Rachael, as an Aussie who has spent very little of your working life in Australia or the developed world, how did you come to learn yoga?

In 1999 I just walked into Newtown Community Hall looking to learn. There was a local class and I started attending regularly. Little did I know it was an ideal environment to build a solid foundation of yoga, pranayama and meditation practice that is still unfolding today. The one and a half hour classes opened space for a deep dive into structural alignment from my toes right to the top of my head. The teacher gave strong structural foundations so that we could transition to a flowing sequence with inversions and pranayama.

His instructions were always extensive and precise. It gave beginners like myself access and insights to a whole other level of what might be possible. I was transfixed to observe my teacher in incredible lotus position head stands and some kriyas I have never observed by anyone else since. I feel very lucky and grateful – I didn’t realise I was learning from one of best yoga teachers in the country. Thank you, Simon Borg Olivier.

You’ve selected some of the most emotionally challenging work I can imagine. Did you see the same kinds of stories playing out in different countries?

The organisations I worked for address inequality and injustice in communities around the world, through partnership with local organisations and local communities. The practical impact of this work has left a profound mark on me.

I have witnessed with my own eyes the personal devastation of conflict and post-conflict events happening around the world. Syrians with haunting eyes as they sought safety for their families in Jordan – fleeing war and conflict. Communities in Laos growing food and cash crops in fields still surrounded with land mines. Vietnamese young people living with disability from agent orange, just trying to access dignity.

I travelled to remote and hard to access communities and listened to people’s stories. Travelling into restricted parts of Myanmar to meet with the Rohingya people, a few years prior the Army’s mass killing of civilians; to the West Bank to meet with Palestinians farmers as they navigated checkpoints to take their produce to market, often spoiling on the way while waiting in the hot sun.

I listened to women and men talk about what happened to them and have been an attuned and present witness to see how communities try to come back together to rebuild their lives. Tamil families returning to their homes after decades of civil conflict in Sri Lanka, houses covered with bullet holes, tall trees growing through the roof, land cordoned off by UXO land mine tape.

I have seen people’s courage, dignity, strength, and grit. Women in PNG and the Solomon Islands working in local organisations to support other women surviving against systemic gender-based violence. Women and men in Afghanistan determined to access education for their girls.

I observed the critical importance of collective efforts of people coming together to support one another to address the multitude of systemic barriers so many communities face. The strength of Pacific Island communities advocating locally and globally to tackle the climate crisis and protect their ancestral lands from sea level rise.

No matter where I have been, I am always humbled by our ability to connect across language, culture, and life circumstances to look into each other’s eyes, to see our mutual humanity. Visiting all of these communities I realised we all share the same concerns – safety and opportunities for our families; dignity of decent work; future plans and dreams; and our connections to each other.

No matter what insurmountable odds communities have faced, there was always hospitality, an offering and an invitation, an expression of culture through food, drink, and story. And in some beautiful cases, music and dance. It was a reclamation of humanity, a remembering of what it means to be alive and with each other.

These days, yoga is often presented superficially as physical exercise, and on the other extreme it can be expressed so philosophically that it seems like an aloof luxury afforded to those with comfortable lives. How has yoga practically interacted with your journey?

I would describe it as foundational for my personal health and wellbeing and a critical pathway into a state of regulation for my nervous system.

I have come to realise over the decades of on/off practice, that my yoga and meditation practices were access points to metabolise and transmute my feelings. Emotions I might still be carrying once I returned home from long-haul work visits could be processed by coming back to my body, coming back to my breath, grounding into the present moment, tuning into internal sensations, and fine-grained awareness of what was going on inside.

By moving, stretching, focusing, and breathing long slow inhales and exhales, I was releasing any contraction or tension being held. With deepening awareness of what was arising, I found a level of spaciousness and calm. It became a source of nourishment and connection.

In daily evening meditation I accessed deep witness consciousness capacity (thank you Sally Kempton). From the practice of holding a steady and relaxed gaze and an even, steady breath while going into deep stretches, I was widening my window of tolerance and expanding my capacity for what I could manage. From that place, I could keep going.

Having yoga as a practice to transmute tough emotional experiences meant I could be more available to what might be happening in the present moment when meeting with communities. Meditation practice supports me to be able to drop into the heart and remain open hearted, curious, and compassionate. To hold a relaxed, open, and steady presence, so that people felt safe to turn towards me, to be open and share. It is those moments where it is crucial to not become overwhelmed, flooded, numb, or turn away.

It’s difficult hearing about these situations, much less being on the ground. How can frontline workers sustain yourselves over the long term? Exposed to individual and collective trauma, how can you minimise the risk for vicarious trauma?

How we maintain our own wellbeing while turning towards the polycrises facing the global community really is the big question. In recent years I have learned about the neuroscience of the nervous system, about our hyper- and hypo-arousal states, which has provided me with the scientific explanation to my and others’ experiences and reactivity.

Now that I understand the physiological Fight, Flight, Freeze responses when we experience an overwhelming situation, I reflect even more on my practice.

While these are highly intelligent survival mechanisms of the nervous system in the moment to help us to survive, they cannot be sustained beyond the immediate action required to keep us alive.

Trauma can occur if this survival mechanism gets stuck, and we start reacting as if there is a threat, when there is no actual threat anymore. If an overwhelming event occurs in our past, and we didn’t have a way to process it, to be seen, witnessed, or held safely, or find a way to transmute what happened to us, then this is how trauma can become installed in the body. 

