Sara Schwartz shares her yogic journey with us

The yoga community is fortunate to have a person as loving, kind and compassionate as Sara in it. Over the few years that I have known her, she has maintained her kindness and yoga practice.

This yogi is an inspiration. She shares with you some inspirational words. 
 

1. How long have you been teaching?

7 years 

2. What motivated you to start teaching and what have you learnt from teaching?

I started teaching at Yoga to the People in San Francisco. Teaching felt very hard to me, I was painfully shy and had a small voice. Someone, maybe it was Katite, said: In Yoga, if something is hard for you, go towards it. That is the yogic way. So I decided to pursue teaching because I knew it was the most impossible thing for me at the time. I'll tell you within 6 months it became easier. Within 3 years I didn't get nervous anymore. And now, 7 years later, I know teaching yoga is my dharma, my life's purpose. Teaching Yoga I've learned that you never know what someone is going through, so try approach every student as a dear friend. Even the ones on their cellphone and with mean mugs. I've learned tricks and modifications from watching the students. I've learned that if you just stick with something you will get better at it.

3. What is something that you have learnt from a fellow teacher?

I learned some discipline from Yancy "Scotty" Schwartz. I never liked following the rules. Sometimes in yoga if you follow the rules you will receive the benefits. I watched this work for Yancy and so I tried it out. I found there is a comfort, an anchor, in finding some discipline and sticking to it. Right now for me it's my practice of the Gayatri Mantra.

4. How many times a week do you practice?

The first three years I practiced everyday. Then I noticed my body did well with one day off a week. Now I do a daily mantra practice and for asana just listen to my body. If I feel worn down I take a day off. 

5. Who inspires your practice?

I am super inspired by Erin Kelly. She is strong and flexible and moves very slowly. I'm also inspired by Sri Dharma Mittra, Sadguru, Amma and Shiva (King of the Yogis!). 

6. Why is it necessary to you to practice?

Money comes and goes. Beauty comes and goes. Sadly friends and family come and go. The only thing that is truly with us for life is our consciousness, our mind and spirit. The practice connects me with my spirit, helps me understand the workings of my mind. I believe it is one of life's deepest purposes to practice and come to understand what it means to be human.

7. What message do you like to spread through teaching?

My original career dream was to be a U.N. Peacekeeper. The quote in the YTTP quotebook about the monk who wanted to change the world, but realized he had to change himself first really inspired me to pursue yoga instead. I always like to share with the classes that by creating a peaceful environment within yourself you are making a big step towards community and world peace.

8. Where are you currently teaching? 

Red Diamond Yoga, Hollywood Power Yoga, YogaWorks, Equinox and Create Yoga Space. All in Los Angeles!

9. How does being married to a yoga help you develop your practice? 

One of the most wonderful things about our marriage is that we can practice together. Sometimes we meditate at the same time and the focus is so much sharper. We share fundamental values and beliefs. I can come to him with my yoga questions and he always has a great answer. 

10. Has yoga helped you through something that you struggled with? If so, what and how?

Oh my gosh I've had anxiety since I was a small child. I used to get these panic attacks where I couldn't eat or sleep. Just sit there with a racing heart and hurting stomach suffering. And I'll be honest, by my 20's I didn't see how I could live in this miserable skin much longer. I wanted to be free of my body. I knew yoga helped but I hadn't committed to the practice- it took a long time. I think going to India was a turning point for me. I remember reciting a mantra on mala beads next to the Ganges River and for the first time in my life peace flooded over me and I thought: here's my life preserver! The next year I was doing Bikram yoga and getting these crazy panic attacks in the room. Not being able to leave I learned how to use my breath and mental focus to overcome the panic rush. Now I feel pretty much comfortable in my own skin, I enjoy life and think the planet is beautiful, and sometimes if a panic attack comes by I can say: oh its just a panic attack. Theres a distance between me and it. I make a cup of tea and breath it away. 

Devoted yogi, Chauncie Parchment lets us in on his practice.

Chauncie Parchment has a practice that indicates his love for the asanas . He is a devoted yogi with a lot of knowledge. Here are some inspirational words from this yogi.

