February Student of the Month
Tamyra Bourgeois
How did you discover yoga?
I discovered yoga early in life. When I was about 12 years old I would come home from school and tune in to Lilith’s Yoga on PBS. I fell in love with it then. That was in the early 70’s and I also took it in high school and in college, then as a young adult living in California and have continued for 40 years. (I am 52 now.) Yes, that long!
Do you remember your “aha!” moment in yoga class?
I have had many “aha” moments. Yoga for me is a metaphor for life. Once when I was trying to hold bridge pose, and struggling to get past my usual 5 seconds, I decided to take a deep breath into the pose, and what happened next is that I found tremendous strength to hold the pose longer than I ever did. This experience made me realize that just one breath, breathed deep into my heart could create amazing strength. Physically, as well as emotionally. I wrote about this experience in my book Once Upon A Blue Moon.
How has yoga helped you?
Physically:
I use to have back troubles. It is rare now, with all the developed muscles in my back that I suffer aches and pains in my back area.
Mentally:
Yoga helps me to create balance and order in my mind.
Emotionally:
I always leave yoga class feeling a sense of oneness and wholeness with life itself.
What’s your favorite posture?
Reverse triangle. I love the way my spine feels when I go from triangle to reverse triangle. It reminds me of wringing out a wet face cloth then the wonderful release of smoothing it out after.
What’s your least favorite posture?
Plow. Perhaps because I use to be able to do it with much more grace and ease as a young, skinny girl, and it is sad sometimes to feel the difficulty of it now.
What has been your experience practicing at Agame Yoga & Meditation Center?
When I walk into Agame, I always feel like I am coming home. I feel love and warmth and always so deeply welcomed in. I love the practice and can’t imagine my life without yoga and my beloved friends and teachers at Agame. I feel blessed.
January Student of the Month
Gaela Entremont
How did you discover yoga?
My friend, Janet, recommended it to me.
Do you remember your “aha!” moment in yoga class?
Yes, it was actually in my very first yoga class. It felt good getting a challenging workout from the flow class and then feeling the utter relaxation and sense of accomplishment. I was so relaxed at the end of the class that I told my teacher I felt like a squirrel harboring nuts for the winter because my cheeks felt so weighed down! Plus, I realized quickly how important it is to just do something for myself and feel good about it.
How has yoga helped you?
Physically: I FEEL AMAZING! I have an illness that causes severe joint pain and fatigue, and since practicing yoga, I have cut back on half of my medication and rarely have much pain and very little fatigue.
Mentally: Yoga has taught me that it is ok to be still…to relax…to just breathe.
Emotionally: I’ve always had a happy, positive outlook on life, but yoga makes me smile even more. I worry less about things and I definitely don’t stress out as easily as I used to.
What’s your favorite posture?
I have 2 – I like triangle pose and cactus or goddess pose. I love the challenge each of them provide and the “help” it gives to my problem areas.
What’s your least favorite posture?
I really don’t have one.
What has been your experience practicing at Agame Yoga & Meditation Center?
The atmosphere at Agame is extremely friendly and family oriented. I have been practicing yoga at Agame consistently for over a year and can’t imagine not coming here. I have loved all of the teachers that have been here and have learned something special from each of them. In the beginning, I tried classes at a couple of other locations but didn’t feel the same relaxing and comforting feeling that I get at Agame. I truly enjoy the overall fulfillment I receive from working hard, yet learning to relax with yoga. Yoga at Agame has truly changed my life physically and emotionally!
December Student of the Month
Charles Flanagan
How did you discover yoga?
When I was in college, I had a friend from India. My friend’s mother and father introduced me to meditation and yoga philosophy. That was a blessing.
Do you remember your “aha!” moment in yoga class?
An early “aha” moment was when I let of go of the notion of getting the posture “perfect” and decided to concentrate on the benefits of the practice itself.
How has yoga helped you?
Physically: Yoga practice is energizing. With regular yoga practice, I maintain a higher energy level throughout the day.
Mentally: I find yoga practice to be very beneficial for concentration.
Emotionally: For me, the emotional benefits of yoga practice can be summed up simply: do yoga, feel better.
What’s your favorite posture?
Balance poses are challenging. I am delighted when, over time, I gradually improve in these postures.
What’s your least favorite posture?
That would be balance poses again! I can become frustrated when I wobble around. For me, the key is try to maintain a sense of humor.
What has been your experience practicing at Agame Yoga & Meditation Center?
Agame is a wonderful place to practice yoga and meditation. The teachers are great, the space is terrific, and the fellow yoga practitioners are warm and friendly.
November Student of the Month
Angelle Brown
How did you discover yoga?
