What Sparked My Interest in Yoga?

I originally wanted to take yoga as a cross training method in between taking dance classes and resting. Before I started taking it in September 2017 I had only experienced yoga at a dance intensive or two. I have seen examples of yoga helping to increase and maintain flexibility and with my new found practice I hope to enrich my approach to dancing when it comes to use of the breath and muscles. I have been dancing for more than half of my life and I have recently gotten to a point where I feel stagnant in creativity. I thought that pursuing yoga would allow me to set my mind free of self-criticism and high expectations that I place on myself.

After just minor exploration into the world of yoga practice and I saw what it can not only do for my body, but also my mind and spirit; it can become a way of life for me. When recently learning the meaning of vinyasa I have come to realize that yoga is an alternative dance. I am excited to see what more I can find out about myself through this journey.

I often suffer from daily anxieties and just the act of yogic breath has helped me to find peace throughout my day. I want to continue and deepen my practice so that deep breathing can become like second nature to me. As well as bringing peace to my life and my passion of dance I hope to educate others on the benefits of yoga, particularly the youth. Although the benefits of yoga can be explored at any age, it seems that teaching at a younger level would have tremendous benefits to the upbringing of an adolescent whether it be mentally, physically, or emotionally.Since I have recently started teaching dance I find that the way we are learning how to breathe through each asana (pose) is really helping me to think about the way I experience movement and how I explain it to my students. Also learning the different moral principles of yoga is allowing me to reevaluate the way I treat my self and others. I hope to continue this practice, and as a result ensure my life is made more peaceful in the way I live it.