Start of the Yoga Journey
Yoga was an exercise that people did at the YMCA. The idea or notion that yoga was something other than a class/group exercise activity, never crossed my mind. That was my first and only understanding of yoga. Moving the body in “stretch” like positions, breathing at certain times, and showing flexibility was the only way I understood yoga for the first 12+ years of my practice. Yoga at home was the only way I practiced. I didn’t go to a studio or was ever in the presence of another yogi for almost 12 years into my yoga practice.
Embarrassment and not knowing what pose would be called next or not knowing anyone made me so nervous and kept me at home, in fear. After around 8 years or so I ended up moving to Austin, Texas for a job and this move, unknown to me, would be the true start of my yoga journey. Going to a class didn’t come until a few years (in ATX for 6 years) into my stay, however it was the moment that called me into the community.
Since I started yoga online, I went through a decent number of teachers and channels, searching for a yogi that really spoke to me. This was when I found Adriene. Yes, that Adriene, Yoga with Adriene. For years I clung to my mat in my room, watching through the screen and building up my confidence and practice. What pulled me out of the apartment room and into a studio was a Breakdance/Yoga event that was happening in the Austin area. Yup, you read that right, breakdancing and yoga.
This event was so much fun and honestly one I wish was more available or a thought that others would have and offer. The event was broken up into sections. Starting with yoga we warmed up the body and got limber, ready to move a bit faster and in even weirder positions. Then we learned breakdancing! Which was a bit more difficult than I thought it would be; however, it was fun to test and try out the moves and see what my body is capable of accomplishing.
One of the coolest moments that really brought me to a studio was the fact that Adrienne herself was at this event and I was able to speak with her. When we spoke and after I fangirled for a moment, she talked to me about her yoga experience and the difference your practice takes on when you go to a class. Thanks to this conversation and her helping me break my fear of the classroom dynamic, I took my first step into a yoga studio.
Black Cat was an amazing place. The atmosphere, classes, instructors, and students really created an atmosphere that felt welcoming, professional, grounded and well lit. I remember the lighting because it was a 5AM class that I chose as my first to attend and the lights were turned down so we weren’t bombarded by fluorescent lights and provided a really relaxing yet powerful way to start my day. Waiting as long as I did to go to the class had its pros yet cons too.
Feeling the energy of the other students. This is the biggest pro and a magical energy that courses through the hearts of all in the room. There is a pulse that occurs when around three people or more do yoga together, the energy shifts and rises. Euphoria is the best word that can describe this first yoga class experience in a studio. Warmth, community, refresh, grounding. I knew this was a special place that had been calling to me for a time and now, I was ready to answer.
After breaking the seal on my yoga class bottle and starting to attend classes, I was able to meet more yogis, teachers, try new disciplines, and expand beyond my current horizon beyond my wildest dreams. I had no clue there were so many different styles and options for a yoga practice. This was my flow era. Vinyasa was my go to and boy did I get strong. To me at this time, yoga was an exercise that made me feel amazing, helped me meet new people, and got my body into great shape. The 8 limbs were nowhere in sight.
At this time in my yoga journey, the 8 Limbs of Yoga were never uttered or explained to me until I started my 200HR yoga teacher training course. There was never much mention of meditation, breathwork, ayurveda, or really anything that went deeper into the practice. The flows were either quickly paced, warm atmosphere (hot yoga), and there wasn’t a lot of community. It was along the lines of high school or college groups getting together and exercising, wearing the clothes and doing the moves while listening to music that made you calm and feel better.
For a long while, this was my yoga. The practice was just that, practice on the mat and only the time spent there was yoga. I enjoyed this part of life. Living in Austin was a massive push up hill for me to get myself out there and in the world. At least to the best of my ability I found new friends, hobbies, and experienced things in life that I would never be able to do again. One of my favorite gatherings that I found was at the park on Saturday mornings with Steve. He was an ex-dancer who had found yoga and started doing Yoga in the Park. We’d meet each Saturday and practice for about two hours. It was donation based at the time and I honestly didn’t fully understand that type of exchange and didn’t always honor it. The limbs weren’t taught to me yet…
Through the years I continued to practice at home mostly though I did venture into studios and found myself enjoying the classes. I even took classes on campus at Apple when I worked for them at AppleCare, and this was where I got introduced to different styles and also started to ‘look’ like a yogi. Not live like a yogi, just look like a yogi. The clothes, body image, showing up and being a character on the mat. I admit that when I showed up I felt special because of how flexible I was and able to get into poses others couldn’t naturally. A sense of superiority came over me for a time and allowed my ego to get intertwined with my yoga practice.