I’ve been aware of yoga as a type of exercise for many years, but discovering it as an avenue I wanted to pursue has been in the last year and a half. Yoga is so much more than stretching and strengthening!
Do you remember your “aha!” moment in yoga class?
A concept I frequently return to is balance, not just in a tree pose, but in life! When in difficult or challenging circumstances, I am much better at consciously deciding to lead with love while holding a space for awareness and acceptance. Practice helps me to internally balance what I might be feeling and what the reality presents to me at that time. With this perspective, I can then choose to think or act in a way that honors my true self. Certain yoga poses continue to re-teach me this life lesson.
How has yoga helped you?
Physically: Learning to breathe deeply and the simple awareness of breath is an excellent tool, especially when stressed. I have significantly less headaches, joint and muscle soreness, and my posture is stronger.
Mentally: Setting intentions in class is a wonderful way to make peace with a thought. There are infinite possibilities for intentions: a friend in need, a gratitude, letting go of a grudge… So I’ve found I may leave yoga happy or somber, but I have worked toward a goal. The mental part takes work!
Emotionally: After yoga class I realize that I have positively addressed myself physically and mentally, then the rest of life naturally balances out. When I consistently practice yoga, I eat healthier, I sleep better, I am happier, I judge less and learn more.
What’s your favorite posture?
Warrior II Pose for strength and any Twist Pose feels great on the spine!
What’s your least favorite posture?
Pigeon— It is rough on a stiff hip!
What has been your experience practicing at Agame Yoga & Meditation Center?
As a business owner, I am aware of the factors that create success. I appreciate the consistent professional excellence that Agame embodies, and am impressed by the many class offerings. It is a place of supportive and positive energy that is respectful of various ages, personalities, and beliefs. Guidance from Phi and the other teachers is impossible to measure, but I have tremendous gratitude that Agame is available to me and this community.
October Student of the Month
Aimee Moles
How did you discover yoga?
I think it was in college at the University of Georgia student rec center. (The guys in the class were cute!)
Do you remember your “aha!” moment in yoga class?
I have had many, and they happen all the time. My latest was that it was silly to fight “what is” because it will always be there, but I can refuse to “worry” about it and move on.
How has yoga helped you?
Physically: Even my most damaged joints are working better and are less painful, almost like they were being repaired. When I don’t make time to practice, the stiffness sets in quickly.
Mentally: My thinking is clearer and more organized even on the craziest days. I can fight anxiety with logical thought rather than succumbing to it.
Emotionally: I am more centered when I make time for regular yoga practice, also the exercise helps me focus on my writing process without continually getting the urge to distract myself.
What’s your favorite posture?
Pigeon for sure. It almost puts me in a trance.
What’s your least favorite posture?
Laying on my stomach with my forehead to the ground. (My long, pointed nose gets in the way!)
What has been your experience practicing at Agame Yoga & Meditation Center?
It is a lovely place with a peaceful atmosphere. I am always anxious to see all my buddies in class and have a good laugh or two when Kate makes us do something really difficult.
September Student of the Month
Larry Cunningham
How did you discover yoga?
Some years ago, I watched a documentary on Sting, and he was demonstrating “Sun Salutations.” Though I did not start practicing then, I remained interested in the benefits of yoga. I was recently encouraged by friends and family to try yoga as a means of reducing stress and improving my overall health.
Do you remember your “aha!” moment in yoga class?
I clearly remember my “aha” moment. I had been taking classes for about three months. During class one afternoon, I was in Savasana and, for the first time, was able to clear mind of all outside thoughts. It felt like an outer-body experience, and afterwards, I was truly serene and I finally felt like I was able to accomplish pure meditation.
How has yoga helped you?
Physically: I have been able to tone muscles, improve my flexibility, and maintain my weight.
Mentally: It has helped me get in time with my mind and body. I have also attained more balance in my life, and am better able to set aside work stressors to care for my own well being.
Emotionally: It has allowed me to open my heart, be more sure of myself, and value myself. I now experience my inner self and think I know myself better.
What’s your favorite posture?
My favorite posture is Savasana because it gives me an opportunity to reflect on my practice. Pigeon is my other favorite posture because the stretch feels good to my hips, lower-back, and gluteus maximus.
What’s your least favorite posture?
My least favorite posture is the tree pose or any pose where I have to balance myself on one foot. The reasons for this are self-explanatory (I will keep trying though.).
What has been your experience practicing at Agame Yoga & Meditation Center?
I have had an extremely fulfilling experience at Agame. It has become my new sanctuary, refuge and refreshing drink of cool water. Staff members make me feel like family and the teachers professionally guide me through my postures with loving kindness.
August Student of the Month
Mary Catherine Johnson
How did you discover yoga?
