Name :: Kelly
Occupation :: Account Manager
Favorite pose :: Headstand

What got me to my first yoga class was the combination of a stressful job and boredom at the gym. I was looking for something “new” that would help me to improve both physically and mentally.

Yoga is about “being present” and I continue to learn what “being in the present moment” truly means. This has helped me to filter through some of the stress and worry associated with work and everyday life.

Practicing yoga everyday has also helped me to establish a mind/body connection, to trust myself and try new experiences while keeping an open mind. You will never know if you can stand on your head until you try it! I promise you will be hooked!

Name :: Tony
Occupation :: Account Manager
Favorite pose :: Headstand

Yoga has been transformative and crucial to my path of authenticity. A few years ago I made a decision to live my life in accordance to what I believe my true self to be. This is a constant journey and has impacted my education, career, relationships, spirituality, and the way I walk in the world. Through yoga I have connected my love of music and my passion for DJing. I have been the DJ for several yoga events and make a weekly appearance at Laughing River Yoga, in Winooski VT, where I provide the soundscape for a Kripalu based yoga practice.

I began my yoga practice with Jane Jarecki in a class that met once a week at Oakledge park, in Burlington VT. We found a perfect grassy knoll overlooking Lake Champlain and it is there that I discovered my own spirituality and balance. Yoga tells me to listen to myself, the god within. In some ways, yoga was a catalyst for my recent authentic journey. Yoga found me at the perfect time of my life when I was seeking inner peace, self-awareness, balance, and power from within. The physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of yoga combine to form a perfect union of focus and awareness in my body.

Yoga is a great way to quiet the voices of doubt, self-consciousness, judgment, worry, and chatter. When I leave the yoga studio I emerge feeling lighter, walking a few inches taller, and fully aware of my place on the earth and in the universe. Yogic meditation has helped me see myself in the space around me and understand the limits of my abilities, and this allows me to walk in the world feeling more aware and confident.

I suffer from chronic neck pain and have tried many ways to relieve this discomfort. I was tired of going to the chiropractor to feel good and wanted to be proactive about my health and well being. With a combination of stretches I learned from physical therapy, yoga poses, and mindfulness; I have been able to live more comfortably with my body.

For those who are skeptical or fearful of trying yoga, I offer this advice: everyone had a first class experience. Find a teacher and  environment that welcomes beginners and encourages participants to listen to their own body when doing the poses. Yoga can be whatever you want it to be for you, and you may be surprised how it will impact you, so be open to all the possibilities. For the men out there who think that yoga is only for women, think again. Not only was yoga practiced for hundreds of years almost exclusively by men, yoga is for everybody! Challenge yourself to better yourself! Namaste.

Name :: Mandy
Occupation :: Chief Financial Officer and Mother of two
Interests/Passions :: Yoga, reading, running, spending time with family and friends
Favorite pose :: Pigeon

Q: How were you first introduced to yoga?
My sister-in-law wanted me to try a yoga class since she was practicing and she introduced my in the winter on 2001. Ever since then I was hooked. I am certain that this was what I was meant to do.

When I practice yoga, I know that the one hour I’m on my mat is my time and all my concentration is on me and what my body is feeling at that exact moment.  Even though I have gone back and forth from continuing the practice I always come back to it because I know that yoga makes me feel so good about life and allows me to put life into perspective. It allows me the opportunity to reflect on my life and strive to be a better mother and wife.  I think that the amazing thing about this form of exercising is that it encompasses so many different aspects of our lives. For example, yoga often encourages healthy eating and weight loss. It also reduces anxiety, and it just feels all around good to do for oneself.  My yoga practice continues to amaze me in seeing it’s many benefits effect so many parts of my life.

Q: How has yoga changed your life?
Yoga has transformed my life because it has introduced me to different philosophies and ways of thinking. It has made my body stronger and more flexible, but it has also made my mind free of anxiety and more aware of my surroundings.   My alone time is so limited because of work and family I continuously imagine my time on the mat and what I can do in my daily life that can reflect that time.

Q: For someone who may be skeptical or reluctant to try yoga, what would you say to them?
Try it! There are many different styles and levels of yoga. The poses, also known as the asanas, are meant for everyone no matter how flexible they are or aren’t.  If you stick with it, you will see the benefits both physically and mentally and feel so empowered. It will heal you in ways that you may never have imagined.

Our Yoga Story is about…Relationships.

