Here I am in my
basement recreation room where I practice yoga daily
I have stated many times in this blog (launched in January 2008) that I am a self-taught yogi who has been doing yoga since age 15 - for over 4 decades.
However, the following are five things you probably did not know about the writer behind the scenes here (although I try to be as up front, personal, and transparent as I can be):
* I was born in Philadelphia, PA but lived in Mexico City until age 4 after which I lived a year or so in Oklahoma City and survived a violent lightening storm by jumping in a stranger's car in a parking lot (in the days before people locked their car doors...) with my mother and brother.
* I spent my junior year of high school in Rennes, France where I lived with a French family and took three classes in French, kept up my regular high school English and math,, and traveled throughout the country on long weekends and vacation breaks. I was allowed to get P.E. credit that year by doing my home yoga practice.
* I dropped out of modern dance class my freshman year of college because the instructor acted as if I had never exercised in my life - in other words, she considered me to a total klutz! Ironically, I love to dance (free style) - especially to rock, disco, Latin music, and anything with a fast beat.
* I am blessed with two children, Francesca (24) and Andres (16)
* I studied classical guitar for 10 years from age 8 to 18 and I adore guitar music of all kinds - especially the flamenco jazz guitar music of Jesse Cook.
What is the point of sharing the above bits of trivia about my life? Well, did you notice that I have not revealed any information a formal yoga background? Why? Because I have none to reveal!
It is true - I have taken only a handful of yoga classes and I have never been ceritifed to teach yoga or taken any formal yoga instruction of any kind!
YET -despite being born a consummate klutz, I have been able to practice a gentle, easier form of yoga for over 40 years and enjoy flexiblity, energy, and serenity (most of the time...). Yoga has become an intrinsic part of my lifestyle.
Also, I wanted to share the above trivia with you to underscore that I am just a real, regular person who proves you don't have to do pretzel poses to benefit from yoga. I am no Rodney Yee or Tara Stiles (that's for sure!) or Patricia Walden - arguably well-known yoga instructors. I am not a yoga instructor at all.
My purpose is to inspire YOU to enjoy the same benefits of yoga that I have had over the years and decades.
Yours for doing gentle yoga as a real, regular person.
Laura, the Beginner's Yoga at Home Coach