How Yoga Came Into My Life

Yoga draws in a variety of people from all walks of life. But everyone has their own story for how it came into their life.

My first yoga class was in my hometown of Hiawatha, KS. I was 17 years old and knew very little about yoga. I was a lifeguard and about to head to college and feared the “Freshman 15” so I wanted to “stay skinny.” I went to a few classes, but ultimately didn’t do anything else with it. I honestly can’t tell you much about the actual class itself.

Fast forward to college. I had never been to an actual gym before so the thought of going to the KSU rec intimidated me. I ended up going to some workout classes with friends. I tried a few yoga classes here and there, but it was a struggle to get up and actually go so early in the mornings.

Then I got to real adulthood where I was on my own, in a toxic relationship, working 60+ hours a week, with no healthy outlets. I only went to yoga when someone asked me to go with them, but it was always a good outlet for me. Then I finally made it a weekly practice by going to class at my gym. Who knew hip openers and pranayama could make me feel something?

When I spur of the moment accepted a job and moved to Las Vegas, finding yoga classes around town was how I would get out of the apartment and meet people. I attended a lot of classes with Booze Yoga and also went to whatever was offered at my gym and met others in the industry who opened my eyes to a variety of yoga classes and drove me to decide to actually become a teacher.

I moved back to the Midwest and after applying and talking to the owners of Dharma House and putting things off for five months due to life, I finally began the path of my RYT-200. Through a pandemic, losing a job, quitting another, starting a new one, moving in with my boyfriend, getting engaged, and eventually married, yoga was one thing I stuck with throughout.

Even though there have been days and weeks even where I don’t touch my mat, the practice and teachings of yoga always stay with me. I have grown and changed in my practice over the last year and a half, but it’s help me find my realization as a teacher:

To help students come back into touch with their bodies, find a brighter outlook on life, and become their truest self.