How long have you been teaching?
I began teaching yoga as an appreciation for Yoga to the people. One of the requirements before you get certified as one of their hot yoga instructors is to teach 20 classes for free as an apprenticeship.

What motivated you to teach and what have you learned?
I've always wanted to live as freely as possible and be in control of my time and energy. Wiring a 9-5 job as a city worker or as an employee of a boutique in clothing ,street or health food store did not permit me a life where I can make my own choices. I didn't like the idea of renting my time for 10, 11 or $12 an hour. I knew that my time was priceless, and to me the work I was doing was empty. I needed to find a job where I can do what I love to do. I wanted to help heal other people while I continued to heal myself. Teaching has taught me that every single day I need to clear quiet observant and helpful.

How many days a week do you practice?
I practice every day and my practice changes from day to day. Some days I can't make it to class so I practice at home, this may consist of a full practice or just Tibetans, pranayama and a couple of Sun salutations.

Who inspires yours practice?
My own belief and curiosity to reveal the secrets and benefits of the yoga practice. Along with the stories of ancient Masters who achieved phenomenal abilities through their yoga practice.

Why do you think it is necessary for you to practice?
I believe it is necessary for me to practice so that  I can remove the the physical, emotional and mental trauma that has caused energetic blockages inside of my body. I feel it is necessary for me to practice removing the conditioning that has been done from living on this earth. To help open my being to many realities that exist and reconnect to the ancient ways and lastly to maintain vitality and longevity.

What message are you trying to spread throughout teaching yoga?

To reconnect with your inner highest most powerful self, to reconnect with your brothers and sisters , to reconnect with your ancestors and to reconnect with the ancient ways of living.

Where are you currently teaching?
I currently teach at Lighthouse Yoga School, Yoga Tribe, Brooklyn Urban Asanas and Hot Spot yoga.

Have you been through anything significant in your life and how has yoga played a role in it? I've had a pretty rocky relationship with my mother and my father and other members in my family growing up we've never fully got along and it's always been a push and pull in ideas and values and I never felt like they accept me for the way I wanted to live. Yoga has given me the space to see the issues that I face within  myself and within my mother and my father so that I can catch these things while they're coming up in conversation and so that I can free myself from the fears and insecurities that are holding me hostage and preventing me from loving my own family and I love myself so I thank yoga for clearing me up mentally so that I am able to open up my heart and accept my mother my father and my family for who they are and how they are and have that loving strong family unit that is necessary for each individual on planet Earth.

From self-hatred to self-love, through yoga.

I truly don’t remember the first time that I decided to dislike myself. I just remember being a kid and wanting to be different. It started with my hair, so I would wear a T-shirt on my head: to appear more white.

Then, I remember refraining from eating because I didn’t feel worth of eating. My self-hatred became so apparent that I would starve myself for a week and then the next week, eat everything that was in the house and throw it up three to four times a day.

When I would wake up, I would think about what I could eat that stopped me from gaining anymore weight that I already had. Because I felt like my body couldn’t deal with being ‘fatter’ than I already was. I had no energy, I would think about food the whole day and go to bed crying because I felt too fat to live in this world that wanted me to be skinnier. I was in pain, mentally and emotionally. I needed a release from the suffering.

I wish I could tell you that I have memories of being a teenage when I didn’t feel this way; however, that would be a lie. I spent over a decade and a half hating myself.

One day, a friend of mine wanted me to join her in a yoga class. I had done yoga on-and-off since I was 14 but this time, I was 20 and had just gone through an intense break-up. As a result, my self-hatred was at an all time high.

So, I went to a vinyasa class in manhattan with my friend. After it, I felt such relief. If I can narrow how I felt down to three words, they would be: relieved, free and worthy. In all of my 20 years of life, I had never felt so in-tune with my body. I felt like my body had a more significant use for it than how it had been used before. Acknowledging my breath and heartbeat helped me recognize that my body is always working to keep me alive, regardless of what it looks like.