Learning about trauma has given me great cause for deepening my compassion when I observe reactivity or numbness in community.

It is important for all of us to avoid burnout or becoming consumed and overtaken by anger, cynicism, bitterness, resentment, grief, or numbness and depression.

These are all very understandable feelings under the circumstances, but we can learn how to cultivate an inner practice, to develop an inner state of safety, joy, awe, compassion, and equanimity. Feeling rage at the injustice of it all is a healthy fight response, however we cannot use this fuel to drive our work forever – it only burns us out.

Coming to the work from a place of regulation lowers the temperature and is more sustainable. We also need to be resourced from our own community to support us. We cannot do this healing alone. It’s not easy but necessary.

This is an incredible recounting, and I’m sure Yoga Australia members would have similar anecdotes in their lives.

Absolutely! Understanding the nervous system and becoming trauma-informed has provided significant reflection and insights into the even deeper value of my yoga, pranayama and meditation practices than I ever realised.

One time I talked to my trauma-informed yoga teacher friend who had also worked in international development. She said, “you didn’t realise your yoga practice was saving your life!”

A practice which combines body movement with breath (just like song, dance, ceremony) is invaluable in the prevention and treatment of trauma. Moving stuck and frozen energy in the body through movement and breath is a key pathway to regulate the nervous system back into a state of safety and social engagement.

It’s particularly effective when practicing with others as we co-regulate with each other in collective spaces.

Australia is in the midst of heightened discussion of these kinds of issues, and there is the likelihood for exposure or re-exposure to personal and sensitised wounds. Is there any advice you would give to someone on this land who feels angry, afraid, or despondent?

The skills we learn through yoga, pranayama and meditation help with the universal foundational need: to regulate and metabolise challenging experiences. Our practice supports us to become more available to the present moment and clearly perceive the suffering of ourselves and others, with compassion and loving kindness.

During overwhelming moments, we can return back to our breath, tune back into our bodies, and move the energy in a way that feels right, such as more restorative yoga practices, and being in nature and on Country. We can return to our practice again and again, so that the practice becomes an anchor we draw upon.

From this place, we can sense into our own collective trauma wounds that are surfacing in our own community. We can be the witness to the pain, and expand our capacity to hold space for ourselves and others to transmute whatever emerges. More than ever, we have access to tools and resources needed to support each other, and those most vulnerable and marginalised in our community.

When Swami’s son, Sanjay, invited me to Swami’s Retreat for a weekend I literally did a little happy dance. I was there to speak with him about his mother, the legendary Swami Sarasvati, who was a household name due to her TV show that began in the late 1960’s. It was with Swami that, at the age of 12, I began my yoga journey. I remember going to her class with my mum and being…inspired! Now, here I am 40 years later, back in the presence of my very first yoga teacher.

Swami was often asked “what sort of yoga do you teach?”  Sanjay tells me that her answer was always the same, simply “yoga”.  Sanjay reflects on Swami’s view that yoga allows us to embrace the ordinary and connects us with out true selves.  Swami saw yoga as a means of living and enjoying a fulfilling, yet simple, life.

Swami’s philosophy is that yoga is for everyone, and that yoga is not about the poses, but rather it is a way of life. Her playfulness and ability to be inclusive certainly stirred a passion for yoga in so many people and has drawn in students from all over the world. Sanjay said that his mum had a unique talent for making yoga simple and accessible to all. Swami’s yoga integrates philosophy, and a slow Hatha Style – traditional yoga. It is not about the achievement of certain postures. It is not what you do, it is who you are. You are yoga. Yoga is within you. It is about doing the self-inquiry and chipping away at the crud (samskaras) to release what is within you.

Swami’s best advice would bring us to the core practice of yoga. Don’t worry about others, do what you need to do. Be the best you can be. Be kind and be useful.

When asked about teaching teachers, Sanjay reiterated Swami’s belief that you need to build relationships. Build your relationship with yoga and share that passion with others. In order to teach you must practice and gather experience. When you are ready the students appear, and they seek you out. There is a natural evolution. He says that yoga invites people to delve deeper. Swami would not just teach a standard repertoire but would cater to individuality. Swami encouraged finding your own way to teach from what you know. Swami’s yoga is comprehensive and goes beyond basics, off the mat and into everyday life.

Sanjay says his mum’s advice to teachers would be to remind them that you never know who is going to turn up. You might have a plan, but it may not always go to plan. Teach to the student in front of you. That is what makes you a teacher. Otherwise, you are just a performer. Learn the principles behind yoga. Not just rote learning of sequences. Understand the foundations and apply them to the people in the classroom. Connect with the students. Yoga is part of you so share what you love doing. Have empathy for your students. Feel for them. See what they are going through and adapt to that.

“We can teach you how to teach yoga but the passion, that spark, for yoga has got to come from inside you!”

~ Sanjay Hackett

Swami and Sanjay both say yoga is to be shared. It is a gift to the world. It can change the world. Bring a friend. We are connected through yoga. We can create that consciousness that can change the world. We share yoga, people just turn up and it goes on.

As it turns out I got to reconnect with Swami the day before she passed.   I was able to express my immense gratitude to her for being established on the path of yoga and having the light of yoga lit within me through her teachings.