My mother and father began taking yoga classes when I was in middle school. My mother went on to be a certified instructor.
Do you remember your “aha!” moment in yoga class?
I used to try to force my muscles into flexibility or a pose. One day in class I sort of released my muscles that I had been trying to force and the flexibility came to me. I learned to relax into the pose.
How has yoga helped you?
Physically: It has increased my strength and flexibility. I feel longer.
Mentally: It helps to calm my thoughts and lose the days stresses.
Emotionally: I feel more even tempered and it helps me to be easier on myself.
What’s your favorite posture?
Triangle and Bridge Poses
What’s your least favorite posture?
Chair Pose
What has been your experience practicing at Agame Yoga & Meditation Center?
It is so personal. All of the staff are so well trained and friendly. The whole place has a great energy to it. I look forward to my classes.
July Student of the Month
Becky Barton
How did you discover yoga?
I first discovered yoga as a teenager. I had checked out a library book about yoga. It would be many years before I walked into my first class, but that seed was planted.
Do you remember your “aha!” moment in yoga class?
I think my “aha” moment came when I realized if I kept my focus on my breath, it would enable me to stay focused on “my” mat and not judging myself against how others looked, practiced etc. Then it was truly my yoga.
How has yoga helped you?
Physically: Yoga keeps my back in place. I don’t think I would have been able to stay at my job without coming to yoga. I hurt it some years back while working and yoga enables me to live with normal aches and pains, far from the pain of that injury.
Mentally: I just feel stronger all the way around. Its ok to be me, just as I am, its who I am suppose to be.
Emotionally: Yoga calms my mind and helps me to come back to the here and the now. Gives me solutions instead of worry, that always being coming back to my breath.
What’s your favorite posture?
Reclined twists. Such an ahhhh moment.
What’s your least favorite posture?
Revolved Triangle. I find it most difficult, although I have had success with it on the wall.
What has been your experience practicing at Agame Yoga & Meditation Center?
Practicing at Agame has deepend the spiritual side of my yoga practice. When I started my practice I knew I was looking to grow spiritually. The first time I practiced with Phi I knew I had found what I was looking for. I feel I am a stronger person physically, mentally and spiritually and am forever grateful.
June Student of the Month
Sally Power
How did you discover yoga?
My mom introduced me to yoga when I was a kid, in the early 70s. Her teacher, Usharbudh Arya, now Swami Veda Bharati, had opened a meditation center in Minneapolis, and my mom got hooked. She became a Hatha teacher, and taught for a couple of decades. I attended some classes, and the center hosted kirtans, and visiting teachers, like Dr Pratap and Swami Bua. They made a big impression on me, but mostly, I was a teenager. I didn’t really start practicing seriously until I was out of college and had the opportunity to learn from Swami Bua in New York. When I moved again, I stopped practicing until I realized I really needed yoga in my life, and I stumbled upon Phi at Women’s Center for Fitness about five years ago. I followed her from place to place until she opened up Agame, and I expect to practice with her until I’m as old as Swami Bua.
Do you remember your “aha!” moment in yoga class?
Almost every class has an ‘aha’ moment, and often ‘haha’ moments. One of my nicer moments was when I first really experienced ‘namaste’ with every person in the class after our practice, and realized that Phi has built a community where I can truly feel a shared sense of belonging.
How has yoga helped you?
Physically: When I hit my 40s, I realized that if I didn’t work on flexibility, I would start getting stiff, and I would lose mobility. Yoga is keeping me fit and supple, and I have greater wellness, and handle physical stress better.
Mentally: The practice has helped me with acceptance of whatever conditions are present in any given situation. When I find myself struggling against things I don’t like, losing patience with others who aren’t listening, feeling frustrated when things don’t go my way… I find it’s easier to detach from my own self-centered agenda these days. When we’re late leaving the house in the morning, and my kid misses the bus, it’s easier to remember to breathe, and maybe do some pranayama, before I get all stressed out. People who live with me might think I have more work to do. I have a strong tendency to live in my mind, and I try to work things out intellectually. Some things just can’t be understood. Practice in meditation and quieting the mind has been a big help (again acceptance). When I can’t let something go, I try, at least, to think with my heart as much as my head, if that makes sense. Phi’s classes, and Kundalini classes she has hosted, have supported Chakra work that I feel has been important to me.
Emotionally: There are a lot of mental stresses that hit me in the head that can also rattle my emotional picture, and sparring that sometimes happens in relationships can be unbalancing. Through yoga, I have gotten better at identifying what I am feeling, and when I feel emotions hitting me in the throat and the chest, breath awareness is very helpful. Offering Ahimsa (doing no harm) to others, and to myself, is something that I try to return to, so I can stop contributing to whatever problem is causing me or someone else to be upset. This Spring, I started chanting the Adi Mantra (Om, Guru Dev Namo), and I find that is very supportive of a calm sense of emotional security. If I skip a few days, I miss the benefit. I chant when the house is empty, because it seems a little weird to my family. Having a community of fellow yogis at Agame that ‘get it’ is so nice.