Names :: Deirdre + Kari (mother-daughter)
Occupations :: Teacher, Project Manager
Interests/Passions :: Reading, painting, hiking, fashion, and yoga
Favorite poses :: Headstand, Side Crane

Name :: Sarah
Occupation :: Founder, Yoga Reaches Out and owner, Perfect Form Personal Training
Interests/Passions :: Spending time with family, yoga, and making a difference
Favorite pose :: Side plank

Life is about taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary. I have gotten to a point in my life (it took me 40 years) to realize that it is not about me. It truly is, about how I can make a difference.

Q: How were you introduced to yoga?
After the birth of my second child seven years ago, I was introduced to yoga by a few of my close friends who appreciated my love for fitness, but knew I was missing out on a whole other world. I’ve run marathons, lifted weights, cycled, etc., but it wasn’t until yoga came into my life that I was able to take my fitness to a level that incorporated body, mind and spirit.

Q: How has yoga changed your life?
Yoga has evolved for me from being a new form of exercise to a way of life. I chose to take my passion for yoga and create possibilities for others. I recently started a non-profit called Yoga Reaches Out to make a difference by bringing people together that love yoga, and want to take their passion and use that energy to give back. The mission of YRO is to bring the yoga community together and make a difference in the lives of children through fundraising efforts. I like to say, “I may be little, but I dream big.” Our inaugural event is a Yogathon at Gillette Stadium’s Field House on Sunday, September 19, 2010 to benefit Children’s Hospital Boston and Yoga For Single Moms. It is my vision to bring together hundreds of yogis from across New England for a day-long event of yoga in the name of “seva” (selfless service). For me, what happens on my mat is my inhale, Yoga Reaches Out is my exhale.

I have been asked: “Why?” Why start a project that will consume every aspect of my being? Because I am here to make a difference. It is as clear to me as a fresh glass of water. Simple but clear.

Another why?…”Why children?” This one goes deep into my core. My son, Will, was born ten weeks premature weighing three pounds. He was attached to every wire, support and tube you could imagine. He was in the NICU for seven and a half weeks. Spending every day in the intensive care unit, my husband and I witnessed the miracles that can truly happen. The magic of the doctors, nurses and all member of our support system played a life-saving role in making Will strong and well enough to go home.

Today Will is nine years old, weighs 70 pounds, and is an incredible athlete and human being. He is the gift that was sent to me to begin the understanding of why we are here. We are here to reach out, to give back, to make a difference.

Q: For someone who may be skeptical or reluctant to try yoga, what would you say to them?
I remember in one of my first classes saying, “I can’t do tree pose.”  Yoga, to me, is like life – it is not about what you can’t do, it’s about creating new possibilities and making a shift in how you view things. I would tell someone that is interested in yoga that their tree pose may be a little wobbly at first, but as they become more grounded their roots will set and then they will stand with power, strength and beauty.

Name :: Denise
Occupation :: Yoga Instructor and Full-time Mother
Interests/Passions :: Cooking, knitting, quilting, and yoga
Favorite pose :: Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose

Q: How were you first introduced to yoga?
I was first introduced to the yoga in 2000 because I had recently had a baby and was uncomfortable in my body. I was overweight and overwhelmed and thought that yoga looked like something I could do.

Q: How has yoga changed your life?
At first, yoga supported me by making increasing my flexibility and allowing me to keep up with the demands of my growing family. Yoga made my second pregnancy easier and helped me bounce back from the delivery faster than even I thought I would. I practiced mostly at home because I was still very overweight. When I made the decision to lose the weight, yoga was there for me. It was then that the more spiritual aspects of yoga began to influence my life. I found a sense of peace and homecoming in my practice. When I come to the mat, I find that all that I need is right there. I can work out all of my problems, brainstorm great ideas, and most importantly, connect with myself. The feeling of connectedness spurred me on to become a teacher so that I could share the benefits of yoga with others and hopefully give them the information they need to transform their lives.

Q: For someone who may be skeptical or reluctant to try yoga, what would you say
to them?
I think if anyone has an interest in yoga they should take a class. Most studios offer an introductory or class or have a class that is for beginners. Tell the instructor that this is your first class, get closer to the front than you want to and remember every person in the room went to their first class at some point. Then let go and let the transformation begin.

Name :: Zahra
Occupation :: Student
Interests/Passions :: Yoga (of course!), camping, snowboarding, canoeing
Favorite Pose :: Toppling tree

What started out as a simple deal between me and my mom a few years (if I came to yoga with her on Saturday mornings she would drive me to work) has turned into a very personal and amazing yoga journey for me today. Moving from Toronto to Vancouver, a very yoga engaged city, I have been exposed to a different perspective as well as different types of yoga and have observed how much of a role yoga can play in my life in just one year. It’s all about an individual practice. You are the only one that matters in a class – you, your body and your mind. It’s a rare place you can escape where you are not constantly compared to any one around you – yet you are still surrounded by wonderful people and energy. You can lie down, take a break, try something new, push a pose further, whatever you feel like doing that day – you are in total control of your practice. It’s a beautiful experience and something I crave in my life.

