I began practicing yoga during graduate school, taking a weekly anusara class. I learned a great deal about alignment during those six months, but had little opportunity to feel the flow of vinyasa and power yoga. I enjoyed my classes, but didn’t fall in love with the practice. During those six months, several bad habits (i.e., poor posture; lifting too much weight in the gym) culminated in a lower back injury. Because the final straw that created the injury was a bad adjustment in a backbend, I was hesitant to return to yoga when the injury healed. After I moved to Michigan, a friend convinced me that Hilltop Yoga was different. With a great deal of hesitation, I eventually attended my first power yoga class. I was immediately hooked. I quickly moved from one class a week to two, three and then as many as I could fit in, slowing letting go of the belief that I couldn’t afford it and that I couldn’t do backbends, all of the “mind clutter” that prevented me from fully engaging in the practice. As I learned to tune in to my body, I gained a much deeper understanding of the injury, including the root emotional cause and how to activate the appropriate muscles and soften the others to move safely and fully into postures without reinjuring myself. The depth of the physical, emotional and spiritual learning that my yoga practice brings, both on and off the mat, has not stopped growing.

I soon enrolled in teacher training to delve further into my own practice. When I taught my first “class” to my fellow trainees, I was blown away by the healing power of giving what we can to others and opening ourselves to receive what they want to give back. My intention when I teach is to offer students a space where they can heal by tuning in, working through their mind clutter and emotional holdings, and nurturing their spirit. I hope to share everything yoga has to offer to move along the beautiful journey toward moksha (freedom), piece-by-piece and bit-by-bit.

Namaste,

Carole