"More than Stretching" ~ Erica R.

Transformative Pose: Ardha Chandrasana, Half Moon

When I first discovered yoga, my expectation was to get the extra stretching that I wasn't getting from running. I thought of it as merely rounding out my exercise routine. I had no idea that yoga touched on breathing, mental focus, and spiritual centering when I started. Or that those feelings of focus, well-being, and clarity would stay with me even after leaving a session.

I have come to greatly appreciate the meditative benefits of deep breathing. By learning to quiet my mind I feel like I have tapped into an inner well of patience towards an appreciation for the world. It has allowed me to be more patient with myself and others. I know now that being still and breathing can help me through a tough situation just as effectively as it does through a tough pose.

When I learned to tuck my tailbone, my yoga experience changed completely. My very arched, small of my back has always made proper alignment a challenge for me, but that one adjustment has made all the difference. Now poses (like Chair and Warrior I) are possible and it helps me to engage my body in poses like tadasana and downward dog. I now even approach waiting for the train or the elevator as an opportunity to practice proper alignment and make it part of my everyday routine.

One of the things i really like, is the way you offer direction. Not just adjusting, but when there needs to be an adjustment you explain how it should feel, which works well for self adjustments. And your general attentiveness to work at our comfort level, but still challenging us to push through it.

Half moon (Ardha Chandrasana) is my transformative pose. I was pleasantly surprised the first time I got into the pose. For someone with asthma, I actually felt my lungs get full of air and strong! This pose gives me great relief when I'm feeling short of breath. It is very empowering to feel confident and grounded in such a difficult balancing pose.

It's also been great to share this with my husband, especially as he's beginning to develop an awareness of his body, and health. Moving forward, I hope to gain strength in my core and flexibility in my legs and hips. I also hope to learn to connect with my heart and become more focused through meditation.

*Student since Jan 09, Partner & Private Bi-Monthly Sessions

"When you work on yoga, yoga works on you." ~ Mu-Hsien Lee

Yoga first started working on me in 2003. Curious, and knowing little about it, I asked a teacher at my neighborhood studio, "What can someone expect to get out of yoga?" She simply responded "Whatever you put into it." I was expecting something a little more like relaxation, or stress relief...but her response was reflective of the relationship between the development of one's personal yoga practice and of the self. That your external world is a manifestation of your internal.

As I continued to practice, I realized that the emphasis was on "you". Your journey, your intentions, your observations, your explorations. I discovered the courage to honor the needs of my body and self, and experienced liberation from judgement. What others were doing in class had no bearing on the work that I was doing.

Often times after an especially focused practice, I'd lay in Savasana, with a clear mind free of distracting and unhelpful thoughts. In those times of clarity, only the most important aspects in life would surface, allowing answers to big looming questions to appear. Regardless of my circumstances, I would often leave class with a feeling of "All is well." These insights planted the seed for what was to manifest years later.

~ THE THINGS WE ARE MEANT TO DO IN LIFE OFTEN START OUT AS SEEMINGLY INSIGNIFICANT THOUGHTS.

Enter stress, pressure, thoughtful solutions, beautiful designs. My design career was and is still a passion of mine. I learned a great deal through the years, but I also collected poor habits and chronic health issues along the way. Yoga re-emerged with greater intensity years later. It brought balance into my life and course corrected the health of my mind, body, and spirit.

I began my RYT 200 yoga teaching certification at The Global Yoga Center, Chicago, a Yoga Alliance Certified Training Program. Inspired by the teachings of Rita Knorr (Anusara Certified), Rhonda Kantor (RYT 500) and Dorie Silverman (Anusara Inspired) I teach with a watchful eye towards the student's individual needs while challenging a new understanding of themselves beyond the poses. I am grateful to all of my teachers, including Martin Kirk, Max Strom, and Seane Corne.

Currently I am continuing to deepen my therapeutic training by apprenticing with Gabriel Halpern. Using modified and supported poses, I teach one-on-one with students at his Gentle class at Yoga Circle. Gabriel's indepth experience and teachings in healing injuries, chronic issues and pain management, delivered with Iyengar's wisdom and teachings, continue to keep me a humble student.