the gift of yoga

At the age of three, I thought I wanted to be a ballerina. My mother enrolled me in classes at a local community centre and at the end of the session, the teacher informed my mother that I would have to repeat the level again. I think I didn’t “get” ballet because I was really doing yoga. Does the picture not look like a budding yogini?

In the early 1990s, a friend invited me to a yoga class during a period when I was going through a stressful situation. I had dabbled in doing yoga at home and attended a few classes in my younger years but neither the style of yoga nor teacher captured my interest. This time was different. After that first and subsequent classes, I felt more relaxed, able to deal with the things I needed to deal with, and became more aware of my body, my own needs, and enjoyed the community spirit. I went on yoga retreats to Mexico, and to Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health to do seva for free room, board, and yoga several times. Yoga has helped me become the person I was meant to be and continues to provide tools for me to use when facing the bumps and more difficult situations that life brings. To my surprise, I was drawn into combining two precious areas of my life, yoga and children, into a career. I have taken several certifications for teaching yoga to children and have dropped time in my other career to pursue this livelihood with much joy. Now I feel most fortunate to be in teaching training for adults. It has brought a more serious side to my teaching and I hope to teach seniors and beginners in the future. Yoga is truly a gift and I look forward to it being an integral part of my life for many more years to come.
Cathy
Cathy is currently enrolled in the yoga centre winnipeg 200hr  teacher training program