Member Spotlight - Elyse Snipes
New iHeartYoga Member Elyse Snipes shares her story of finding the iHeartYoga Member Community.
Elyse has been a longtime supporter of iHeartYoga in the Park but has recently stepped up her game to take on the classes at iHeartYoga Studio! A little scared at first, Elyse found her groove (and herself) exploring the variety of classes and teachers at iHeartYoga Studio in Dana Point Harbor.
AUTHOR: Elyse Snipes
Date: July 16, 2019
I disqualified myself before I ever walked through the doors.
I didn’t think I could be a part of iHeartYoga or go to the studio classes because I wasn’t a yogi and because I didn’t fit the “body type”. I had gone to iHeartYoga in the Park for years and that felt safe and user friendly and I could blend in. When I found out about the thirty day offer at the studio (30 days unlimited classes for first time visitors), I figured I would check it out and then bail after my month was up.
The first class I took was Magi’s warm vinyasa. I was nervous, but determined to make the most of my month. I anticipated the physical stretch, the body work, even the mental challenge of yoga. I, however, underestimated the emotional and spiritual aspects of the practice. That first class changed everything.
I was offered an invitation back into my body, to body consciousness, to be body positivity, to being myself fully in every room. This class was playful and creative and an entirely different yoga experience then I’ve ever had. It was fun!
“That first class changed everything. ”
Since that first class, I have tried almost every type of class offered at iHeartYoga, and have had such a good time experimenting and practicing and joining a community I didn’t think I could be a part of. It goes to show how important it is to be aware of the things we tell ourselves that keep us stuck. Ironically, I work as a therapist here in Dana Point (www.elysesnipes.com), and my work focuses on recognizing our core beliefs and learning to flip the script in order to live beyond our limitations. iHeartYoga gave me the opportunity to go further into my own work and to recognize the limiting beliefs I had about my body, my ability and my sense of belonging.
These past few months have been transformative for me mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. My encouragement to you is to allow yourself to be transformed by yoga in new and unanticipated ways, to stay curious and playful in your practice and to discover all the ways to come home to your beautiful self.
The iHeartYoga Studio and Community really is yoga for everyone.