Swami was a beloved Yogi, and one of the first to bring yoga to Australia. She inspired and guided so many of us. Her teachings will continue to live on through her students, and the many lives she touched. Sanjay said, she planted many positive seeds through her teachings which have grown into a beautiful forest of strong and resilient yoga trees.

Meeting Swami was such a bright introduction to yoga. I believe my life has been more healthy, balanced, and joyful because of Swami’s early influence. I sense this influence in the way I teach today. Like so many others, I will be forever grateful for the way she brought the transformative practice of yoga into my life.

By Rebel Tucker

The name Eve Grzybowski is one that is affectionately revered by many yoga students and teachers. She has been described as an ‘Australian yoga pioneer’. Many have Eve’s book ‘Teach Yourself Yoga’ proudly on their bookshelf. Her book was first released in Australia in 1997 and became an immediate bestseller. Eve’s yoga has touched many lives and her passion for creating a community around yoga is why she’ll leave a legacy that will remain in the hearts of yogis worldwide! 

Eve, in her ageing years, says she still feels as if she is just taking one step at a time. She recognises that she is now picking up the mantle of being an elder in her community. This means she feels as if she wants to be out there offering something from her life experience. Yoga has infused all she has done in life since her younger years and she is still contributing as a yoga teacher and mentor.  

Eve also brings a yogic lens to her drive for caring for our planet. A wish she has is that yogis would raise awareness for the things that are important. She feels we can take a stand and take initiative to bring these messages across into our classes. That we can evolve our communication to be clear, loving and well received. 

Yoga put Eve on a path that has shaped her for over 52 years. She says yoga has given her a channel to live in, which has narrowed as she has gone along and gotten older – yet has given her the freedom to be more of herself. Yoga has guided her to be more of what she would want to be as a person.  

“I was all about accomplishment, and this was a huge teacher for me.” Humbly, she feels as if she is still developing and evolving herself.   

Living in a beautiful regional part of NSW, Eve is enjoying life and says that at this stage in her life she really feels that she is ‘spinning from her own wheel.’ The need to be a perfect teacher has gone and she shares yoga because she simply loves it and knows it well. It took her time to find her own voice as a teacher.  

She’d love aspiring or new teachers to know that part of the journey is that you grow into expressing yourself through your own experiences. As you embody the wisdom of yoga this knowledge will begin to flow freely from you. But who knows how long that will take! It’s an organic process.  Eve absolutely loves witnessing others learn to spin from their own wheel. 

Currently Eve is drawn to inversions in her personal practice. She also does free weights and enjoys long walks with her husband and friends. She loves singing and even spontaneously brings song into her yoga classes. Her voice is magical. Lucky them! 

“May you have a beautiful moment. May you breathe it in and out again.” 

Her appreciation for yoga as a spiritual practice is preeminent. Over the years she has learnt to be discerning of who she looks to for inspiration and would advise us to do the same. She says to appreciate what our experiences light within us. To know that what you think is missing is not really missing, that it is finding a way to express itself. She says that she has learnt lessons from the ‘presents’ that she was given that she didn’t necessarily want at the time! 

Her older years have brought a collection of conditions that present in different ways. This has reinforced her intention to elegantly offer variations to her students, to be inclusive and to intend that ‘we can all do yoga together!’ It’s not all about the postures! 

Eve believes that pranayama, meditation, and self-study, are the tools to foster when developing your own practice, and should be encouraged in your students.  She feels that had she found these tools at an earlier stage she would have bounced around less and found her channel sooner.   

As she has grown older her practice has changed. Eve is mindful of different tools for different stages of life. Knowing what is and isn’t a useful tool, or teacher, for you now is a something to be aware of.  

Now Eve is less inclined to have a ready answer to every question and instead responds from her lived experience. She says, “Ultimately yoga is about developing loving kindness and that manifests in so many different ways.” Eve inspires self-inquiry in her students. She encourages us to refer to ourselves, to adapt the tools of yoga where we need to, and to consider how we are developing our own self-care and nurturing. 

By Rebel Tucker

Harrowing as the prisoner camp was, the gift of yoga emerged from this experience.

In 1945, the war ended and Roma arrived safely back in Australia with her son and was reunited with her husband. Not long after they moved to South Africa and she began modelling.  But she had been exposed to a bacteria in the camp that had plagued her with stomach issues.  She went from doctor to doctor and no one could help her.  Eventually Roma sought counsel from a Chinese Medicine doctor.  He could not prescribe any medicines or herbs to help Roma.  But what he did prescribe changed the course of Roma’s life, and the foundations of yoga in Australia.  The doctor recommended Roma start attending yoga classes with Yogeswarananda.  She went to her first class not sure what to expect.  She followed the teacher’s instructions, focused on her breath, and left that first class with a sense of wellbeing never felt before.

Through Yogeswarananda’s encouragement and guidance Roma undertook to truly understand Laya yoga, the Bhagavad-Gita, and the Mahabharata. 

“Yoga taught me that peace is something that can only be achieved by coming to know yourself …”

In 1957, after a divorce, Roma returned to Australia.  Although still modelling, Roma felt the urge to do something more, to give back to “yoga”, and share the propound benefits with others.  However, even in Sydney, yoga schools were few and far between.  Roma began teaching her friends about yoga.  She was determined to change society’s perceptions:  Yoga was more than head-stands.  She wanted Australians to understand that yoga was, in fact, a way of life.  And so, a small studio on busy Pitt Street in Sydney was born.

