Relocation!

Hello readers!

I am both happy and heavyhearted when I tell you that I am moving from Salem to Portland on April 27th. The move will make my commute to East West College, where I am a third term massage therapy student, much much shorter (47 miles vs. 0.3 miles). I will get to spend less time in the car and more time studying!

My time at Indigo Wellness Center was so incredibly wonderful and supportive, I was so impressed with the dedication of my students who showed up weak after week, and I am very sad to leave the community.  But fear not! I will be subbing a few classes before I go including Pilates/Yoga Fusion this Saturday April 7th at 9:45am!

Classes at Simply Blissed (Hot Yoga MWF 5:30pm) will continue through the end of April, and then another instructor will be taking over the class (we don't know who yet- so if you know someone, send them my way!) I will miss all of the students I have gotten to know over the last couple of months, and I hope that you all know how grateful I am that you embraced me with open arms on such short notice.

What will I do in Portland, you ask?

Tuesdays and Thursdays will be dedicated to my classes at East West (8am-6pm). The rest of the week I will spend studying for the GRE and volunteering at Physical Therapy clinics throughout the city. And of course, I will be exploring all of the yoga studios in town and maybe even finding one where I will eventually teach.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a beautiful day!

Current Schedule of Classes

Sundays

9:30-10:45am

Vinyasa Flow at Indigo Wellness Center

(last class March 18th)

Mondays

5:30-6:30pm

Hot Yoga at Simply Blissed

(last class April 27th)

Tuesdays

7:00-8:15pm

Prenatal Yoga at Indigo Wellness Center

(last class, next week! March 13th)

Wednesdays

5:30-6:30pm

Hot Yoga at Simply Blissed

(last class April 27th)

Fridays

5:30-6:30pm

Hot Yoga at Simply Blissed

(last class April 27th)

All classes cost $12

SUNDAY MARCH 19th

Post partum workshop- Bring your baby and practice yoga together!

Indigo Wellness Center 11:30-1:00pm

$15

Photographs (courtesy of Shane Casey)

My Story

When I was 19 years old, I decided that I wanted to backpack through the Himalayas. I couldn’t explain why… regardless, I found a program called NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) that organizes backpacking trips around the world. Wide eyed and terrified, I set foot on my first flight to Delhi where I would join up with other students in NOLS and begin a month-long trek through the Indian Himalayas.

I had slipped down the stairs a few months before the trip, but refused to see a doctor because I did not want someone to tell me I couldn’t go due to a bruised tail bone… So on Day 2 of the trek, I realized that the muscles that were supposed to help me lift my right leg were misbehaving. And all of a sudden, I was dragging my right foot to keep up with the rest of the group and if I tried to lift my leg I was in the most excruciating pain. The instructors didn’t seem worried, so I just kept on going.

Imagine what could go wrong in the Indian Himalayas, and it probably happened to me. Altitude sickness, getting lost, traveler’s diarrhea, a third degree sunburn, leeches, fly bites, migraines, blisters, and every day, my hip seemed to deteriorate more and more. I was miserable to say the least. As the days went on I became hopeless. I felt useless, inadequate, weak and pathetic… and I cried through every hike.. It felt as though something was telling me that I should not be there, but I did not see a way out.

Finally on Day 10, I was evacuated. Still feeling worthless, fifteen hours later I found myself back at base camp, on the phone to my parents. Explaining my situation was odd because it seemed like the end of the world to me—I was so discouraged. But my parents did not get me on the first flight back home. No, they told me that I had been given lemons.

Lemons.

So… make lemonade?

That’s right. My parents encouraged me to stay in India instead of giving up and running home. I decided to travel around for a while and then spend my last ten days in an Ashram. I had started practicing yoga in high school but never had a steady practice. For some reason I wanted nothing more than to practice and sit in an Ashram until it was time to go home.

Anand Prakash Ashram is in Tapovan (translated: the forest of spiritual practice) next to the Ganges river in Rishikesh. When I arrived, I was greeted with smiles, given the key to my room, and the schedule was explained to me. During down time, we were free to use the library, meditate, or schedule an Ayurvedic massage.

9pm-9am Quiet Hours

6am Morning Practice

8am Breakfast

9am Fire Puja

12pm Lunch

4:30pm Afternoon Practice

6pm Dinner

7:30 Kundalini

On my first day, I met Gaurav Malik, the yoga instructor. I explained that I may not be able to do many of the poses because I was injured and he asked for my foot. Wearily, I gave him my foot, and he began pressing and prodding and asking what I felt. Finally, he explained that my tailbone was off center, and my hips were in pain. He also noted that my digestion was out of wack, my neck was out of alignment, my emotions “hurt,” and he could probably help. My jaw dropped… this was my introduction to foot reflexology.

Every morning after the fire puja I would pick Gaurav’s brain, asking questions and learning as much as I could about yoga, Ayurveda, and health. He taught me with patience and a strong emphasis on Karma Yoga. He explained Karma Yoga as performing an action with love, and no expectation of gratitude or anything in return. Every evening after Kundalini, Gaurav would work to heal my body with foot reflexology, and by my final night at the Ashram, not only did my body feel stronger and more confident, but I couldn’t stop smiling.

Not only did Gaurav heal my body, he healed my broken ego. I arrived at the Ashram a puddle of self-loathing and I left with understanding, acceptance, hope, and love that I could not wait to give to the rest of the world.

Life lesson?

There is no moon without the sun, there is no light without darkness, there is no good without bad, there is no comfort without pain, there is no life without death.

Everything happens because it has to happen, when it happens, the way that it happens. Namaste.

New Classes! (for a limited time only!)

I will be teaching Hot Yoga at Salem's Simply Blissed Rejuvenation Studio on Mission and Liberty.

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 5:30-6:30pm until March 2nd!

Click here to check out the website and book a class online!

Schedule

Here are the classes I currently teach at Indigo Wellness Center:

Vinyasa Flow

Sundays

9:30-10:45am

$12

Prenatal Yoga

Tuesdays

7:00pm-8:15pm

$12

Here are some classes I am covering:

Yoga Fundamentals

Saturday January 21 and Saturday Feb 4

11:00-12:00pm

$12

Vinyasa Flow

Thursday February 16th

5:45pm-6:45pm

$12

Here are my upcoming workshops:

Postpartum Yoga (bring your baby!)

Sunday February 19th 11:00-12:30pm

Sunday March 18th 11:00-12:30pm

$15

Here are my FREE classes!

Thursday

January 26th 7-8pm

February 2nd and 16th 7-8pm

March 1st and 8th 7-8pm