As a 45 year old Western woman recently schooled in one of the oldest, most sophisticated Eastern traditions in the world, I sometimes find myself wondering what business I have trying to communicate the principles of a nearly 5000-year-old physical/spiritual discipline. Maybe it could best be described as a life-long calling.
As a child, I unknowingly practiced yoga with my mother when on several occasions she would entice me to join her while she “stretched.” I became the tree or the camel or the bow. It’s my belief that these early childhood experiences made an indelible impression in my memory: laying the groundwork for what has become a passion for any modality that serves to unite the body, mind, and spirit.
In more recent years, as a mom, looking for ways to “stay fit,” I began to take aerobic dance classes. During this time I also discovered the martial arts, specifically Tae Kwon Do. This put me in touch with a source… a reservoir of strength and power I had forgotten I had, and a sense of inner peace.
I rediscovered yoga when I dropped into a local class taught by Marie Fourcaut, a dancer and a gifted yoga teacher. As I sat in full lotus and a state of bliss at the end of class, Marie looked at me and said, “Welcome to yoga, Anne.” It was a feeling of coming home again. I quickly became a devoted and disciplined student.
The desire to teach and share everything I was learning emerged. Marie Fourcaut took me under her wing and an apprenticeship began. Marie moved shortly after and I had the good fortune of inheriting her teaching position and her student body. The timing was perfect for both of us.
Yoga is endlessly fascinating to me and I feel incredibly lucky to have stumbled into this “career”. I’ve come to believe it is very important to stay involved with any activity that connects us to our deeper sense of Self, beyond the physical body.
My classes began where Marie’s left off, in the community space in New Preston called the Boy’s and Girl’s Club. It was my yoga teaching home for many years. While a community space is special in its own way, I began to dream of a studio space dedicated entirely to yoga and other compatible healing arts. I envisioned a space where like-minded yoga teachers and healing arts professionals could gather to share and exchange ideas and information, a space where students would find a soothing, safe environment where they could let go of the stresses of everyday life.
Developing the Yoga & Wellness Center of New Preston has been quite a venture. I felt all along it was the right thing to do, and that somehow the whole universe was conspiring to help. It has been a process of both planning and being pro-active and also of relaxing and letting go, trusting in the journey. Thanks to the love and support of my family and friends and all the students who have encouraged and supported me from the very beginning. I am delighted the center is so beautiful and welcoming. I hope the Yoga & Wellness Center continues to be a source of learning and personal growth, a source of refuge and comfort for all who participate in any of its classes or services.
My teaching continues to evolve and develop. I consider the years I’ve been teaching to be some of the best years of my life. It is an honor and a privilege to guide others in their yoga practice. What is most astonishing to me is that while many of us come to yoga initially to stretch or become stronger, to relax or relieve stress, we somehow inevitably find hidden in yoga’s ancient techniques, the quiet and profound lessons on how to live a happier, more content and more fully realized life. Often these lessons stay with us long after we’ve rolled up our mats.
I am thrilled to have some of the area’s most dedicated yoga teachers, massage therapists and healing arts practitioners on board in the new Yoga Center. We will all continue to do our very best to serve the yoga and wellness needs of the community.
I owe a debt of gratitude to my husband Rob for all his hard work in helping get the space ready and for not letting me back down when I became frightened about the ‘what -ifs…’ Thanks to my mom, my first yoga teacher, for offering all kinds of sound business advice. Thanks to my two teenage sons for putting up with my absence at home and leftovers for dinner. A special thanks to all of my students for sticking with me through the years. And a big thanks to Justin Primeaux who worked tirelessly and patiently to help create the space I envisioned.
Namaste, Anne