With her modelling connections, Roma managed to convince various magazines and daily papers to run articles about the benefits of yoga.  By 1962, the Roma Blair School of Yoga was growing rapidly.  Roma demonstrated yoga in supermarkets, shopping malls and on TV.  Roma had also established the Roma Blair Yoga Club – a flourishing community for yoga teachers.

At the age of 43, Roma travelled to India and received the honour of being Australia’s first female swami.  As the air filled with the perfumes of sandalwood and lotus blossom, Swami Satyanananda initiated Roma, bestowing upon her the name Swami Niramalananda – ‘pure bliss’.

In 1967, Roma founded the International Yoga Teachers Association (IYTA) in Australia.  She was the backbone of IYTA, providing a nurturing community for teachers.  Roma dedicated her life to spreading the benefits of yoga throughout Australia.  In 2003, at the age of 80, Roma received the Leadership Award, on International Women’s Day, for her contribution to the community, and for being an inspirational role model. 

On the 5^th November, 2013, aged 90, Roma left this world.  She attributed her long life to yoga, prayer and meditation. 

“We are not here on Earth for a very long time, so for every day that we are blessed with, it’s up to us to seek individual peace, generosity, and happiness.  That’s exactly what I’ve done, and will keep striving to do.”

Yoga Australia thanks Roma Blair (Swami Niramalananda) for her dedication and commitment to yoga, and for shaping yoga in Australia as the practice we know today.

*All quoted words are from the book Roma: From Prison to Paradise, as told to Rachel Syers & Karin Cox, 2004.

Avril Bastiansz organised her first ever Yoga Retreat in December of 2021. Although her first, this event had been in the pipeline for quite some time, working around travel restrictions faced over the last two years. However, we are happy to announce that she was finally able to bring her dream to life, and she has generously shared with us how she did it! 

What is the overall aim/theme of your retreat? 

The Philosophy behind my retreat was to go on a retreat to deepen your spiritual practice, once a year would be ideal for this type of activity. A complete reset. Original plan was to take people to Sri Lanka. 

The theme included Veyda meditation, transcendental meditation, shakti meditation, feminine. Ayurvedic lifestyle retreat. It was a Meditation retreat- oral tradition where the teacher passes on teaching & initiates the pupil into the teaching. 

How have you incorporated this into the retreat? 

I incorporated meditation, yoga, ayurvedic lifestyle. Attendees receive the treatments & experience the ayurvedic lifestyle. It included a vegetarian diet, working through purifying the body & the mind & release stressors. 

Is this for a specific target market? 

Attendees don’t need to have a yogic background, it does help if you have had some experience and wanting more knowledge to deepen their experience but not necessary for this retreat. Great opportunity for first time meditators who wanted to be initiated. Retreat includes an Introduction, initiation & knowledge- 3 different sessions. 

When searching for a location/ venue, what were your top 3 must-have’s? 

•  Local. 1–2 hour drive from Melbourne. 
• Have everything on site, not having to leave the retreat centre. Energy is contained and undisturbed. 
• Surrounded by beauty, nature & tranquility. Booked at Amarant Retreat Centre, Yarra Valley. 

I wanted a forest feel, there are different energies with elements and the retreat location needs to align with this. 

How did you conduct research? 

I inspected the venue beforehand, highly recommend inspecting to get a feel about the space before the event. I knew from the moment that I walked in that there was a special energy to this place. The People were beautiful to work with, an extension of the team that made sure that the whole experience was good for everyone. I searched for location and venue ideas through Facebook groups, used my personal yoga contacts, Instagram, contacted other yoga teachers as well as Retreat Co. 

How will you measure success? 

If I can teach 1 person how to meditate, I have done a great job. 

What was your biggest concern with the retreat? 

The hardest thing was finding a chef, I really wanted an ayurvedic experience so finding a chef to provide catering to fit in with this. I was able to find a great chef, Phillipa Joy who actually gave explanations of what everyone was eating and how it benefits you. 

Another concern initially was the shared accommodation for attendees. I was a little tentative about this but I realised it didn’t matter, because everyone was there for the same experience anyway. In fact, bringing people together at this retreat worked to have shared rooms. 

There is always a bit of self doubt as well- that I won’t be able to make this work, do I really want to invest my own money in this? This is the first time running the meditation course…. Execution of the program was probably my greatest fear. 

How did you promote this retreat? 

I promoted direct through my own newsletter and website. I have had my own mailing contacts for around 4–5 years with over 100 contacts. Majority of people who attended the retreat were my direct contacts apart from one who came from Facebook. 

My following on Instagram is around 500–600 and 1000 on Facebook. I ran a few Facebook campaigns for around $50-$80 in Advertising. For these, I decided to use a static image combined with text. 

I was able to organise a Zoom interview with one of my friends/mentors who helped me with the retreat. 

Which 3 words would you love your attendees to describe this event as being: 

Holistic, knowledgeable and experiential. Something that we actually do, not just receiving but doing something practical with that knowledge gained from the retreat. 

If you could do anything differently, what would it be and why? 

Is the program too structured? Does it have enough rest time? Feedback was great, that they had enough rest time, happy with the structure. 

What was the hardest thing to organise? 

