As a kid, I peripherally understood yoga to be fitness for soccer moms.
In high school, I wanted to be a hippie, and when a super crunchy friend invited me to a yoga class with her, I jumped on it enthusiastically. We went to a flow class at the YMCA in Hendersonville. I stumbled through it, confused by the foreign concept of a Sun Salutation and wondering what the heck a Warrior 2 was.
At the end of class, we did Legs Up the Wall for maybe ten minutes. My legs and feet felt like they’d caught fire, and I wanted to crawl out of my skin—especially when the guest musician came around and blew his didgeridoo over my chest, and the smell of hot, stinky breath washed over my face. I absolutely hated it. I swore I’d never do that crazy yoga stuff again.
Thank goodness, I didn’t keep that promise!
Meeting Stephanie Keach, the founder and former owner of AYC, absolutely changed my world and showed me that yoga was my path. I’d gotten into yoga as a form of fitness during my freshman year of college. Then, in the summer of 2008, my mom invited me to join her for a Vinyasa Yoga teacher training with Stephanie at the old AYC on the corner (back when teachers instructed from that windowsill pedestal—I know some of y’all remember it!).
Stephanie not only opened the inner world of yoga to me, she also modeled a level of presence and realness that I’ll never forget. She sparked a brand new vision for my life and lit my creative fire to full blast. I jumped into AYC’s 200-hour immersion right after that, and my journey as a student of yoga hasn’t stopped since.
For me, it’s witnessing the moment of recognition when it clicks in a practitioner’s being. When all the pieces fall into place just perfectly, and they drop into presence—or receive a beautiful insight into their own life’s journey.
Though I value playfulness, I also hold this work as deeply sacred. Getting to practice present moment awareness with others every day of my life is the greatest gift I can imagine. And when someone experiences a healing shift? Gosh, that’s the juicy stuff. But even more than that—it’s the little day-to-day bits that amaze me: practicing, breathing, simply being with others. WOW.
Legs Up the Wall — it’s good for what ails ya!
If I could only take one asana to a desert island, it would definitely be Legs Up the Wall. The benefits are vast, it’s accessible and adaptable for most bodies, and it just feels so damn good. It’s my go-to for nervous system regulation, and I swear it’s the next best thing to the Fountain of Youth.
