My Yoga Journey :: Joy Rebel Brandi

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That fierce chica in the photo above is my dear friend Brandi–a.k.a. Joy Rebel.

She is launching a new e-course called MOVE (that I will be taking)–and well, I’ve decided to launch a new little feature here on Dirty Footprints asking yogis and yoginis what their Yoga Journey has been like!

So a huge thank you to Brandi for starting things off!

My yoga journey really began in 2002 when a couple of girls I worked with kept talking about this studio they went to that did hot power yoga. I’d done a few yoga DVD’s at this point so I had somewhat of a familiarity with yoga poses but what they described sounded FREAKING HARD! A room heated to approximately 95 degrees, 90 minutes of challenging yoga poses. My first instinct was no way in hell, yo.

But here’s something I’ve learned about myself over the years. I only THINK I want life to be easy and comfortable because that seems…well…easy and comfortable. But if I really listen to my core, my spirt, it’s jumping up and down when a challenge is presented. My spirit LOVES a good challenge, even if the rest of me is scared.

So I kept thinking about going and thinking about going and finally, I signed up for a few classes.

Holy crap was that first class hard. But here’s another interesting thing I’ve learned-challenges are never as hard as I think they are going to be. I made it through the class without passing out or having to quit. And I was hooked.

I loved seeing my body get stronger, I loved that it started getting easier for me to get through the classes. At that time, yoga was all about physical poses (called ‘asanas’ in sanskrit) for me and not really about anything internal. But every once in awhile, something the teacher said or a certain pose would prod me to wonder if there was more to this yoga and be intrigued by the idea of going deeper.

After a few months of classes…well…you know how life gets in the way sometimes. The relationship I was in took a turn for the worse, money got really tight and people started getting laid off at work.

I stopped going to classes and didn’t get on a yoga mat for years after that.

And every now and then, I’d get that little ping in my brain, prodding me to look into yoga again. I’d occasionally try a new yoga DVD or pull the mat out and just do some poses at the end of my day. I mostly ignored the ping, though, until last year, 2010, when for some reason I logged onto a local studio’s website and saw that they were doing an informational session for their yoga teacher/therapy certification.

I went and within days, I had all the paperwork filled out and turned in. When I found out I had been accepted into the program, I was giddy and scared and nervous.

After that first training weekend, I was overwhelmed and exhausted on top of scared and nervous.

And I’d never felt more at home in my life. Yoga is so much more than exercise for me now. It’s a way of life, it is a guide and a toolkit and teacher for my life. There is endless depth and breath to yoga and it’s philosophies and it’s techniques.

I graduate in June 2011 with my certification and to be honest, the nerves are getting louder. The idea of getting up in front of strangers still kinda freaks me out. However, the drive to share this is stronger. Yoga gives me strength- not just in my body, but in my mind. And yoga gives me peace…in body and mind.

I am a spiritual warrior.

I am super excited to state that I will be taking Brandi’s first online course MOVE.

Wanna join me?!?! I have a feeling it’s going to be a blast!!

Today’s the last day to register–so jump on it fast by going HERE for more info.

WAHOO!!!

Now for a little about Miss Brandi:

Brandi Reynolds is a joy rebel: someone who embraces the sublime art of being authentically herself. She endeavors to share her process and practice (also known as LIFE) and encourage you constantly to believe in yourself and your abilities. Brandi will be certified as a yoga therapist in June 2011 and her first e-course: MOVE: a body journey inspires everyone to find joy through movement. You can find her and information on MOVE at her blogsite: http://www.joyrebel.com

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