I had been a high school and college athlete but hadn’t found an exercise practice that I loved after that. I was dealing with persistent back and neck pain from a car accident from the early 80s. The aerobic exercise I had been doing (think Jane Fonda) always left me feeling injured and achy. In 1999 I led a mom’s group at St. Andrew’s Lutheran church and asked Cindy Senareghi, our parish nurse/yoga instructor if she would come to the group and introduce us to yoga. I fell in love with the practice the minute I began. The purposeful movement, the care and body awareness, along with strength poses hooked me. I found myself at 42 having a surprise baby and did yoga through the entire pregnancy right up until the day before I delivered. I swear it saved my life. (And most likely my husbands!)
Cindy asked me to become an instructor with Yogadevotion. I had a back ground in teaching Physical Education as well as a theology degree, so Yogadevotion scratched the itch I had to use both.
I love teaching body mechanics and breaking things down for people so they don’t just imitate poses they see, but feel them working in a safe way for their bodies highest good. I wish I had known about this practice years ago. My daughter had the opportunity to train with Mayo clinic to be an instructor in college and I am thrilled that my kids have been introduced to this discipline and can have it as a resource for the entirety of their adult lives.
