 What brought you to your yoga practice?
I had a couple of back surgeries and was in the middle of really trying to get into shape in order to avoid a third one. This was a very long process, probably 8 years changing my diet to lose weight, a ton of physical therapy, and just really changing from a sedentary lifestyle to a more active one. I had been doing dance classes in order to meet my goals for a few months, but I was running into issues with balance, flexibility, and pain levels. Yoga was very much the next step to see what I could get out of my body. What benefits did you notice once you started practicing consistently? Yoga has helped me out immensely with managing pain. The stretching involved gave my back some extra room and really has been key into getting more pain free days. What I wasn't expecting was how much it'd help me learn to listen to my body and through that it helped me avoid further injuries. By predicting yoga I've learned what feelings in my muscles and joints are actually my body saying "stop now or you're going to really regret it for a few days." Beyond that, the balance practice baked into some of the classes has really helped my poise and has helped me avoid more than a few sprained ankles in my other athletic pursuits. What would you tell the person you were before you started practicing yoga? I'm naturally a competitive person and I used to compare my ability to the teachers and the other students, and that was really pointless for yoga. I'd tell myself that for yoga, it seems most useful to compare your current self with your past self. I think it's important for me to measure my work by my own progress instead of the gap between what I can do and others can do easier. For example, 6 years ago I started doing the pigeon pose as part of my physical therapy. Back then I had to wrap a towel around my thigh because my leg did not bend far enough for my hands to reach. Daily work meant 4 years ago I was able to grab the back of my thigh. Right around the time I joined Five Keys I started to barely be able to reach further for my shins. Now the shin grab in pigeon is doable most days with a warm up. I feel more a sense of accomplishment for this progress than any comparison with others. So in short, in yoga I think it's best to just pay most attention to where you are and where your body is, not where everyone else is.
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 Sherry Hsu What brought you to yoga? A few years back, when I first moved to a new city, I stumbled upon a hot yoga class. Even though I was a bit nervous at first and felt like escaping from the room, I pushed myself to give it a shot. Over time, it helped me build a healthier body brought balance to my mind and a sense of belonging. What is your approach to teaching? My teaching approach centers around meeting individuals on their unique journeys in their practice, creating a space for everyone. I am passionate about crafting a flow with different options that encourage people to attune to their bodies, fostering self-trust. Together, we embrace challenges, ensuring that everyone leaves the class feeling more empowered than when they entered. This approach leads to a practice harmonizing the body, mind, and soul. Why did you choose to teach at 5KY? Their belief that yoga is for everyone really resonates with me. There was a time when I felt lost, navigating life in a foreign land, and later stepping into the role of a first-time mother. Yoga became an unending source of support and strength for me. I hope that everyone who needs it can feel this power too. What makes your soul sing? Food and coffee! Chicago's diverse international cuisines and countless coffee shops are something I'm truly grateful for.  Photo by Louis Galvez on Unsplash The human body has limitations. The human spirit is boundless. - Dean Karnazes This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutra 2.3 अविद्यास्मितारागद्वेषाभिनिवेशाः क्लेशाः avidyāsmitārāgadveṣābhiniveśāḥ kleśāḥ There are five causes of suffering: ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion and fear of death In book two, Patanjali dives into the practical steps of yoga headfirst.
The first sutra in this pada (or chapter) tells us that there are three practices that constitute what BKS Iyengar defines as the “yoga of action” or kriya yoga. Yoga Sutra 2.1 says that kriya yoga is composed of discipline, self-study and surrender. Practicing kriya yoga will diminish “mental turmoil” (Shoshoni, 18) and bring one closer to enlightenment, according to Yoga Sutra 2.2. The third sutra in this pada might seem kind of heavy. 2.3 lists the five causes of suffering (kleshas) and Patanjali goes into depth about each one from 2.5 - 2.9. Yoga Sutra 2.4 tells us that the first klesha, ignorance, is the “fertile soil” (Stiles, 17) for the others. All other suffering and turmoil originates from a “lack of true knowledge.” (Iyengar, 112) |
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