The Chef for food was the hardest thing to organise, just to find someone who was able to cater for ayurvedic. The timing of everything as well as trying to fit yoga, meditation & Ayurveda into the one retreat. The retreat numbers that we ended up with was really great but now looking back, if the attendees were to reach the full capacity, it would have been difficult to manage the timing of everything. A longer duration of the retreat would probably need to be considered for a larger group. 

4 tips you could give to someone else wanting to plan their own yoga retreat? 

1. Have a theme. 
2. I love collaborations, don’t try to do it all yourself. Find people that you trust to collaborate with.
3. Look after your chef, they do a lot of work. And of course, look after yourself. I ensured I had my own time at the end of each day.
4. Planning is so important. Provide list of things to bring for your attendees to help them prepare.

How did you work out the per person cost to attend the retreat? 

The Retreat centre was an exclusive cost. Then I worked out maximum capacity and divide by how many attendees we expected. 

The food quotes from the chef were easier to work out as these were per person prices. My own cost was added in per initiation. The cost of the course was specific for the number of people who attended. 

The musician cost (Kirtan) for 3–4 hours needed to be included. Also gift costs (Ayurvedic treatment, oil massage). It’s not that difficult at all, fixed costs were the accommodation and chef. I worked it out on the basis of 10 people. 

Did you include any special offers? 

No special offers. Just a deposit to reserve your spot which was approximately $500, then balance due 2 weeks before. 

Did participants need to make their own way there or was this included as part of the package? 

Participants were to make their own way, but as it turned out a lot of us did carpool together as some of us knew each other. 

Can you provide an overview of what the structure looked like? 

Structure/ program: 

• Meal times were kept consistent throughout the retreat. 
• 2 different events at the start & end. 
• Puja, initiation ceremony. This was the opening ceremony. 
• Last night, kirtan, celebration night. Musician that came in, sat, sang and danced. This was the closing ceremony. 

Sample Daily Itinerary: 

• 6.30am Wake up, drink morning elixir. 
• 7.30am Rounding session (asanya, pranayama, meditation). Allowed 75 mins. 
• Shavasana, short talk on Ayurvedic lifestyle. Warm oil, got into bathers, self-massage. 
• 9.30am breakfast (30mins) 
• 11am-1pm: knowledge sessions 
• 1.30pm lunchtime. Rest until 4.30pm 
• 5pm-6.30: Yoga, meditation session 
• 7pm: dinner 
• 8pm-10pm: Satsa. Sat around together, have a chat, read oracle cards. Chant mantras, chakra meditation. Rehearsed for the celebration night. Drinking chai, shared questions and answers, talked about the program for the next day. 

Each attendee was provided with a detailed printout of the program so that they knew what to expect on each day. 

As a group, we practiced 11 rounds of meditation throughout the retreat. Day 2 ifs when attendees started to feel discomfort in what is being released. Day 3 was more to slow down. The mind & body stress is released more. Timing is really important in regards to yoga, meditation and rounding. 

I hope to plan more of these retreats in the future! 

Content and images provided Avril Bastiansz 
Instagram: @avrilbastianszbecomeyou 
Facebook: @avrilbastianszBecomeYOU 
Website: www.avrilbastiansz.com 

“I’ve been fundraising for Boston Children’s Hospital for 15 years. I remember the day I met Sarah Gardner and she told us about her vision of hosting an all-day yoga event that would become Yoga Reaches Out. Sarah has heard me say it many times…..why I didn’t think of that since I practice yoga too. And she was on to something special. Her vision was to host the event while raising funds for Boston Children’s and other charities. I’ve been very fortunate to have worked with Sarah since the beginning and I’ve seen her vision come to life and grow. 

Over the years, the event has provided funding for our hospital’s NICU, a playground, cancer research, our resource room in the Heart Center and most recently our Wellness Program. This year, we will continue to support the Wellness Program as well as the Every Child Fund. Both programs are funded only by philanthropy and help make Boston Children’s a truly family centered place. 

I love Yoga Reaches Out. I’ve heard it described by many as “Christmas for yogis.” It is amazing to see 1,000+ people there all for the same reason: to help our patients and their families. This is a community of yogis simply enjoying a day filled with yoga, vendors and inspirational speakers. When the day’s done, people come away with this amazing, positive energy and we hope- a sense that they did something special. Everybody’s smiling, hugging each other, making new friends and when we witness that, we already know that the day was a success on many levels. 

Yoga Reaches Out is for our kids. Then again, all of us who work at Boston Children’s — no matter the role — are doing it for our patient families. I walk through our hospital doors and I can’t help but think, okay, this is why we do it. We have a saying around our office: “If you’re having a bad day, walk down the street and sit in the hospital lobby. Suddenly you’re bad day isn’t so bad anymore.” 

I consider it an honor to work here and my job is pretty easy because our mission is amazing. 

Yoga is a big part of my life, which is another reason I believe in Yoga Reaches Out . At the end of my practice, I feel energized yet relaxed. It’s the ideal way to start off a work week and end a Tuesday. Depending on what’s going on in life, there could be times at the end of class while in savasana, I find myself in tears or in prayer and then start reflecting in and realizing: This is what I’m letting go of this week. I’ve stopped beating myself up that I didn’t do this or that pose perfectly because it is a practice. Letting go of the judgement and knowing you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be is where the work lies. 

