Meet Meghan R., our February Teacher Feature as she shares her yoga journey!

“There is little else beyond yoga that allows you to express movement and breath down to the tips of your fingers and toes..”

Feel feel to attend one of her classes and read on to learn more about Meghan.

Meghan’s Class Schedule:

• Mondays 6:30 PM, Meditative Flow (All Levels) @ Glover Park
• Thursdays 6:35 PM, Meditative Flow @ Dupont
• Fridays 5:30 PM, Yin & Yoga Nidra @ Dupont
• Fridays 6:35 PM, All Levels Flow @ Dupont
• Saturdays 10:15 AM,  Yogalates @ Glover Park

What is your favorite thing to do around town?

Walking through the green parts of town (the Arboretum, Rock Creek Park, and Glover Archbold Park) until I find a spot that feels like a separate world.

Just wander until the noise from the street fades away and all buildings have been hidden by the trees. The only people I see are other nature-lovers seeking the same peaceful sensation.

How did you get hooked on yoga?

I grew up dancing. When I decided not to pursue dance then I knew that my body would miss moving on a daily basis. Nothing I tried left me with a feeling as open, vulnerable and released as dancing. I became hooked on yoga my freshman year in college after my Mom suggested I take a class.

There is little else beyond yoga that allows you to express movement and breath down to the tips of your fingers and toes.

Why Practice Yoga?

Just come and play. There are always many reasons people avoid trying yoga.  If you have an interest then try not to take it too seriously and just play.

Some people worry that they will not be any good at Yoga. I understand the concern but that comment always confuses me. Yoga is not competitive. It is simply something to experience like happy hour, tossing frisbee, or a walk in the park.

Yoga is not a marathon that needs training or a winning attitude. Just play. Wear something you can move in and show up! Trust that at some point in time, everyone in that room has felt just as uncertain and goofy. A yoga studio is a space of non-judgement!

How Students Can Stay Motivated in Practice

Cut yourself some slack. We are always our biggest critic and often our biggest roadblock.

It’s natural for various things in life to get in the way of our practice. A shift in schedule, a new job, an injury or simply a lack of internal drive. Take a moment and relax about relaxing!

It is actually a yogic practice to let go of expectations. Try it and you may be surprised at its effects on other parts of your yoga practice.

Most Inspiring Yoga Moment

My most authentic moment of inspiration was a very personal and quiet one. Before an assault, I had practiced yoga for years.  There was so much in my practice that I never noticed. During my slow recovery, I discovered I struggled with far more than just the physical poses. So many nuances in my practice: my breath, my discipline, even the sensation of my mat felt impossibly uncomfortable.

I was so hypervigilant that closing my eyelids, especially in a public class, was impossible. I would have to hold them shut and just observe as my eyes moved rapidly under forcibly closed eyelids.  I could hold my body still, stay present and tell myself to breathe but I was still unable to stop the fight/flight response.

I learned to keep my eyelids open, relax my gaze and hope that it would get better in time. I had days of frustration, days where things went well, and days when I just ignored my practice all together. No matter what, I kept coming back to the mat.

One day, many years later, I was in a typical class and following along mindlessly when we were instructed to find our savasana. It was nearly a minute into savasana before I realized my eyes were closed, my eyelids relaxed, my muscles weren’t tense, and my breath was slowly rhythmic. I could finally take a class like any other student. I just quietly cried tears of relief.

To me that is the practice: small steps, quiet persistence, and letting go to allow life and the practice to do its work.