I’d look at others in the room and see how they posed, looked or worried about what they were doing and no one really ever spoke against doing that, until Yoga Den. The cues were always shapes, leading through the flow, and nothing was really added to the practice. No grounding or meditation, speaking to the chakras, being one with life and nature, or anything that the 8 limbs touch; none of that was ever really spoken about or brought up. It was simply walk through the door, lay down the mat, follow the cues, drink some water, roll up the mat and be on my way. Nuggets? What are those?
There wasn’t much of any extra provided to the people of the class. Honestly, I don’t think the people even knew that there was more information to be had. I knew about chakras, energy, and life beyond life before coming into yoga, however merging and marrying one another together is where my journey truly began. The blending of all my interests started to come together and make sense as to why I was here. Why I had been called to the mat in the first place.
Interestingly enough, the entire reason I started yoga was due to an injury I experienced in high school during my sophomore year. Swimming a 500 freestyle short course race for points to be in the districts for my high school is where the karmic catalyst comes to play. With only 3 laps left I pulled and pushed and pulled and pushed until SNAP; my sternum snapped in half and I sank to the bottom of the pool. The pain was deadly, shocking, I couldn’t breathe or understand what had happened. The following day a doctor would tell me that I broke my sternum in half and it was my fault.
My 15, 16 year brain couldn’t comprehend any of this and it led me down a path that has in it;s weirdest way, turned me to yoga. About 4 years after the accident, I started experiencing weird one off pains that no one could explain in my shoulder and chest area. It got so bad for a year at one point, that a doctor wanted to do surgery on me to “explore and find out” what was the problem.” I said HELL NO to this after already having many surgeries by this time and wanting to limit them as much as possible and sought another option.
Thankfully I found a chiropractor who was able to assist me and heal me in less than 4 hours from meeting her. That day really changed my life because I had been in constant pain on the left side of my body, up in the shoulder area for almost 7 months and no one could tell me what the issue was and supposedly surgery was the solution. After speaking with me, looking me over, and having specific X-Rays done, she fixed me that day in 20 mins. Now I had to leave her office to get the X-Rays which is why it took 4 hours, however after she had what she needed, in total, 20 mins. From then on she helped me when I needed it and also provided me with exercises to do.
Around this time, I had come across yoga on Youtube, which was around 2009. Astrology was big for me at this time so I was already into the esoteric and open to the possibility of really anything and when I saw that the yoga videos matched the exercises my chiropractor gave me, something clicked in me. I knew that with this injury I would need to be able to support myself as I got older and as I age would need to care for myself accordingly. At first, I knew this on the physical level. There wasn’t a spiritual, nature loving, fruit and veggie eating, alien believing, starseed knowing for me yet. Yoga, though, has traveled with me alongside this path and boy it has been a journey.
Truly though, it wasn’t until recently that I truly started to understand what yoga is, stands for, and means deep to the roots. For so long it was just an exercise that you did either alone or with people, companies monetized off brands and accessories, and a certain “lifestyle look” was obtained; a frat/sorority for the world? This of course is what the West did to yoga. This is not yoga at its core.
At first, I was angry that I had to stay in Jacksonville and loathed the very essence of this place from my very core when the pandemic hit and I couldn’t leave. Now though, I see why I was made to stay. Outside of the relationships with family I needed to tighten, mend, and let go; there was a new career path awaiting and I was none the wiser. When I started yoga it wasn’t ever to teach it. I wanted to enjoy my time in the class and go about my day. It’s thanks to someone I knew for a period of time that gave the nudge in that direction.
Running was a sport I did for a time when I moved back to Jacksonville after the pandemic lifted and we could all go about our lives again. One day after completing a long run with a local group, I was doing some yoga to cool down. This gent approached me and asked if I taught yoga. Very flattered and a little stunned I said no and had honestly never considered it, I just enjoyed the practice. That’s when he proceeded to tell me that he felt the same way when he started, however the teacher training really helped him improve and as a massage therapist, become a better practitioner.
This was how I found Yoga Den and the teacher training classes that I have now completed.
At first it was just going to be the 200HR class, since that’s all I felt was necessary for me to enjoy my practice. For nine months in 2023, every two weeks of those months, we all met and learned and became a new set of teachers ready to take on the world. This was when I met the 8 Limbs.
Growing up Catholic, the 10 commandments were always the rules that you followed and could never break, or hell would be your payment. Thankfully hell is only a frame of mind and yoga taught me that. Well, the yogic path has, not the philosophy, being that I have absorbed quite a lot of esoteric knowledge and study along the way. When I found out about the 8 Limbs, I was so happy to know that there was something better than the 10 commandments and it aligned with everything I felt deep within my soul. Religion had never touched me as deeply as yoga. Yoga is home.