I have previously been so hard on myself and my body. However, after 8 years of continuous practice, I can gladly say that I have had my ups and downs to getting here but I truly love myself and my body. Sometimes the thoughts try to sneak in but, I remember that they will fade and I affirm myself that my health is way more important than looking a certain way to live up to pretenses that society has set for me.

My body is a blessing from the universe and I will take care of it, the best way that I can.

Courtney Fitzgerald shares some yogi words with us

If you have ever been in her class, you understand her humour and sense of compassion. She is a yogi whom I admire and would like to share with you some inspirational words from Courtney Fitzgerald:

1. How long have you been teaching? 3 years

2. What motivated you to teach and what did you learn from teaching? I was feeling grateful for all the joy and courage I had found from practicing under a couple of incredible teachers. I wanted to enable others to feel this way. Though I definitely played it cool and said I was doing a teacher training to learn more about the practice. 

3. How many times a week do you practice? I do some type of exercise 6 days a week. I used to do yoga every day and found that that was unhealthy for me. I probably do a standard yoga practice 3-4 times a week. 

4. Who inspires your practice? It's not usually a who. Sometimes it's a meaningful quote. Or when teachers suggest picking a word to use as an intention for the practice, "freedom" is often the first word to pop into my head. Although one time recently it was "puppy" (it worked out fine). My pal/fellow teacher Brian has probably had the most influence over my physical practice because he doesn't let me off the hook with old habits and I appreciate that.

5. Why is it necessary to practice? Practicing yoga lets me feel like I can move through things. And change them. And feel frustrated and clumsy but also calm. And once in awhile I feel like an elegant swan. I feel like I know with more certainty how I feel and what is driving me in my life after I practice. And I also know that it will change over time. 

6. What message do you like to spread through teaching? It's important to feel stable so that you can adventure. You're never stuck and you can always change your mind. 

7. Where are you currently teaching? Y7, The Yoga Room, Yoga Vida, hOM, Exubrancy, various private clients and businesses around the city. 

Meet Yogi and teacher, Natalie Jones

1. How long have you been teaching?

I've been teaching yoga for 5 years and hot Pilates for just under a year.

2. What motivated you to teach and what did you learn from teaching?

After a year of practicing I knew yoga would always be a part of my life. As I continued to practice I found myself fantasizing about teaching and wanting to further my understanding of what I was dedicating so much of my time and energy to. My yoga teachers and my yoga practice impacted my life in such a profound way, I knew sharing that experience with others would be both exciting and fulfilling. As for Inferno Hot Pilates, I fell instantly in love as I had with Bikram yoga, and knew that I would have a blast teaching. Soon I will be certified to teach Bollywood dance, so I think the pattern is: I find a fitness practice I love, then I get certified! Lol

I've learned so much from teaching, geez where to begin? There's a fine balance between telling students what they need to hear but don't always want to hear, and creating a safe, nurturing space. I've found that most people just want to be told what to do, they want to be able to shut off their brain when they enter the room. That's also easier said than done, and you have to meet people where they are. Tough love, if you will. 

3. How many times a week do you practice?

I practice 5 times a week on average. I would practice 9 times if time allowed! 

4. Who inspires your practice?

My fellow teachers and students, as well as my mentors in New England who inspired me to become a teacher. My husband and fellow yoga instructor, Will, inspires and motivates me with his own continued practice and thirst for more and more knowledge. 

5. Why is it necessary to practice?

It is most necessary to practice for overall health, physically as well as mentally. Many students have told me their yoga is better than therapy, and I'v seen countless people heal injuries and ailments through Bikram yoga. THIS STUFF WORKS! You just gotta show up. 

6. What message do you like to spread through teaching?

That letting go and and slowing down are extremely important in our crazy, fast paced world. Finding and practicing stillness is crucial if one wants to create peace and overall health in their life. We can accomplish this through a physical practice such as yoga or Pilates. We have to move and blow off steam before we can truly be still. This is how true transformation takes place. 

7. Where are you currently teaching?

YO BK in Williamsburg and Bikram Yoga Brooklyn in Brooklyn Heights.