Yoga provides a good balance between the busy lives we all seem to lead. It allows us to be selfish and gives us a moment all for ourselves. Not to mention makes me feel stronger, more flexible and provides a good break the regular routine of hitting the gym. It is also amazing to see how much progress you can make and how much your poses can improve. Its okay to not be able to do everything right away and when you see yourself improve its really rewarding. Aside from the direct benefits of yoga, what is truly amazing is the ability to apply these same ideas of balance and progress in everyday life.

The best part about my yoga story is definitely the benefits off the mat. I find myself able to separate the negative from the positive and then only welcome the positive into my life. I am able to let the negative go in all areas of my life and focus on the good in the world and in people. The feeling I get after a yoga class is indescribable and is what keeps me going back for more. I feel refreshed, energized and happy. So simple. If you are skeptical about trying it, don’t be. Try it and keep an open mind. Don’t forget to give different types of yoga a chance because one might suit what you are looking for more. Good luck on your journey.

Name :: Lisa
Occupation :: Graphic Designer
Interests/Passions :: Writing, reading, cooking/baking, and knitting
Favorite pose :: Final Relaxation (Corpse pose)

Although I have tried yoga a number of times, it was a yoga class I took with my infant son that was the most enriching and fun. The Itsy Bitsy Yoga class, based on the book of the same name by Helen Garabedian, used a collection of gentle movements and singing to help babies learn how their bodies work and bring relaxation to babies and parents.

The class provided many benefits. My classmates were a terrific resource. We could share our struggles and trade advice. I could see in the older children what was in store for Jesse. My son seemed to get great joy from the exercises, squealing, smiling, and laughing as we did them. He also slept well after each class, a welcome bonus. In those early months of my son’s life, when I wasn’t sure how to “play” with him, the yoga moves gave us something to do together.

But perhaps the greatest benefit came at our very first session. Jesse, who was seven weeks old, slept through some of the class and was fussy when he woke, so I ended up nursing him as the others continued the exercises. The instructor assured us that chaos reigned in this class, and we should feed and change babies whenever we needed to, but I felt awkward and conspicuous doing so. When we got to the end of class and savasana, I was tense. Those early days as a mother were challenging, frustrating, and exhausting. It was new simply to be out of the house with a baby, and I felt as if my mothering were on display for all to critique. I lay on my side, eye to eye with my son, as the teacher talked us through the meditation, urging us to let go of any worry and judgment. I gave myself permission to forget everyone else in the room and really look at Jesse. At that moment, Jesse wasn’t hungry and he wasn’t crying; he didn’t require anything of me except to be near him. He looked at me, and I stared back at his big, beautiful eyes. I allowed the rest of the world to recede and connected with my son in that peaceful place.

My Yoga Story is about…Presence.

Name :: Meg
Occupation :: PhD Student, Mother of two girls
Interests/Passions :: Reading, cooking, and yoga
Favorite pose :: Eagle

Name :: Renee
Occupation :: Divorce Attorney
Interests/Passions :: Books, my son…and of course, yoga!
Favorite pose :: Dancer

It is hard to leave some of these things in the office. The neglected children who suffer at the hands of the people who are supposed to love and protect them. The people who are so angry, bitter, and scorned that they will do or say anything to hurt the one the person whom they vowed to love forever. As a divorce and family attorney, it is easy to internalize the clients’ pain, stress, and anxiety until it becomes your own.

I turned to yoga because I could not dissolve the bridge from my office to my home. There was no buffer zone in which I could retreat from the chaos. Consequently, the stress would linger in the air in my home long after the workday was complete. My first yoga class was life altering. For one hour, I stopped worrying, stopped stressing, and stopped internalizing others’ pain. In one hour, I knew that yoga would always be part of my life, not just because I enjoyed the physical challenges a practice brought, but because I needed it so that I could exhale the toxins from the job as I left my office each day.

Then one day, I needed yoga to clarify my own inner turmoil. During those days, each session gave me strength to trust my intuition and instinct no matter how painful those moments of clarity were. From external physical strength grows internal emotional strength. If my body can rise to the challenge, then so to can my spirit and soul. Yoga is not about what the person next to you is doing. Nor is it about perfecting a pose for the sake of perfection.

