First day of Yoga Better Teacher Training. Credit: Andrew Royal Dugas

I signed up for Yoga Better Teacher Training to “deepen my practice”.

On the first day, we were asked: “Why are you here?”

The first words out of my mouth were “… because I have free time, and I want to improve my strength, flexibility, and balance.” Then, after a few seconds of silence, I nervously I glossed over a story about losing a friend to suicide.

Andrew says:

“If someone is saying something – listen, because it means something to them.”

Immediately, I burst into tears, on camera, on the “infamous” spot. After many attempts, Andrew finally got me to stay quiet and notice all the thoughts that were coming up.

In that moment of silence, I got really present to my WHY…

I teach because I want others to experience total freedom (both physically and mentally) and live life with an overwhelming sense of gratitude!

It is so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, work ourselves into the ground, and put off taking care of our body and mind. (I know from personal experience!)

We spend so much time worrying about the future that we forget to live in the present moment.

You are only given this one body!

I want to give my students the tools they need to live a more active and mindful life, to move freely, without pain, to lean into discomfort so they can live life to the fullest and not be held back by physical pain or weakness.

Yoga has left me feeling empowered both on and off the mat, and I hope to share this with my students!