I think that is what’s so nice about being a part of Yoga Reaches Out. You hear why people have come to their mat and how Yoga has really supported them or healed them in different ways. And you know that as you practice you’re helping yourself and others heal.” — Andrea Marlar 

Every year Yoga Reaches Out harnesses the incredible power of the yoga community to enhance the lives of patients and families. Join more than 1,000 yogis in raising funds for Boston Children’s Hospital. To learn more visit: www.yogareachesout.org or email yoga@chtrust.org. 

This interview was conducted by Jen Morabito of The Self Stories; providing yoga practitioners with the opportunity to share their stories as they realize and live in the infinite benefits of the physical asana practice of yoga, meditation, self inquiry & realization. Read more of The Self Stories here.

“What I’m getting present to right now is community. I’m at a radically different place that I was in even a year ago- and that’s because of my community. 

I started yoga so long ago! I took my first teacher training about 12 years ago. My mom had just passed away and my world was flipped upside down; she was my everything. So, I got rid of all my belongings, packed up a car and found a place in the mountains here in Colorado. Once I was here, I found my first teacher training. After the teacher training, I wanted to teach so badly and yet I felt like an imposter, so I put the dream on the shelf. 

I got a day job teaching elementary music. It was the practical thing to do and I knew I was very good at it. Fast forward to 10 years later, Hurricane Matthew happened and we lost our family home in Florida where I grew up. I bring that up because it completely shifted my whole life again. So, I did another teacher training! This one was at The River Power Vinyasa studio in Denver. 

What brought me to do these trainings was that during these times, I needed something for my soul, to understand why everything was taking a major shift. At the time, I was finishing up my internship at The River and then I got connected with BIG Power Yoga in Denver, and enrolled in their teacher training. It was a full two years of investing in self inquiry and soul work. I am constantly present to the fact that if major traumatic events had never happened in my life I would have never pivoted, and never been shaken out of my comfort zone to a new direction that would bless me in ways that I can’t even see yet. 

Connection, heart, structure, bravery and loyalty are my core values after these trainings. Learning who I am outside of my day time profession of being an elementary music teacher keeps me curious and seeking. Connecting with other women is something at my root, at my core, and part of my values. I participate in Goals Hikes led by the fabulous Jacki Carr here in Denver. Hiking with other women out in nature while vulnerably sharing goals fills my entire being. 

I’m really big on connection. I get so excited meeting people like you (Jen), and finding out what you’re doing with your passion project. I’m so excited to see your journey. I want to be this big source of light for women to “Go do your thing! Go!” I know so many women right now who are at these jump-off points. Seeing them step out of their comfort zone lights me up, and I’m in this agreement of, “How can I spread the word of what all these amazing women in Denver are doing?” Yoga and Bullet Journal Coaching have allowed me to dive into this passion. 

After completing three 200-hour Teacher Training programs I’ve had moments of, “What am I going to do with all of this?”. I felt a bit of pressure to teach at a studio, and yet everything I tried felt like I was trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole. Things didn’t start falling into alignment until after I signed my own permission slip stating that I could craft the next chapter of my life in any way that I wanted and it didn’t have to look like what I thought it was supposed to. 

The completion of these programs has unfolded a beautiful journey of taking my values and developing my passion project of connecting with women in my community. I am achieving this in two ways: 

1.) through teaching author-inspired yoga evenings in the studio at my house. My dream for 2019 is to create a space for women to gather on the first Friday of each month, flow together through a vinyasa class, and then create bullet journal pages all inspired by the women authors that are on our bookshelves. Connection, conversation, growth, and intimate and vulnerable sharings. 

2.) The second area of my passion project post yoga teacher trainings is my drive for helping others bring their vision and goals into art and action through Bullet Journal coaching. I am leading workshops throughout Colorado as well as coaching one-on-one with people both in person and virtually. I have never felt so aligned with my purpose before this chapter of my life started. Bullet Journaling is a system that allows goal setting through art in a grid notebook. There are endless possibilities for creation and connecting with others. I am lit up by guiding women through their journey, simply by connecting, sharing, and putting art down on paper! I am infusing endless tools that I learned during my training classes and had no idea I would utilize them in this way outside of a yoga studio! 

Some traumatic events have pushed me towards Yoga. I know yoga has connected me with the most beautiful people who have blessed me, challenged me, pushed me, inspired me, cheered me on, and showed me new possibilities. All of this has crafted a chapter I never could have imagined for myself. I can’t wait to see what’s next.” — Holly Baier 

Check out her Website, here! 

This interview was conducted by Jen Morabito of The Self Stories; providing yoga practitioners with the opportunity to share their stories as they realize and live in the infinite benefits of the physical asana practice of yoga, meditation, self inquiry & realization. Read more of The Self Stories here.

My yoga adventure began four years ago at the age of 66. A health incident started me on an unexpected yet very exciting journey. I had a TIA (transient ischemic attack) and as part of my recovery plan my GP recommended positive lifestyle changes, including finding an exercise program and some form of meditation that I would enjoy for the rest of my life. 

An interesting two-week search led me to the yoga studio of Kate O’Donoghue, a wonderful yoga teacher. Kate listened with interest to my list of physical limitations and importantly, to my dream — to try yoga. Kate happily explained that yoga is for everybody and that age and physical restrictions are not barriers to enjoying yoga. I heard how breath and yoga asanas work together connecting and calming mind, body and spirit. This was a revelation to me; I was so excited. 

