Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I retired last year from teaching in the School of Kinesiology at Ball State for 26 years. I taught scuba, first aid/CPR, water aerobics, and yoga. I have been scuba diving for 40 years and I’ve been an Instructor of scuba for 33 years for Leaird’s Underwater Service in Muncie. My husband and I have 2 daughters and 6 grandsons.
How does yoga fit into your life?
Yoga is an important part of my life because it keeps me flexible. I have arthritis and alignment issues, and yoga helps to keep those things in check.
How long have you been practicing yoga?
I have been practicing yoga for 10 years. This May was my 3rd year of attending Lotus.
What led you to try yoga?
A friend at the Muncie YMCA encouraged me to try it. Both of us then took training for water yoga, and developed a Water Yoga class that we teach twice a week at the Y.
How do you think you’ve changed–physically, mentally, or spiritually–since you started practicing yoga?
Oh, wow, I’m so much calmer and much more flexible! When I began yoga, I could not sit cross-legged for more than 2 or 3 minutes because of extremely tight hip joints. One day, 5 years later, I suddenly realized I had been sitting comfortably cross-legged for quite some time. Most days, “Easy Pose” is not a problem anymore. All the various yoga breathing techniques have helped me to focus and relax both in the yoga studio and out. My greatest ‘Zen’ comes when I am underwater cruising along and breathing deeply on my regulator!
What yoga posture/pose do you like the most? Why?
I think extended side angle and reverse extended side angle (what you call “Paint the Sky”). I like the way the pose reaches and stretches the whole side of the body. We do these every class in our water yoga class at the Y. I can see how much my participants have gained in flexibility and balance with these poses. We have even taken the poses 1 step further and made a 3 or 4 set ‘flow’ of moving the arm back into the water (dipping the elbow), then trying to reach even further each time the arm goes up again.
Which Lotus class(es) do you attend most often?
I do Yin on Wednesday, and the 2 Slow Flow classes offered on Tuesday and Thursday. The slow flows work best for me because moving fast is too painful for my arthritis.
What do you find most challenging about yoga?
Balance poses!!!!! Some days are better than others. I need balance work, but it is challenged by the arthritis in my feet.