Spotlight

A yoga studio is more than just a room. It’s a community of teachers, assistants and most of all students. The students at Breath and Body Yoga bring their vitality, love, and happiness to our space creating an amazing community. This section is a spotlight on a few of the students who have shared their practice and joy with us. If you would like to share your experience on the spotlight page, please email Lauren.

Meet Brenda & Chelsea

Brenda:  Registered Nurse and works at 7 different Seton Hospitals.

I have been practicing off and on for about 15 years.  I had just moved back to town and went a few times to a Bikram Studio which just reinforced why I don’t like Bikram. I actually found Breath and Body through my work, they offer a discount to Seton Employees.  I’ve been practicing at Breath and Body for almost 2 years.  I sometimes only practice 3 times a week, but recently I’ve started trying to practice almost everyday. I can really tell the difference in my body and my life when I practice more. I’m finding that the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. The times when I think I’m too busy, I find that practicing more actually gives me more energy to do all the things I have to do.

This practice has changed my life. I turn 50 in a few months and I have a little scoliosis, but I feel so healthy and my body feels young. I know I might be having back or joint problems without this. I’ve been meditating for almost a year and I’m enjoying a more nimble and peaceful mind as well. This is all a direct result of my experiences at Breath and Body. The practice is challenging, but for all levels. When I first started coming here I felt so intimidated because I would see the instructors in my classes. But these classes really are all levels and the person who is new to yoga, and the instructor, and the athlete are all working equally as hard in the same class. So it’s not like I’ll ever get bored. And the teachers are so precise in the way they teach, I feel safe even in difficult poses. And now my daughter practices with me and it’s so good to do something healthy with her. I thought my life-long exercising had turned her off any kind of physical activity, but she’s found something she loves.

Favorite Pose:  I don’t just have one favorite pose. I love the standing meditative poses like Tree and Eagle. But I also love Half-Pigeon because it’s something you would never do to your body on your own. I often fidget in this pose, because it’s uncomfortable for me. But I love it.

Meet Chelsea:

1. How long have you been practicing yoga?

~I have been taking some yoga classes on and off for the past 8 years, but did not consider myself a yogi until I came to Breath and Body Yoga.

2. How did you find Breath and Body Yoga?

~ Its all thanks to my mom and I am so grateful to her for pushing me to come to a class. Mom has always tried to get me to work out with her since I was a kid and I always resisted. I enjoyed watching TV and sitting on my butt, not running or doing yoga. Luckily for me, she convinced me to come to a DJ yoga session and I was hooked. I always though the heat would do me in, but with the door open and the music motivating me, I successfully finished one of the hardest workouts of my life. I have been coming to class ever since.

3. How many times a week do you practice?

~I practice 3 times per week at the studio.

4. What benefits do you get from yoga? 

~Where do I begin? Not only does my body look and feel 100 times better after just 6 months of regular practice, but my mind is calm now as well. If I have a stressful day at work, I know I can just come to a yoga class and all of that anxiety will be forgotten. Practicing the Baptise sequence is definitely difficult, but that’s the only way I can get my mind to turn off. If I’m concentrating on holding a pose or moving through the sequences, I’m not worried about work earlier or what I have to accomplish when I get home. I just move and let my mind rest. I have also never been so proud of myself for what I accomplish each class. I come home excited to tell my fiance about a new move I learned or that I held crow a little longer than normal. The instructors are extremely positive and motivate me so much. Their kind words about the power we have within ourselves and our bodies pushes me to hold my pose a little longer or try a move I never thought possible. I leave class sweating more than I’ve ever sweat in my life, but I also leave with a new outlook on life and the knowledge that I can accomplish anything the world throws at me.

5. What is your profession?

~I work at an local online coupon company, Offers.com, as a Production Associate.

6. What is your favorite pose?

~I love any forward fold. I especially enjoy Paschimottanasa and am so impressed that I can put my forehead on my knees by the end of most classes. I also really enjoy Wheel. This is a pose I used to do for fun as a kid, but never thought would translate to my adult life. I now happily welcome the bend in my back and the vitality this pose gives me.