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 “At the centre of the most turbulent heart there is a place of peace, a place beyond time that cannot be touched by change or loss. Here in this stillness is rest and healing…” - Pam Brown
My yoga practice began fifteen years ago as a compliment to my lifelong love for movement – running, walking, biking, dancing. Yoga provided an opportunity to stretch, relax, be quiet, and also to disconnect for a short while from the cherished (but consuming) full-time role of raising three small children. I found that whatever chaos swirled around me, when I found my mat I could feel more grounded and at peace.
It was a life-changing event four years ago, the kind that turns a person’s life upside down, makes you question everything you thought you were or knew, that really led me so much deeper into my practice. It was yoga that helped me to find my way again, to wake up every day and see not only the beauty of the day, of life, but of the moment. It was yoga that helped me to breathe, really breathe. It was yoga ( and many wonderful teachers) that helped me to awaken to the wisdom of Patanjala’s Yoga Sutras by connecting to the breath, withdrawing the mind from the senses, allowing the breath to be the link between the body, mind, and spirit … connecting the breath with movement to allow the thinking mind to rest, stop turning, and be still. It was yoga that helped me to feel the light in myself and it is this light that led me to want to become trained as a teacher to share the gifts, wisdom, and calm of this practice with others.
I completed my Yoga Teacher’s Training with Ana Forrest in April, 2008. This training has been a tremendous foundation. A demanding and intense experience, the training empowered me to listen to my own voice, be confident of my intuition, and to recognize the importance of being strong at our center, both physically and mentally. I continue to passionately study and explore other yoga styles and perspectives and I am especially inspired by the joyful, uplifting, heart opening essence and alignment principles of Anusara. It seems that each page I turn as a seeker of wisdom, understanding, and peace through yoga is being layered upon the insights I have previously gained and it is this never-ending, tremendously fascinating, challenging journey of growth that I hope to share. It is also with a heart full of gratitude that I thank Mac McHugh for her inspiration, generosity, encouragement, patience, and guidance as she trained with me to teach the Niyama Hot Series helping me to reveal my true voice and to skillfully and joyfully express it.
It has been noted by many that it is often our most difficult challenges that can become the most cherished of gifts and our greatest teachers, for me it was a life threatening illness. Adversity makes us stronger, more connected to ourselves, more grateful, more compassionate, and more alive. So does yoga. If we can carry what we learn on the mat into our daily lives, finding a peaceful center, all will be well and we will know rest and healing.
Namaste.
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