which she
was told that I should teach Yoga. I took that as a sign to begin and
so I did! My Yoga practice has evolved from exercise to a celebration
of body, mind and spirit that nourishes all of me. I am grateful to
all the teachers, students, family and friends who I learn from every
day on this life journey.
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