At Least Five Things You Didn’t Know About Your Instructor, Elyse!

At Least Five Things You Didn’t Know About Your Instructor, Elyse! 

A few weeks ago, you learned a little more about your yoga instructors. So, what did you learn about them? What did you already know about them that you knew before? What was your favorite part of the interviews?  

Today, we are focusing on your yoga instructor, Elyse. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did. YTB is a community where everyone belongs. Here is how Elyse contributes:  

What was yoga-like for you in the beginning? 

This is tricky to answer because I have had many beginnings :)! When I was 13, yoga was a  refuge and a way to find solitude—but I got busy and lost again after a few years. When I was  19, I became obsessive about my practice and experienced the most significant changes in my life. I needed to be there, but I am not sure it was the healthiest approach internally. In 2019 I  attended my first teacher training, and that is when I began to incorporate all eight limbs of yoga in my life more consciously. This has felt like another beginning, and I can't wait to see what awakening will come next. 

What would you advise new yogis? 

Keep showing up and doing your very best. Your choice to be in the room, practicing the present moment, is a beautiful gift to yourself and those around you—and the more you show up for that, 

the stronger your peace will become in your life. Even when you do not feel like coming to class,  see if you can access the curiosity to wonder, "I am willing to see how strong my peace can be on a day when I don't feel like it?". 

Do you have a favorite yogi/guru that inspires you? If so, who and why? 

I do not believe in the concept of an external guru. I think we're all our gurus, and the teachers around us help us peel away the layers of our own deepest Self. I also believe absolutely everyone in the room is a teacher to me. Every moment of struggle, power, and peace is a teacher as it is witnessed. The people we practice with and the people leading the practice are teaching us in every moment—the community is the teacher. Beyond that, the yogis who have held my hand the strongest directly or indirectly through my awakenings are Jared McCann, Rebecca Causey,  Yarrow Bucans, Conni Howes, Charles Staples, Dharma Mittra; all the teachers at 105f in  Chicago, and the incredible teachers I graduated with from Lighthouse Yoga School. 

If you got to go on a funded yoga retreat for one week and bring one person/pet, where would you retreat, and who would you bring? 

This is challenging! I can't choose between my fiancé Nate and my cat Lyla so I will imagine both in India somewhere. 

If yoga manifested into a person, fell head over heels for you, and even proposed to you, would you marry them/date them or friend-zone them? Why?

Marry them! Best to marry the most honest and loving mirror. It will ensure your consistent growth and place you on the best path. 

How has your practice/teaching changed in the last two years? 

I am much more focused on meditating as I practice than the physicality of the posture.  However, my body knows the postures in a way where it is easy for me to fall into autopilot. So my work is becoming very present to my breath in each physical position; the way the breath is circulating through the seven main chakras and fielding any resistances to the position with softness and love. 

Thank you for tuning in and learning even more about your instructor Elyse! Get to know your instructors more, both online and offline. We can’t wait to see you here.