| I'm a yoga instructor. You have no idea how | | | | too far away for convenience. |
| happy it makes me to be able to say that. It's | | | | Life was good. I was promoted a few times. I |
| been a dream of mine for several years now. In | | | | enjoyed the beach. We got married. I found a |
| order to understand a little more about me, allow | | | | new yoga teacher training program in Savannah |
| me to explain a little of how I got here. | | | | and signed up. But, the job was an enormous and |
| I started practicing yoga about 11 years ago, at | | | | constant source of stress. As the 9-month yoga |
| about the same time that I was starting what I | | | | teacher training program began, I began to make |
| thought would be a brilliant career in sustainable | | | | the shift from just dreaming of being a yoga |
| community development. What I had learned in | | | | teacher to drafting long range plan for how to |
| school, about architecture, community planning and | | | | make the transition. I thought after my husband's |
| the public process, had led me to believe I would | | | | real estate business picked up and we started a |
| be able to use my knowledge and skills to make | | | | family, I would be able to retire from government |
| the world a better place. After a few positions in | | | | work and start a blissful new life as a mother and |
| well-intentioned non-profit organizations, I began to | | | | yoga instructor. |
| suspect that it was nearly impossible to have a | | | | At about this time, I found out about a job |
| positive impact on a community or even a small | | | | opening in a neighboring county, in a position similar |
| neighborhood, without enduring a seemingly | | | | to the one I held at the town. I had a feeling that |
| endless supply of politics, mean-spiritedness, and | | | | this might be a case of jumping from the frying |
| stress. | | | | pan into the fire, or at least from one frying pan |
| About five years ago, I started to fantasize | | | | to another, but I still had hope that I could find |
| about becoming a yoga teacher. I thought how | | | | fulfilling work in the field I spent so long studying |
| happy and carefree my life would be, wearing | | | | at university. I interviewed, was offered the job |
| comfy yoga clothes all the time instead of suits | | | | and accepted. I was there about 3 months, |
| and high heels, teaching classes to help other | | | | before the impact of the recession on the |
| people relax instead of presenting at contentious | | | | county's finances led them to start considering |
| public meetings. I changed some aspects of my | | | | layoffs. Following the last-in, first-out rule of |
| life at that point. I found the love of my life, the | | | | layoffs, I lost my job along with 19 other county |
| one that got away, and I didn't let him get away | | | | employees. |
| again. I moved from Pittsburgh to sunny Hilton | | | | It just so happened that that decision was |
| Head Island, South Carolina. I found a position in | | | | finalized within a week of the completion of my |
| town planning, and thought perhaps I could be | | | | yoga teacher training program. With the help of all |
| more effective in improving the world around me | | | | my studying of yoga philosophy, I chose to see it |
| working on the side of government, the people | | | | as a blessing, a chance for me to make my life |
| that take public input and make the rules. I did | | | | more the way I want it to be now. Change isn't |
| look into yoga teacher training at the time as well, | | | | always easy, but I'm on my way and I'm not |
| but the closest school was in Charleston, a little | | | | looking back. |