Over the past twenty-three years my practice has thrived and evolved. At times it felt like work, but most of time, it has been my classroom. I am passionate about ‘The Work’, as I call it, and through all of my life’s experiences, in my practice and my personal life, it has helped me to learn & grow. I am becoming the person I aspire to be when I grow up. And now Yoga enters the scene.

I never really entertained the thought of becoming a Yoga Teacher, ever. I remember taking a yoga class with my mom when I was thirteen years old and I LOVED IT. It was very meditative and very relaxing. I’ve taken a few classes since then (I can count the number of times on one hand) but none of them resonated with me the way the class I took with my mom did. So much to my surprise, I found myself entertaining the thought of taking a Yoga Teacher Certification course. Most individuals would not think to become a Certified Yoga Teacher at 65 years of age. Fortunately, I am not most individuals and 65 is really just a number, a mile marker so to speak, of how many years I’ve been walking on this Earth, our home. So I signed up.

The 6 month program that I enrolled in, offered here at the studio I practice out of, is not just about learning how to do the poses and how to cue them. It is an experience that has widened my perspective on, and has allowed me to embrace, how I choose to go forth in my life’s journey on the path of my choosing.

Yoga is not only about going to a class, facing the challenges of learning the poses, and then mastering each of the them. It’s not about how fashionable you look or having the top brand yoga mats, blocks, straps, or the cutest yoga bag. It is about making a choice to be accountable for your own health through movement. It’s about finding happiness in Be-ing you. It’s a journey of learning a new way to look at yourself, to love yourself, and the world around you from a different perspective. It’s all about Self Discovery. “Yoga is the language of the soul, spoken through the movements of the body.” ~@modernyogateacher

There are all different types of yoga; Power yoga, Vinyasa yoga, Restorative yoga, Bikram/Hot yoga, Ashtanga yoga, Hatha yoga, Iyengar yoga, Kundalini Yoga, and more. Yoga classes can also have so many different themes. A Yoga Teacher can really get creative depending on the demographics of where their practice is located.

I like a good Power Yoga class every once in a while. It gets EVERYTHING moving. Hot Yoga, well, I feel really good after doing it although I find myself looking like I just took a shower with all of my clothes on. And I like Vinyasa Yoga because it’s versatile but I LOVE Yin Yoga because it feels like therapy to me. Each individual likes their own particular style of yoga. I encourage you to get out there and try the different types of yoga. You can also stream different Yoga Apps available on cell phones, You Tube, Fitness tv channels, etc. which allows you to try yoga in your own home. We all struggled with the poses when we first started so . . . . you aren’t the only one. Keep going and give yourself the opportunity to experience how yoga makes you feel. By the way . . . . I’ve finally found the style of yoga that reminds me of the yoga I did with my mom.

Yin Yoga is a deeply meditative form of yoga that helps stretch connective tissues and stimulates the flow of Qi. Each pose is held for anywhere between 3-5 minutes. Allowing the body to become soft helps the individual to then ‘melt’ into the pose. Transformational breathing (natural breathing, gently in thru the nose, softly out thru the mouth) further assists the individual into relaxing into the breath. There is no forced breathing, no holding of the muscles or joints. As I stated earlier, being able to fully get into the pose is not the goal in Yin Yoga. The goal is to let your body to ‘melt’ into the pose and allow the connective tissues stretch naturally. It takes time, patience, and mindfulness.

Qigong exercises are also incorporated into my yoga practice. I started doing Qigong exercises about 20 years ago and when I moved back to Kauai, in 2012, had the opportunity to study with Grand Master Hong Liu in the art of Advanced Qi Transmission & Diagnosis (Energy Work). I am finding that I enjoy doing Qigong more consistently as I get older. These exercises help with the ‘flow of Qi’ part of the yoga sequences.

Every individual has a choice of how they want to incorporate yoga into their lives. Yoga is a practice. It is a way to stay fit. It can be a lifestyle. It is a way of BE-ing. Although I haven’t always practiced the ‘physical’ part of yoga, I’ve always lived a Yoga life. It’s the way I’ve chosen to BE and becoming a Yoga Teacher is now allowing me to share all of yoga with those who want to learn. Becoming a Certified Yoga Teacher has allowed me to expand my practice as a Living Wellness Coach and Healing Practitioner. Providing Cranio~Sacral~SELF~Waves Therapy, Deta Wave, and Pulse massage to individuals as a Licensed Massage Therapist has allowed me to help others in assisting the body to begin healing itself. Incorporating Yoga into my practice is providing the tools to help me teach others how to heal themselves through movement empowering them to take control of their own body’s health and well-being.