Before we became yoga teachers were once and still are students of yoga.
Every month I am sharing some insights from some inspirational yoga teachers I met over the years.
I hope their stories will inspire and motivate you with your yoga practice.
This month I am highlighting …….Tiesha
SFCY: Tell us a little bit about yourself:
Tiesha: I am a wife, mom of 1 beautifully gifted princess, registered nurse, yoga teacher and a child of God. I’d like to think of myself as being as loyal as they come. I love to travel as much as I can. I love all things fashion. I’m very chill and mellow and love to spend time with my husband and daughter.
SFCY: How did you get introduced to yoga and when did yoga get serious?
Tiesha: I was introduced to yoga many years ago. I remember when the Oprah Winfrey y’all show was on and she was interviewing Jennifer Aniston, who mentioned how yoga is a stress reliever. I was always stressed growing up, so I tried it and quit. I attempted yoga multiple times over the years and would quit each time that I started. It was just too slow for my liking. I could concentrate. I didn’t get serious until 4 years ago. I watched my grandmother die a very traumatic death and became highly anxious. I was afraid of everything. My dad died 2 years later, unexpectedly, which shot my anxiety into overdrive. My mental illness started causing physical illness and I decided that I couldn’t live the rest of my life that way, so turned to yoga. I started to study it and it changed my life from there.
SFCY: Can you share the biggest challenges you face as a yoga teacher?
Tiesha: Hmmm. An interesting question for me as I only teach private sessions at the moment. The biggest challenge for me is getting out of my head and stop looking to teach like someone else and just teach from my heart, which is why I became a yoga instructor, to begin with. I have to allow my heart to lead me and not what I think or see on social media to dictate what I think teaching looks like for me.
SFCY: Where do you find your motivation to keep teaching? Tiesha: Simply put, my motivation is all about God leading my life. I tried doing it my way and that never worked for me. I’ve matured spiritually enough to know that when God leads and I listen, the outcome is always in my favor. I don’t teach often but I study often. I have a testimony and a story to tell and I believe that God is using me and will use me to teach and share my struggles through yoga when the time is right. I did become discouraged a few years ago because it seems like so many people are becoming instructors and I felt like “what do I have to do to stand out and grow my business?” That was the wrong way of thinking and I realize that in this world, right now especially, I have to realize that God's timing is everything and to follow his lead. The one thing that makes me a great instructor is that I teach the way that I teach and no one else can do that. I am me, made beautifully, in God's eyes.
SFCY: What was your most embarrassing moment teaching a yoga class?
Tiesha: Of course, it was Farting. Lol.
SFCY: How did yoga influence your life beyond teaching?
Tiesha: It helped me heal. It decreased my anxiety significantly. It helped me to see God's way for me much clearer because I was able to draw into myself, remove the cluttered thoughts in my mind and actually see. I am able to see not just God's way for me but unhealthy habits, people, and toxic behavior that I need to change, etc.
SFCY: What does your typical day look like?
Tiesha: I wake up. I pray before my feet touch the ground. My daughter and I, get ready for our day. I drop her off at school and head to my first patient of the day. I get off earlier than most, so I head home after my workday and that’s when I do yoga and then eat lunch afterward. I then pick up my daughter from school and come home and relax (watch my favorite TV shows and kick my feet up and/or read some yoga books and my bible). Sometimes, I do a short yoga session right before bed as it helps me sleep.
SFCY: What is your favorite style to teach?
Tiesha: I love Vinyasa as it’s my specialty but I would love to teach Yin Yoga!
SFCY: What type of yoga classes do you offer?
Tiesha: I offer Vinyasa only.
SFCY: What are your future plans/goals/dreams for your yoga teaching business?
Tiesha: I would love to move somewhere tropical or near the beach and teach yoga at a small studio or open my own studio. That has been my dream for a while now and my husband is all for it, so when my daughter graduates from high school, we are looking to go wherever God leads us.
SFCY: Any tips for passionate people who interested in becoming a yoga teacher?
Tiesha: I love how you worded this question… “passionate people”. I’m very passionate about the practice of yoga and I don’t feel that everyone is, however, I think taking multiple classes at different studios is helpful. Taking classes by different instructors and practicing different types of yoga are important so that you actually know if you actually want to teach and you get a feel for what type of yoga you would like to teach. Ultimately, if you decide to not teach yoga, I think that yoga teacher training is not just for instructors but also for people that want to grow within their practice and/or gain more knowledge about the practice of yoga. SFCY: How can people get in touch with you? Website? Social Media? Tiesha: I’m only on Instagram @trinity.yoga. For private sessions, email me at trinityyoga1@gmail.com SFCY: Anything else you want to add? Tiesha: Do what makes your heart feel fulfilled.
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Well, that sums up this Week's Yogi Spotlight. If you want to be featured send an email to Info@Simplyfitandcurvyyoga.com Namaste!
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About the Author:
Kenya Marsh is the founder of SimplyFitandCurvyYoga (SFCY) and Author of several books including Your Yoga Journey: A Great Way to Start. As a wife, stay-at-home mom of two, and yoga teacher. Kenya knows how challenging and beneficial a steady yoga practice can be. She understands it can be hard to start a new yoga journey alone. She created this website, along with courses, books, and more materials to help provide support to busy yogis elevate their yoga practice.