Yoga helps your soul sing to your heart which speaks through movement in your body. By getting lost in the movement, you find your true self and your inner strength.

Name :: Lauren R.
Occupation :: Professor
Interests/Passions :: Yoga, reading, teaching, gardening, cars, my pugs
Favorite pose :: Eagle

I’ve always been an athletic person. Throughout elementary and high school, I was on numerous basketball and track teams and also practiced martial arts as well. However, once college came and went—without much physical activity—I started graduate school in 2004 and discovered that once again, academics took priority over working out and eating well. At the time, I wasn’t very concerned because I lose weight (mostly muscle mass) when I stop working out but am naturally thin, so it didn’t occur to me that the depression I always had as a teenager was slowly creeping back into my life because of my lack of physical movement.

Grad school became increasingly stressful, but in 2007, one of my friends who had been practicing yoga for years invited me to attend a yoga session that was being taught at the community center in her town. I was immediately hooked from the first day. I couldn’t believe how calm I felt afterward, and that lightness carried with me throughout the week. I felt like I had received an hour-long massage and could move freely in my own environment for probably the first time in years. After the 11-week session was over, I found another studio nearby and attended weekly classes. I was building up strength, flexibility, and the ability to hold my depression at bay without medication. However, I eventually couldn’t work in the commute to yoga while finishing up comprehensive exams, dissertation proposal drafts, and research, so I became fully focused on academics yet again by the end of 2008.

During my last year of grad school in 2009, my life was taking an exciting but scary turn. I had gotten a full-time job teaching at my dream school, and was encouraged to finish my dissertation a semester early so as to make my application for their tenure-track job more competitive. My husband, knowing that I would get the position (I was not so sure!) made a gutsy move and put our house on the market, which I felt put even more pressure on me to get the job. I was teaching four classes a semester, finishing my dissertation, showing our house, packing for a move, and prepping for a job talk. My relationship with my husband became strained even more as he became tired of his role as the “dissertation widower.” I began to lose weight rapidly. My normal weight of 130 pounds (at 5’9”) dropped to 120 in about a week, right around Thanksgiving. I experienced my first panic attack while sitting in a restaurant with my best friend, not knowing what was happening to me because I had never really felt anxiety of that magnitude before. I dropped down to a low of 117 pounds and was having five to six anxiety attacks daily. I couldn’t stand up to lecture by my third class of the day and could no longer walk up the stairs to get to the second floor of the building where I taught.

I defended my dissertation in December of 2009 and had a complete breakdown the following month. I brought myself to my doctor who prescribed an SSRI to control my anxiety just so that I could get through the move and the job talk I had scheduled for late January. In a matter of a few days, we had moved into our new home, I had gotten the tenure-track position, and my husband and I began to repair our relationship. I was able to eat again, and when I could keep myself at 125 pounds, I went to a yoga class near the university where I teach. I was weak, tired, and had lost most of the muscle mass I had built up from the previous year’s worth of yoga. I couldn’t hold a plank, couldn’t do a push up, and became out of breath almost immediately. But I kept at it and yoga slowly brought me back up out of the mental and physical fog that had become my life. My yoga instructors are amazing. They were kind to me when I was unkind to myself, and they encouraged me to begin letting go of the anxiety I couldn’t shake on my own. Yoga was and continues to be a welcome break in my day where I can truly focus inward and get to know who I am. Being able to do my practice regularly has been the biggest reward to me. Because I couldn’t focus on myself at all during the past few years, having time to get to yoga and (literally) just breathe has helped me to slow…. everything….down….and learn about who I am as a result of the numerous life changes I’ve gone through.

Name :: Becky
Occupation :: Registered Dietitian and Mother of three
Interests/Passions :: Running, spinning, baking, music, vacationing with family, and my kids
Favorite pose :: Side Crane

As a wife to a supportive husband, mother to three very active kids, working full time as a dietitian and taking classes to get my masters, life can be a little hectic.  Finding time for myself is a special treat and that special treat is YOGA!

As long as I can remember my life has been centered around “getting in a workout” and if I missed a day I was irriatable and couldn’t focus on the path ahead of me. This obsession I had with exercise was interfering with my desire to do more with my life and goals.

In the 9 months since starting yoga, I have been able to put a grip on that obsession and let go of “that workout.” The ironic thing is my body and mind have never felt stronger.Fitting in a yoga class once or twice a week stays with my mind and body much longer than running a couple of miles. With the focus and strength yoga has given me my goals are achievable.

Challenging to fit Yoga between responsibilities?

Yes, but TO BE STRONG is worth it for my husband, kids and me!