Celebrating 26 years of teaching yoga
This month I celebrate 26-years of teaching yoga and joyful movement full time.
Yoga has not been a hobby or a part-time business: it is my life. Its gentle ethics, principles, and philosophy live in every fiber of my soul.
I did not begin teaching yoga in 1996 to become a famous yoga teacher Even to this day, I shy away from publicity. But I do have a desire to leave a record when I am gone of what I have found so effective for others. So, as with most mornings now, I wake up, sit up, thank the universe for another day in this body, on this remarkable planet, and I write down the things that I wish to pass on to others; the things my students say: “Please write that down for us before you forget!” Then we laugh together and talk about how the universe seems to use me as a vessel for life-force energy to come to each person in class who is ready to receive.
The most common comment from students after the end of a class is: “Wow! That wasn’t what my brain thought it wanted, but it was exactly what my body and heart needed. I’m so glad I showed up today and let go!”
I began teaching yoga as a way to save my own life. When yoga found me, I immediately knew that the type of yoga I was practicing could be as popular as the craze of ‘power yoga’ was back then in the 1990s. I knew that so many women and men of all sizes and ages needed this slower, safer, softer method of yoga and movement to learn a new way to honor and take care of their bodies and awaken their inner souls.
As I reflect on those times, I avoided most publicity because of the negative comments from critics who were more than happy to declare that fat people like me should not be teaching any form of exercise. Yet, this style of yoga was saving my life and changing the lives of others like me. Many fitness experts and yoga teachers could not understand how something so gentle could be so effective, but for us, it was. It was doable and enjoyable. It made us feel good about ourselves. It gave us hope.
Over these many years, I would occasionally be asked to teach outside my comfort zone, at someone else’s Yoga or Retreat Center, and I would heed the call. Unfortunately, some of the attendees just did not “get it.” Usually, they were thinner and more “fit” yoga teachers. But I knew that if only one student could walk away from our classes or workshops with more hope for their body, or with more understanding of why yoga poses might need to be modified and deconstructed, I had made an impact and was serving my life purpose.
On my journey, I focused on building a local community, centered in a sweet little San Diego studio, A Gentle Way, where not only I felt safe, but where others who had experienced a yoga class that didn’t feel like a good “fit” to them could find a space and a practice that felt safe and welcoming.
Fast forward to today, When COVID-19 forced the closure of our studio A Gentle Way in 2020, it took me time to adjust to not having our physical location. It was more ‘home’ to me than anywhere I have lived for over 20 years. I allowed myself time to grieve, rest, and reset my own intentions and directions.
A well-loved San Diego yoga teacher recently wrote me:
“Dear Lanita,
Out of all the Studios that were forced to close their doors due to COVID, yours is the one I mourn for the most. Although I am the type of body that can practice yoga easily with almost any teacher, of any style or tradition, and have taken lots of training with many ‘famous’ yogis, your Teacher Training taught me the most about myself and understanding others.
Your Studio was where I would always send students who did not feel they would ‘fit in’ anywhere else, and it was the place I would come back to over and over again for the deep nurturing that your classes and your intuitive heart would give me.”
So here we are my dearest, and yes, the physical location of A Gentle Way is gone, but the energy in a LIVE ZOOM class remains and is strong. Our online classes are still small and customized for whoever shows up each week, but now students from all over the country and even Canada are joining me weekly in classes and workshops. When one door closes, (literally), another opens!
I hope as I write this, if you are new to, or returning to taking care of yourself, and your body cannot keep up with traditional exercise or yoga, that my classes will be a great start for you and offer you a welcome change.
Likewise, if you are an experienced teacher, for you, these classes may be an important missing piece of yoga. They are what I have named MIMSY – Meditation in Movement Soft Yoga, my trademarked style. The movements are slow, the breath and inner connection are deep, and the lasting effects will surprise and carry beyond the simple hour that you’re on your mat. As so many students and yoga teachers have told me, you just may find these classes to be the most challenging practice you have ever done!
If you are a fellow Intuitive Healer, Empath, Light-giver, Reiki Master, or Personal Lifecoach, my classes will offer you a quiet place of refuge to refuel your soul, reset and reflect, so that you are able to remain open to the emotional connections of those you serve.
As with all our classes, you are welcomed with an open mind and open accepting heart, and no sincere seeker of health, peace and wellness is ever turned away.
I was led to yoga 27 years by a consciousness higher than mine. This powerful force from above is still guiding my work. For this, I am very grateful.
To all the students who have found hope, healing, and health in my classes: Thank you for honoring me with your presence. Your beautiful bodies teach me so much more than anatomy classes, a famous teacher, or the most popular yoga or energy book ever could.
My soul continues to be filled in each LIVE ZOOM class and workshop. I will continue to support you with a huge heart, open arms, and a place to call your yoga home.
With my deepest gratitude, love, and blessings,
Lanita Varshell
A Gentle Way Yoga