From day one, I loved yoga with Kate and couldn’t wait to go my next class, I was a convert. Within a month I could co-ordinate my breath with each pose. I was sleeping better, had developed a longer stride and was astonished to realise my hips actually moved. I loved learning to breathe with each movement and the calmness of Shavasana — what bliss. Of course, Kate knew the gifts yoga can bring, however she patiently listened to weekly updates of my yoga journey. Stories of increased flexibility, strength, balance and calm. 

From the start Kate emphasised the importance of movement without injury and the basic anatomy underlying modifications. I was thrilled to master Tree pose and Half Moon using the wall for balance. After a year of doing yoga — great excitement — one day I could flow through Sun Salutations — you guessed it I was doing a modified version of — Suyra Namaskar. Wow — I had mastered plank plus modified Downward Dog and Chaturunga. I thought: How great is yoga? 

Along my four-year yoga journey I shared my yoga adventures and achievements with my GP. He was encouraging but repeatedly asked: “Angela, how many hours of yoga are you doing each week?” He would nod when I answered saying: “Very good; but I think perhaps you can do a little more yoga.” He made the same suggestion for meditation. I followed his advice. 

Every week yoga brought a new gift for my body and mind. For three years I would tell anyone who listened about the wonders of yoga and that I knew a pose that could help them with whatever ailed them. One day Kate asked if I considered studying yoga teacher training. I thought I was too old and arthritic. Kate reminded me that yoga, including teacher training, is inclusive and age is not a barrier. 

So, at the age of 68, with osteoarthritis in my hands and feet, I was on a new yogic adventure searching for an appropriate teacher training course. This journey brought me to Kym McDonald, an amazing yoga teacher who provides a wonderful Yoga Teacher training course. In November 2018, I completed my Hatha Yoga Teacher Training — 350 Hr Diploma at Yogic Wisdom, with Kym McDonald at Yogic Wisdom. I had the added pleasure of studying and graduating with my daughter Christine. 

I was deeply grateful for the opportunity to experience the knowledge and inspirational wisdom shared by Kym, other students and great teachers at Yogic Wisdom. I was also blessed to have the ongoing encouragement and wisdom from Kate, my mentor and teacher. 

Life is amazing, nearly everywhere I go I meet someone who asks how come, at my age, I look younger or can bend, balance or stretch so easily. Yoga is my answer and ongoing mantra that I happily share with others. I hope my story encourages people of all ages and abilities to find a yoga class right for them. My aim in the future is to provide an inclusive, enjoyable yoga practice, either individually or in a class. I love to inspire others to live well by loving themselves and encourage people with injuries or health restrictions to talk with their doctor about their self-care while exercising. I also talk about the great benefits and enjoyment gained from participating in chair yoga. 

I believe yoga can be a tool for transformation, especially the way it nurtures the body and mind. It is my hope that at the end of my class people feel relaxed and nourished. Yoga is an integral part of my everyday life. Personally, yoga inspires me to be resilient by bringing the daily gift of flexibility, strength and mindfulness. 

Dr. Angela Cowan 
Yoga Australia Registered Level 1 Teacher 

“My parents divorced when I was 20. In the long run it turned out to be for the best, but there was a whole lot of anger and angst and other emotions built up that came up from that. A couple years ago I started really taking yoga seriously, as more than just the physical practice and my mentality has totally transformed. There have been times where I’ve started practice in our first child’s pose and I find myself sobbing; releasing and trying to let go of my ‘issue’ of control. I try so very hard to control every aspect of my life, and when I find I’m dropping all the balls of which attempting to juggle I get more frustrated. 

“Just say, ‘screw it’ — let it all go and let things happen the way they happen and don’t try to control everything” was one of our instructor’s nuggets of wisdom from my first 40 Days to Personal Revolution — a program many of us went through together. I knew if I wanted to move forward in my life, I had to take a good hard long look at myself. I really had to look in the mirror. Up until that point, I had attempted to do the yoga and ‘the work’ without actually facing myself. I learned you can’t do that as obvious as it may sound. 

The reoccurring things are going to show up, and that was the eye-opening experience of: “I can’t avoid this.” I had been avoiding my emotions and I wasn’t getting anywhere. 

It was a stark look in the mirror of how I react to my life by trying to control everything and because I couldn’t control everything and have it the way I wanted it to be, I came to the conclusion and decided that, I was not good enough. I took this mentality into every area of my life. 

The 40 Days program was definitely a catalyst to believing that I am good enough, but then taking 20 steps back… I’ll never forget the first time I opened the 40 Days book, and in the introduction, Baron said, “You didn’t open this book at this time by accident. You’re here at this time for a reason.” That to me was just like, WOAH. I had endless waves of chills. I burst out laughing. I just recently finished his book, Perfectly Imperfect as well, and it talked about the cosmic joke, and made me realize mine: I took a situation in which my perception was that I wasn’t good enough, and made it into something it wasn’t — and then it became my whole story. I’ve been hearing people say “doubt your doubts” and “don’t believe your lies that you tell yourself”, and I finally got it. It finally clicked with me. 

