“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

During the Summer of ’96, I walked into my first yoga class.  At first I wasn’t sure what to think.  Why do I need to be upside down?  What’s with the wierd music?  Still, I noticed that I did feel relaxed afterwards - that alone was enough to keep me coming back.  Over time I began to notice some subtle changes.  I was much calmer, had more endurance, and for the first time in years, the chronic discomfort and pain I experienced due to a bad back began to subside.  A short time later, my life got extremely busy and complicated.  Between working full time, going to school, and everything else that life was bombarding me with, there just weren’t enough hours in the day.  Something had to give, so the first thing I gave up was my yoga practice.  It didn’t take long before I became irritable and found myself not handling things as well as I should.  Those old aches and pains made their way back into my body along with stress and insomnia.  How is this possible?  I resumed my practice; and soon I started to feel grounded again.  It was then I realized that yoga was something I should not do without.    

Hospice was my first job in health care.  The concept of caring for the whole person, body, mind and spirit, as they come to the end of life’s journey was enlightening.  I started to wonder, “Why should we wait until the end of our journey before we start caring for ourselves in this manner?”.  Yoga seemed to be a good start towards this direction.  It wasn't long until my yoga practice began to leave the mat.  I would find myself stretching at my desk, on the golf course, and even doing hand exercises before playing the piano.  Whether at work or play, yoga helped me to be more focused.  But the benefits I received from yoga weren’t just physical.  One day I came across a Christian Yoga Workshop offered by The Upper Room in Neptune.  Skeptical, but curious, I signed up.  The workshop left me with a feeling of coming home like I never experienced before.  Adding my faith to my yoga practice was the final piece to a puzzle I didn’t even realize was missing.  My passion for this ancient practice became larger than life.  The next thing I knew, we ripped off the roof of the house, converted the attic into a yoga studio, and I applied to Our Lady of Lourdes Institute of Wholistic Studies for Yoga Teacher Training.  In the Fall of 2005, The Yoga Attic was born.

Life certainly didn’t get any easier.  Today I am busier than ever juggling three part-time jobs.  Along with teaching yoga, I continue to work part-time in the health care industry and I also spend a few days a week at the local golf course in town.  This keeps me in touch with my other hobby, or should I say obsession  – Golf.  In addition to all of this, I am back at Lourdes studying for my 500 Hour Certification.  There will always be challenges to face as we go through life, but thanks to a renewed faith and a regular yoga practice, I’m better equipped to deal with it all.  I just breathe, stay in the present moment, and move forward. 

• To my friends at hospice, where I see the humble beginnings of all of this
• To my yoga teachers of the past who ignited a spark within my heart, and to my yoga teachers of the present who continue to fan the flame
• To everyone who has ever taught me about God, from the obvious such as The Church, The Bucket and my Bible Study,  to the less obvious strangers with their random acts of kindness
• To each person who enters my class, know that it is my privilege to share my knowledge of yoga with you as you follow your own hearts journey. 
• To my mom, for your beautiful example of selfless caregiving
• Most of all, to my husband, for your love and encouragement, for sharing my faith, for embracing your own yoga practice, and for taking my dream to teach yoga and helping to turn it into reality.

                            Shanti, Shalom, Peace
                               Karen