Student Highlight – June 2021

I’d done ‘gym yoga’ several years ago and fell in love. I would do kickboxing for stress relief and flow for strength training. Life happens and energies went to other places. Last year as we ‘took 6 weeks to slow the spread’ my life changed dramatically. I began the process of a divorce, began a journey of my step mother who has been my best friend for 20 years living with the dementia aspect added to her Parkinson’s and trying to manage a new normal.

I began a time of self reflection and really learning who I was again and what I need and want out of life. As all of that evolved, my heart and mind kept coming back to how I physically and mentally felt when I was taking BodyFlow. During this time I was also focused on loosing the excess weight I had gained over the years. As the weight came off my thighs started jiggling. I was like oh no, even heavier they didn’t jiggle! So that was the last push I needed.

I began researching yoga studios in the Cartersville area and Etowah Valley found me. I scheduled my first Barre class the first week of January and have been hooked ever since. The first week I took 2 classes, the second week I took 3, and from then on it has been at least 5 days, sometimes all 7. It started as a way to help me tone and it is now my “me time.” I find that I am truly learning to leave life outside and stay focused during class; focused on what my body is doing, focused on each breath.

I have always been a very intense person; get it done and do it now with all you have no matter what it takes. I am learning to do what I can but take care of myself too. Yoga has brought balance, maybe a little pun intended, into my life.

It is so hard to pick a favorite class! I started out with Barre as my favorite. It is a balance of work and grace that makes me feel like a lady. Hot yoga was my nemesis. Now, I love it all, hot yoga vinyasa may be my least favorite 😉 but I love Tribal and Warm Yin.

My intentions have evolved since beginning. At first I just wanted to make my body feel better. Then I wanted to use my time on the mat as a time of movement and prayer. Some days my intention is to dedicate the goodness of my class to my step mother, giving her body some energy and strength.