Andrea- Yoga District Teacher
Meet Andrea one of our lovely teachers! She shares her transformative experience with yoga along with encouraging advice for new and long practicing yogis.
“We grow with small changes that build us up to our optimum level of experience.”
Feel feel to attend one of her classes and read on to learn more about Andrea.
- Andrea’s Class Schedule:
- Wednesdays 8:00 PM, Core- Focused Slow Flow @ Bloomingdale
- Sunday 12:00 PM, Flow Yoga (All Levels) @ H Street
Even when you are challenged, remind yourself to smile
Teaching & Practicing Eclectic Flow Yoga
My favorite style of class to teach is an eclectic flow. It is inspired by various aspects of Power, Rocket and Ashtanga. This is by far my favorite yoga practice because it teaches you the delicate balance between strength and flexibility. These two concepts directly translate to life.
As we experience life, we learn it takes both strength and flexibility to adapt to change. We realize how to move through moments of discomfort, both physically and mentally. This prompts transcendent growth in life and yoga. I attempt to incorporate this parallel in practice, so students (and myself) can apply those lessons in daily living.
“To perform every action artfully is yoga” -Swami Kripalu
Life in a Form of a Yoga Pose
Handstand (Adho Mukha Vrkasana) because like life, we grow with small changes that build us up to our optimum level of experience. While being inverted, you activate the core, the fingers, the shoulders, and the legs. We do this upright without a second thought but when we invert then our view changes. There are days when I maintain the pose while other days I wobble and make repeated attempts. Overcoming the fear of being upside down in the pose, whether mentally or physically, has taught me to trust myself in all areas. When the mind and body are ready then you will achieve what you seek.
Introduction to Yoga
I attended my first yoga class with a Yoga District instructor friend. I was open to trying something new and had no idea what to expect. It was by far, one of the most physically and mentally challenging experiences I’ve had since running track in high school. I thought it was a beginner level class but to my surprise it was actually an intermediate to advanced class!
Experiencing that class with my best friend, taught me where my body and mind could go if I was simply open to the idea of change. From then on, I began taking three-four classes a week and it was the start of developing the passion for yoga I have now.
Lessons Learned from Yoga
Strength & growth will come, as long as you are willing to stay patient & trust your journey
The top three things yoga continues to teach me daily are to patience, acceptance, and awareness. I am far from perfect and I have so much more to learn on these three topics. Yoga has helped me to embrace those areas within myself and intrinsically grow.
Yoga has been an overall transformative experience and contributes to my positive lifestyle changes. The relationship with ourselves is of great importance.
How we physically and mentally feel is a direct reflection of the relationship within. Yoga has taught me how to connect with myself. To have a growing pride of the space I create within myself.
My diet has changed dramatically. I have been vegan for a little over a year. I have gained a better sense of the environments that best serve the life I desire to create. Yoga in essence, has created a mirror, a way to look at myself through asana (postures practiced in yoga), breath & movement. It has not always been easy but the personal discovery has been tremendous.
Advice to New Yogis
Give yourself an opportunity to explore yoga & ignite the creative soul that exists within
I would say, embrace the idea of trusting and investing in YOU. Most often, barriers to starting a practice are feeling a lack of adequacy, strength or flexibility.
I equate starting a practice to venturing into anything new in life. When you start a new job or meet someone new: you are exploring a process, learning new skills, and expanding your mind to new depths. Approach yoga similarly. We are meant to be adaptable and fluid, which is only one of the many tenets yoga teaches.
As with most physical disciplines, the tangible components (strength and flexibility), inevitably come with time and dedication. It’s the process of learning the intangibles, which makes yoga uniquely transformative.
