My Yoga Story

Yoga has been a big part of my life for the past few years, and I it has definitely changed my life for the better. I started doing yoga when I was 15. At first, I would just do a yoga video occasionally. Then, when I was a senior in high school, my family joined a gym and I started going to yoga classes there and really beginning to enjoy it. When I went to college, I was lucky that there was a great fitness program available for students that offered group fitness classes including yoga. Over my freshman year I began to deepen my practice and grow my love for yoga. I also began to try out studio classes. I started with Corepower but quickly found other studios in the area to go to as well (San Diego is a yogi's paradise!). Over the summer, I attended even more studio classes ranging from hot yoga, power yoga, Bikram, Ashtanga, Anusara, Yoga Sculpt, Yoga Barre and vinyasa. Even when I went on vacations I did yoga, either researching studios in the area (I found a great one in Dallas) or using DVDs. I saw a great deal of change not only my practice, but also in my diet and health in general. Yoga gave me more self confidence and helped me deal with stress better.

Before I found yoga, I had never been athletic. Growing up in an extremely athletic family (my dad is a college basketball coach, my mom is a runner, my sister and brother each play multiple sports), it was frustrating for me. I always struggled with my weight and body image. I tried losing weight many times, even resorting to unhealthy measures, but my attempts never lasted very long. Once I started doing yoga though, I found myself getting healthier. I got in better shape and I began eating healthier. I've been a vegetarian since I was 15, but once I started doing yoga, I realized the importance of health. Since then, I started enjoying eating healthy foods and have felt so much better inside and out!

From pretty early on in my yoga practice, I knew I wanted to teach someday. Once I started taking studio classes my freshman year of college, I realized even more that I wanted to be able to share yoga with others. After months of research, I finally found Bird Rock Yoga in Pacific Beach, where I did my 200 hour teacher training this spring. I learned so much during training, both about yoga and about life in general. I deepened my practice in ways I had not expected. Training is both mentally and physically strengthening since it requires a lot of dedicated work, but, in the end, it is so rewarding. Through training I met some wonderful people who I learned a great deal from. It was so nice to be surrounded by people who love yoga as much as I do and who are extremely supportive. Needless to say, when teacher training ended, I was definitely filled with mixed emotions - excited to be a yoga teacher, but sad that I wouldn't be in training anymore!


Now, I am beginning my journey as a yoga teacher. I have done a few donation based classes at beaches and parks here in San Diego and I am interning at Ignite Yoga Fusion in San Marcos. Every time I teach, I am even more sure of my decision to become a yoga teacher.

This blog will follow my life as a yoga instructor. It will also include posts about yoga, fitness, health and travel.

To learn more about my donation based classes, please "like" my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BlissfulWarriorYoga!

Namaste!! <3