Y is for Yoga
Yoga has been a big deal in my family, specifically for my step-mom and my mother-in-law.
My step-mom, Julie, was in college in San Francisco in 1968 when her first husband, Bruce, was killed in a helicopter accident in Vietnam. She was 21, and was unmoored by the loss. She felt that she had to get out of the Bay Area, there were too many memories here, too much pain. So she did some backpacking in Europe for a while, and then moved to Portland, Oregon. She started taking yoga classes to help her calm her mind and get through her grief. At some point she was asked if she would be OK with filling in for a teacher who was going on vacation, and a career was born. She became Iyengar Yoga certified in the mid-80s and eventually opened a very successful yoga studio of her own, and trained in India with B.K.S. Iyengar and his daughter. She holds an Intermediate Senior Iyengar Yoga teaching certificate and has been very involved over the years in teacher certification and has chaired national yoga conventions. She only fully retired from teaching about a year ago, having sold her business a couple of years before that. Yoga gave her so much, including my father, who was a student of hers. It was against her policy to date students, but she made an exception because she really liked that he brought one of my sisters to class with him. She liked that he was an involved, loving father to his (then) teenaged daughters. She has retired and no longer teaches, but she still has a home practice, and generally does about 1 – 2 hours a day.
My mother-in-law, Susheela, was working as an interior decorator in 1989 when she suffered a heart-attack at the age of 52. After surgery and recovery, she tried to go back to work, but the stress was too much and she had to retire. Her doctor suggested that one way of managing stress in her life might be to take up yoga. So she did, and she loved it. At some point she was asked if she would be OK with filling in for a teacher who was going on vacation, and a career was born. She taught at several local gyms and health clubs, eventually renting space at a small neighborhood community center and having her own classes. She is a trained and certified Iyengar yoga instructor as well. I am not sure how long she taught, but it was quite awhile, probably around 20 years, before she retired due to COVID and health issues. She still teaches meditation classes in her home.
My yoga practice, if you could call it that, is nothing like theirs. I took classes for a couple of years, one night a week, at a local community center. Now I do yoga videos several mornings a week, usually 20 – 30 minutes. It helps me keep from being too stiff sitting at my desk in front of a computer all day. No one will ever ask me to sub for a vacationing teacher, nor would I want them to. The most difficult pose for me is shavasana, because my brain is not there. It is busy thinking about my walk, what’s for dinner, what’s ahead in my work day, all of that. I like it a lot though.
Regarding the book at the top of the post, Cool Yoga Tricks, I posted it because my step-mom and one of my sisters (Maya) are models displaying some of the poses in the book. My step-mom was contacted by the author and asked if she would be interested in helping out, which she was, and she got Maya involved as well. My other sister, Melissa, could have been included, but she was pregnant at the time, and I don’t think there is a chapter on that in the book. Too bad.
20 Comments
nance
Wow, your family has quite a yoga history. And such similar stories, too!
J
I used to joke that Maya would think my mom was the outlier, that the majority of grandmas taught yoga!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
Thank you for sharing this story. Isn’t. it such a cooincident your stepmom and your mother in law had such a similar path to their passion and profession. I dont think I have ever heard that before.
I have only ever taken one paid yoga class in a hotel. It was way too expansive and they showed me like five poses but it was not really a so special and I didnt feel very well instructed. Ever since i only do videos from youtube. REcently one of my book club friends did a yoga session I attended and while I wasn’t able to do all the 90 minutes it was really fun.
J
I used to take yoga classes at a local gym and I hated it. It was too fast and not enough time spent in each pose. I had taken a class with my step-mom while visiting Portland, so I KNEW it didn’t have to be that way. Eventually I found a class I loved at a local community center. I had to quit when I lost my job and couldn’t afford it anymore, and then my teacher moved away.
Ally Bean
I have a copy of Yoga for Wimps! It encouraged me to look at yoga in a more relaxed way than the night classes I’d taken at an univeristy Not that night classes were bad, just rather intensely educational and more goal-oriented than my idea of what yoga could be. Because of that book I found some teachers who were mellow and in one case famous. Hello Lilias Folan!
J
Oh, she of PBS fame? FABULOUS!
Elisabeth
Wow – this is so interesting.
One of my goals for my Year of Rest is to do more yoga. I just Googled “gentle yoga” the other day. I’m excited (though horrifically unflexible).
J
Elisabeth, I love the 30 day challenges that you find on Yoga with Adrianne. This is heavily influenced by her dog, Benji. She starts a new challenge every January 2nd. They are mostly very gentle.
NGS
The absolute best thing about yoga is that everyone’s experience can be their own. I am not interested in doing crazy quick flows and plows and crows, but a more gentle practice laced with meditation to calm my anxiety. But guess what? Some people do want the strength building aspect and yoga is brilliant because it works for all needs. I honestly think my anxiety would be crippling without a regular yoga practice.
J
You are SO RIGHT. I love that yoga can be different for everyone.
Margaret
Those are incredible yoga stories; your family does have an excellent connection with yoga. I tried it a couple times but my mind and my body didn’t enjoy it much.
J
My experience has been very mixed, but when I found the type of yoga for me, I LOVE IT. The others, not so much.
Ernie
Interesting how so many different family members are invovlved in yoga. I’ve taken classes and I did like it more than I thought I would. I don’t show up to the health club much anymore, because my fav instructor made workout videos and shared them on FB during the pandemic. I’m still using those. I think yoga really helped with my flexibility. Maybe I’ll get back to it one day. I laughed at no one asking you to sub for a class. I’m in the same boat.
J
Yoga is great for flexibility, I think even a short practice of 20 – 30 minutes can help a person.
Nicole MacPherson
This is so cool, J! Yoga is such a big part of my life. It’s my moving meditation of the day. I feel like I have incorporated it into everything.
J
Nicole, I know my step-mom feels the same way. My dad used to say that she is very type-A, and her daily yoga practice really helped balance her out.
San
How wonderful so many people in your family have a connection to yoga – and your step-mom and MIL even taught yoga classes. Wow. I think you’re right – it really depends on HOW you’re introduced to yoga and the teacher can make a HUGE difference. I know people who used to say they hated yoga, but turns out they just hadn’t found the right class/teacher for them. I practice yoga almost daily and enjoy it very much.
J
I know, it’s interesting, right? My step-mom made a career out of it, and my MIL had a second career from it. I’ve had bad yoga teachers (usually at the gym) and fine yoga teachers but who were just not what I needed from it, meaning I wanted to stay in the poses longer. When I found the right fit, it was a lot better.
Lisa's Yarns
Gosh, your step-mom has experienced so. much. loss. She’s lost 3 life partners? That is so awful. I am glad that she has found comfort through the practice of yoga and that your MIL has as well. I used to do quite a bit of yoga when I belonged to a core power yoga studio. It was stupid expensive but the cost made me go often so it would be worth it. I haven’t done yoga in YEARS, though, besides the outdoor yoga class I took at a brewery this fall. I don’t really like practicing at home; I prefer the studio experience but it’s not conducive to this stage of life. But I’ll get back to it some day!
J
Lisa, I know. I think her yoga and her amazing group of friends have helped her be resilient, but still, it’s really hard.