Meet Sarah! Yoga Therapist, Studio Manager, Full Time Yoga Entrepeneur

Do you currently teach? And where? And what kind of yoga?

I am currently in Private Practice as a Yoga Therapist where I work with individuals and couples who are interested in healing from painful life experiences and trauma, manage depression and anxiety, or reconnect with their bodies in a meaningful way. I also teach corporate Yoga classes for 2 local organizations and teach 4 group classes (gentle flow and power vinyasa) a week at SoulShine Power Yoga in Burlington, Vermont. I opened my practice in March of 2021 and prior to that, I was the studio manager at SoulShine Power Yoga where I have been teaching since 2014!

Why did you train at LPY?

Yoga had changed my life in profound and impactful ways. I enrolled in the LPY teacher training because I wanted to deepen my personal practice and connection to Yoga and its roots, but also because I had the intention to teach and share the practice with as many people as possible!

What was one of your favorite parts about the training?

My favorite part of the training was by far the staff. I live in Vermont, so I would travel 3+ hours each direction; down on a Friday night after work and back on a Sunday evening at the end of the last training session! I always looked forward to the training weekends knowing that I would be reunited with the amazing trainees and the incredibly knowledgeable and caring staff. It was clear that the staff really cared about each and every one of us and their passion for the practice and its teachings really shined through!

What surprised you about your training experience?

How much I changed through it! I had a unique experience because a woman who was opening a Yoga studio here in Vermont ’sent’ me to LPY for the teacher training and paid for it in its entirety so while I certainly wanted to do the training, I was mostly doing it because this other person was funding it and I knew I would have a job teaching immediately after I graduated! So my focus was really to get to the end of the training with the certificate and to dive right into teaching. Little did I know, I would have a deeply transformative experience of my own!!! The readings, assignments, group and partner sharings, suggested sadhana and svadhyaya were deeply impactful. I remember so cleary every Sunday night that I drove home with those 3 hours in the car I would just STEEP in the knowledge and experience from the weekend prior and almost always would do the drive home in silence to be able to really soak it up! I think an interesting benefit of me living and working so far away from the training was that it really gave me an opportunity to fully immerse myself when I was there and to really simmer in the process when I was back home for the weeks in between.

What keeps you inspired?

My clients!!!!!! I am amazed, every single day, by the vulnerability, openness, courage and strength that my clients show up with! Being willing to show up to the work even when (especially when) it is hard, when resistance shows up, when they are faced with challenges, hard edges, shadows or fears! And my students from group classes inspire me daily as well!!! I love this work so much :)

What does your yoga look like outside of the movements of physical yoga?

My practice truly shifts and changes constantly! There are times when I am really into my Asana practice, and there are times when it has been 6+ months since I rolled out my mat for posture work! At this point in time, I would say that I practice Asana 1-2x per week, and that most of my home practice consists of reading texts, meditation, breath work, and an attempted embodiment of the Yamas and Niyamas as fully and as often as possible! I am taking 2 continuing education courses for the next part of my Yoga Therapy certification so I have a lot of self study for those courses as well!

What is a simple moment in your life that brings you great joy?

A simple moment in my life that brings me great joy is in the morning, right after our first alarm goes off, our golden retriever (Rivers) jumps on our bed and snuggles his way up between us and the three of us enjoy a few minutes of cuddle time! Sunsets, a hot cup of coffee, a jump in the lake on a hot summer day, and a good pair of cozy socks in the winter are some other simple moments that bring me great joy :)

What is the last show/book that you binged and loved?

My husband and I just finished Mare of Eastown on HBO!!!! And we’re currently binging the Sopranos, just finished Season 1 (I’ve never seen it before, but my husband has!).