Get to know MEG….one of our fantastic Yoga Everyday teachers ….

This week we spend a bit of time with Meg, one of our wonderful Yoga Everyday teachers. We love Meg and as a regular teacher offering 3 classes a week, we thought you might like to get to know her a little better as well……

So, We sat Meg down and asked her some questions. This is what she had to say

1. So why did you become a Yoga Teacher?

To be honest I became a yoga teacher to be the youngest teacher at a zen hot yoga haha that was the dream. My dreams have expanded a lot since then. I thought I would enjoy teaching because I loved practicing so much. Yoga gave a lot to me, confidence, a community, as well as love, awareness and acceptance of my body. Yoga introduced me to my inner spirituality and for that I’ll forever be grateful. I never thought that I could possibly love my job as much as I love teaching yoga!

2. Some Yoga teachers juggle it with something else, like another job or studying something, is that the case for you?

I am studying a Bachelor of Psychological Science at UQ, 4th years Honours this year! Yay! I love experiencing and learning about mind-body connection and it’s exciting how psychology as a science is starting to really research and respect yoga and its mindfulness teachings as eclectically therapeutic. It makes me proud of two of my passions – psychology and yoga and how well they compliment each other.

3. I’m sure you must as busy as the rest of us – as you would need to fit in your own practice as well as teaching classes. How do YOU fit it all in?

I prioritize my life, often. Every month or so I’ll sit down with my journal and re-evaluate my priorities, my health always seems to be number 1; my mental and physical health together. As yoga develops and nourishes both my mental and physical healthy i would be silly not to make it a number 1 priority!

4. We surveyed a bunch of people, and almost everyone said they wished they could do more yoga, in fact 50% said they’d like to do it 2-3 times a week, which we think is a great goal. Lots of things come up…..and the most common response is that they just ‘run out of time’. Do you have any advice for these people, or is there a secret you can share from what you observe from your regular students?

The truth is – everybody has the same amount of hours in their week, Oprah Winfrey, Ryan Gosling, that working mother with 5 little kids…We all have the time for yoga. Making the time is about reassessing your life and if your moving meditation, your yoga classes, are important to you then push them up in your priorities list. The more you do it, the more you’ll love it.

5. Let’s talk about practicing in a studio. Some people are a bit intimidated going to a studio, or find it hard to find the right ‘class’ for them. Any advice you can give on that front?

Studios can be great fun and very communal and they’re often way more of a supportive environment than a large gym setting. Find the right studio for you! Hopefully that’s Yoga Everyday 😉 Be a bit open with yoga, take it lightly, that person in their full dancers pose they has probably been practicing for five years with a muscular system and skeletal system that screams flexibility! So don’t put pressure on yourself to look like that! So try all the different classes and all of the different teachers. Come in with an open mind and heart and just have fun with it! I’m all about fun! I love to encourage, inspire, and empower my students.

6. Sometimes the teachers can be intimidating because they are so good at EVERY position!!! What advice do you have for someone who feels a bit nervous or intimidated going to a yoga class?

Be kind to yourself! You would’t expect me to come into your work and place myself in your shoes and know how to be as successful in your career as you are! So don’t put pressure on yourself to ‘achieve’ or ‘perform’ – yoga is a practice not a perfect. You have your entire life to improve… For now, relax, chill, and breathe. You’ve got this.

7. Is there a change or difference you see in people who practice regularly? What can people expect to see or notice in themselves, after a while?

Smile more, they glow more, they are more open to experience. For example, one of our regulars (let’s call her “Lucy”…(not her real name ☺) had a new years goal that while she was on summer holidays she would practice yoga everyday! She succeeded and each time I would see see her come to class I would get a bigger and bigger grin from her and honestly, she seemed to be glowing. I was really proud of her but most importantly she was proud of herself. She was also more open to experiences, for example, I get my students to place a blanket over their eyes in shavasana to aid in relaxation by cutting out excess light. “Lucy” refused to do this at the start because she didn’t feel comfortable, now she loves it, and tells me she been converted haha.

8. Is there anything you consider ‘essential’ to practice regularly? (eg: clothing, equipment, attitude ..etc)

Oh gosh no! If your lululemon’s and LJ’S make you feel more confident when practicing then buy them – but buy them only from a place of love not because you’ll feel judged if you don’t wear a particular brand. Where them because they make YOU feel good.

It comes from your frame of mind and if you’re practicing from a place of love (positivity) or not. If you’re practicing yoga because you love the way it makes you feel, awesome! If you’re practicing because yoga is the ‘cool’ exercise to do and you’re not into running, or your practicing from a place that feels like a chore then maybe change it up? Go to another class or try another teacher or have some fun and change up your routine.

Practice from a place of love, that’s my advice.

9. Anything else that you’d like to share that might help or encourage people to do more yoga? Maybe something you’ve observed or wish you could ‘tell’ everyone?

Start small – one class a week, maybe aim for two classes the second week and three classes the third week etc.

Be flexible with your goals! If you’re aiming to practice 6 times a week, make that a large goal but make a min. goal, say practicing 3 times – then when you reach that smaller goal you’ll be fell more confident that you can reach your larger goal more smoothly.

Start small and build up, reward yourself for achieving small goals as well as large goals. Take the time to journal about why you love yoga and how it makes you feel inside and out, how much better you sleep, or how much more energised you feel after practicing in the morning, etc.

Come along to my morning class at 6am Tuesday and I can help you discover how yoga super early in the morning sets you up for an incredibly awesome and energised day ahead! Your productivity will increase and this will be the equivalent of having more hours in your day, trust me! If you don’t trust me, then prove me wrong and come to a 6am class and tell me that it didn’t brighten your whole day from the get go.

[Meg is a regular on our timetable. She teaches Yoga Flow on Mondays at 6.15pm, Tuesday’s at 6am and Wednesdays at 5pm. Check out our timetable here and learn more about Meg here]