I used to be a highly reactionary person and didn’t really tend to stop to think and breathe. Meditation was, at the beginning very, very hard for me. I would just be telling my mind to shut up during most of the five minutes I set for myself to sit still. Now, I have good days and bad days but those days don’t define me. I’ve also started to take this into my classroom at work where my students recognize meditation as a way to pause and hit the reset button. 

I have grown so much through the practice of yoga that what it’s all come to, is that I’ve learned to love myself. This is the first necessary step before you can learn to truly love and accept another person. Learning so much about myself, how to become less reactive, learning my own value and that it’s okay to ask for help was a huge lesson and turning point for me. 

I’m really excited that I was asked to be a part of The Self Stories. I think it’s a really cool idea because everybody has these breakthroughs at different times, and it gives us a place where we can share those stories for others to read. I’ve been doing this practice for seven years and it really just landed with me a few years ago. 

I have learned that I am strong in mind, in body and in spirit. I’ve been able to move forward and I’ve realized we are all much stronger than we think we are. I’ve also learned that the first person you need to love is yourself. With that truth and knowledge, there are no limits; the whole world is open for you.” — Caitlin 

This interview was conducted by Jen Morabito of The Self Stories; providing yoga practitioners with the opportunity to share their stories as they realize and live in the infinite benefits of the physical asana practice of yoga, meditation, self inquiry & realization. Read more of The Self Stories here.

“Years back, I witnessed my good friend’s transformation through yoga. As she dove deeper into the self-inquiry part of the practice, her life changed for the better. That’s not what yoga was for me…at first, at least. When I first walked into Yoga Body Shop, all I really wanted to do was stretch out my overused muscles. 

When I first started my yoga practice I was running marathons, which was beating up my body. Although I had torn both ACL’s as well as had past meniscal tears, I just kept on running. It was my escape from all the stressors of life and it was easy! All I had to do was open my front door and go. I could get myself to pure exhaustion and it served as a means to escape from the craziness of my overactive mind. 

I had ran since my babies were little. Then yoga came in. I truly fell in love with it when I found a way to bring ease into my practice. 

I found this ease when I realized that there is never a perfect yoga pose. I love being on my mat because it’s never going to be perfect. 

The pose that I feel best in now is child’s pose because it represents my development in my practice. When I look back and think about the first couple of times I ever went to the studio, I hated this pose! I didn’t like being still and I didn’t like the pain I felt in my body from child’s pose. My hips were tight and unaligned, and my knees were so inflamed that I couldn’t even get close to touching my butt to my heels. 

Now, it’s my favorite pose. I love the deep stretch and the feeling of being grounded. Right there in that pose, I fall in love with my mat over and over again. Looking back at how far I’ve come, child’s pose is such a victory for me…one of many victories. 

One of the most powerful gifts that yoga has given me is a quiet mind. Before finding yoga, my negative self-talk was almost debilitating. A huge obstacle in my life is feeling like I’m a failure. Coming from an abusive home, I felt that nothing I ever did was good enough. My mother was very demanding and always wanted more from me. She was an incredibly hard worker and expected even more from her children. I was a wild teen and escaped feelings by drinking. 

College fell into my lap. I had no idea of what I wanted to do with my life. My first attempt at college came to an end, when I became pregnant. My baby created a pause in my life; a time to reflect on what was truly important to me. I realized that if my little baby could love me more than anything else in the world, then I had importance. I thoroughly loved being a mom and staying home with my babies, but I discovered I was more than just a mom. After divorcing my older children’s father, I went back to school for my Bachelors Degree in English Education. I remarried and had another baby while in college. As a mother of six, I graduated with my Master’s Degree. However, when I graduated the jobs were scarce. Instead of recognizing that hardly any teachers coming out of school at that time were getting jobs, I took full ownership that I couldn’t find a job because of something I did or didn’t do. I felt like I couldn’t find a job because I wasn’t good enough, and the vicious cycle of feeling like a failure weighted on me. 

Eventually, I stopped looking for a full-time teaching position and started working as an assistant to my husband in a business we own. The switch was very challenging. I’m in love with being in motion. The more motion the better. My new profession forced me to find stillness behind a desk where I had to sit and be comfortable with whatever task lay ahead of me. Five years later, I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with my husband. I am able to work from home, create my own hours, and spend time building our business (and a strong marriage). 

Working at my desk, I have nowhere to run. It’s just like child’s pose. Before yoga, I hated sitting still because when I sat still I couldn’t escape my negative self-talk. However, after I went through Yoga Teaching Training, I learned how to invite in the yin; the quiet darkness, and feel. Really notice what it feels like. 

A very wise person said to me: “You have to feel the pain to heal the pain.” Yoga has allowed me to sit with pain, to sit with the scars from my childhood, feel them and let them go; letting the pain turn into a memory that has lost its emotional charge. I have learned my journey was exactly what it should have been and what it continues to be. Everything happens to you for a reason. I would not be the person I am today with all the experiences of my life. I am a survivor with scars. Those scars are visible for the world to see, and that’s okay. It’s okay not to be perfect. Life is like a yoga practice, it will never be perfect. You can only become stronger and commit to growth. 

The most important lesson: With breath you can get through any uncomfortable situation.” — Claire 

This interview was conducted by Jen Morabito of The Self Stories; providing yoga practitioners with the opportunity to share their stories as they realize and live in the infinite benefits of the physical asana practice of yoga, meditation, self inquiry & realization. Read more of The Self Stories here.