At first, I thought completing the 200HR-RYT was going to be enough. Having the ability to teach Mind | Body and Power would be more than enough for me moving forward. At least, that's what I told myself. Truly, I’m not sure why I decided to do the 500HR except I like to complete the things I start and the 200HR didn’t seem like enough. Also, after learning the basics of the 8 Limbs and realizing that the other forms of yoga were also at my fingertips caused a need and desire for me to know stronger than ever before.
Without hesitation, I plunged right into the 300HR-RYT courses a year after completing the 200HR, all with Yoga Den.
Outside of the other forms of yoga, getting to know the 8 Limbs was really the main reason why I wanted to go deeper into the practice. Well, that and Kundalini alongside Ayurveda and really all of it; I wanted to know it all. Since I didn’t complete or have a college degree, I felt that this was worth that same type of energy and monetary expense to enhance my world and community. This was when I decided that I was going to take my yoga to the next level and do the one thing I always wanted to do, teach.
Ever since I was a youngster, growing up and deciding what I wanted to be (which at first was a veterinarian however someone said, “ you know you’ll have to euthanize a dog,” so I didn’t continue down that path) a teacher was what rang true to my heart strings of how I wanted to show up in my community. At first it was art, then creative writing, photography, and then technology because by then the corporate world got a hold of me, and I was lost to the rat race for a spell. Luckily though, my journey has led along some pretty interesting paths and the wisdom I have gathered and want to share has made me who I am today.
Yoga has shaped me into a soul of violet flame that burns bright and steady in the night, unwavering and steadfast holding space for those that need a place to be. Whether you need to mourn, rest, scream, move, or be, yoga has been a guiding light that has led me back to Source, Goddess, the beginning of it all.
Born Catholic, gone atheist, to astrology and crystals now yoga.
This progression of events and philosophies, coupled with relationships and life in a short period of time has been the trek of this galactic traveler. It was only recently, say the last year or so, when the true calling came to me in the form of yoga, equine yoga. During one of the classes for the 500HR certification one of my classmates that had been with me through most of the journey, told me about someone offering horse yoga at a boarding facility/barn outside of the city. This is when the floodgates of my heart, soul, and the path set for me beamed brighter than ever before. Horses. How could I have forgotten about the horses?
Growing up all I ever wanted was a horse. Nothing else. Every birthday, event, gift request - a horse; I want a horse.
Granted horses are expensive compared to a dog and cat, mainly because they are considered a “working animal” which I am not happy about, however that is why I’m here. We as humans, stewards of this planet, lost the plot along the way, and allowed ourselves to be severed from the breast of our mother, Gaia. Thankfully though, through the thousands of years of waves and oceans of blood, fear, death, and decay, we are rising as a community again to become a sovereign state together as one. Yoga will get us there. Non-Violence. Asteya. Make change to the world through the eyes of the horse.
Horses are one the most in touch - present creatures you will ever encounter. They were the first domesticated animal that lived alongside humans and helped us build our civilization. War was only capable because of horses. Travel, crop growing, battle, and many more reasons are but a few of the things that horses have helped us achieve.
Now however, they are eaten, slaughtered, raped, beaten, broken, and shot dead by a population of people on this planet who do not see spirit, Goddess, or life as sacred. This is why I was born and I found Yoga. To bring my love and justice to the horse world backed by the discipline and values of the yogi.
There was a disconnect for a period of time between humans and the truth. Now that the truth is coming out and we are seeing what is real and what has been a fabrication, it’s time to pull together and do what we came here to do. Teach, heal and lead.
As I write this, I am now a certified Equine Yoga and Reiki Master, plus humans of course, however my focus is equine. Until we are able to respect, love, and cherish, the very creatures that helped us become the “rulers” we will wallow in sadness, anger, regret, and unshakable guilt until things are made right. We as humans are stewards of this planet. We are met to save and help life flourish, not destroy it.
This is my mission. To bring the 8 Limbs of yoga to the populous and help save as many horses as humanly possible. There is an issue in this world where humans believe they are the masters and the rulers of the lives of others when this couldn't be farther from the truth. As a reminder, I use the internet, the streets, and in personal conversations to bring light to the situation and make more aware that this is happening. Horses are being slaughtered daily around the world for food…..people (not in the USA) and other animals like Zoos (don’t get me started) are the main consumers of “horse meat”.
As a society we had lost our way for some time and it got dark, scary, and we allowed ourselves to be taken advantage of and lost our ability to know the truth. At long last the scales are falling from the eyes of the masses and people are waking up to the truth and what it really means to be human.
Growing up, all I ever wanted was a horse. I was told it was never possible and with that, I convinced myself this was true and completely negated myself from my true path. Thanks to yoga of all things, I am now able to work with horses, their people, and have a direct effect on their lives and help them in the ways I know how. It’s a dream come true and one I didn’t know was possible. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be there and here right now in these times to be a part of the change that we need in this world.