What’s your favorite posture?
My second favorite posture is Half Moon, because I’m pretty lousy with standing balancing positions. Somehow, it just works out for me, and it feels great. My favorite position is Shavasana, of course. I LOVE yoga nidra (relaxation).
What’s your least favorite posture?
Forward bending is really challenging for me. It is the one pose where I find myself looking around, seeing how much better most of the students are at this than I am, so I get to judge myself. In a recent class at Agame, Camille Coates said something like ‘being too flexible brings its own problems’. I have pondered that thought on a number of levels. So, maybe I’m doing ok, after all? I’ll keep working at it, though. I like vinyasas because you move through forward bending without staying there too long.
What has been your experience practicing at Agame Yoga & Meditation Center?
Agame is right where I need to be in my practice. Today, Phi taught a 50/15/10 class: physical practice, shavasana, meditation. It felt great, and she says her Tues. Thurs. 9:00 am class will stick to that balance for a while. I’m usually a slacker when my kids are out of school in summer, but this class is going to keep me in gear.
May Student of the Month
Celia Vine
How did you discover yoga?
I first discovered yoga in 1976 through a Leisure Class at LSU. I was looking for a noncompetitive form of exercise that was good for stress management. After my first class, I knew yoga would be a journey of a lifetime for me!
Do you remember your “aha!” moment in yoga class?
I have “aha” moments in almost every yoga class, which is why my practice is such a rich experience for me. Recently, I attended a class guided by Phi with the focus of compassion for oneself. During our final meditation in savasana, I imagined a world in which everyone experienced the deep inner peace I had at that moment. At times such as this, I realize that the benefits of a yoga practice extend well beyond personal limits, and can be a form of subtle activism.
How has yoga helped you?
Yoga has helped me on so many different levels and in multiple ways throughout my years of practice. Physically, I have been able to maintain strength, flexibility, energy and endurance. On a feeling level, yoga has assisted me in maintaining emotional balance and perspective. It has been there for me during times of grief and joy. Spiritually, I feel connected to my higher self and to the kula, or community, in a class together.
What’s your favorite posture?
I love the energy and openness I experience in a backbend, such as the bow pose or camel. When I feel a need to turn inward, the turtle pose is for me.
What’s your least favorite posture?
Chaturanga is a pose that still challenges me a great deal, as well as a headstand.
What has been your experience practicing at Agame Yoga & Meditation Center?
I discovered the center shortly after it opened and was immediately drawn to the spirit of the place. The classes offer me a wonderful integration of the physical, emotional and spiritual benefits of yoga. I enjoy sharing a pot of tea with fellow yogis before taking the “nectar” out into the world.
April Student of the Month
Brandi Little
How did you discover yoga?
I first discovered yoga while living in Seattle about 10 years ago. I think I had just stopped doing ballet and was looking for a physical activity that involved balance and flexibility. Unfortunately, though I tried out several studios throughout the years, I never seemed to stick to my yoga practice, and eventually drifted away entirely. That is, until I found Agame!
Do you remember your “aha!” moment in yoga class?
I think my aha moment came in two parts, one on the yoga mat, and one in front of my painting easel. After attending Agame for a couple of weeks, I was in one of Phi’s intermediate morning classes, where she was talking about not rushing through difficult poses. She spoke about trying to enjoy each pose for what it was, without judgment, without anticipating the next pose and rushing into it. Each pose has something important to teach us, no matter how much our arms might be shaking! We just need to remember to breathe into it.
After class, I sat down to work on the current painting I was doing and prepared for a part of the painting process which I often think of as “tedious” or “mundane”. I can often rush through it to get to the more interesting, finishing layers. Which, honestly, can make that whole part very unpleasant! But that day I let myself repeat Phi’s words in my head, I slowed down, breathed into the process, and smiled 
That’s when I realized that what I learn on the mat will help me in all aspects of my life. And that’s when I knew that yoga would be an essential part of my growth as a person.
How has yoga helped you?
Physically: My yoga practice gives me more energy and I am already noticing myself becoming stronger and more confident. The spinal twists we do in class really seem to help with a lot of the lower back stiffness I can get in the morning or after long hours spent painting. And I am definitely looking forward to regaining some of my former flexibility.
Mentally: Well, I already spoke a bit about how yoga is helping me in my painting process earlier. But I find that the process of acceptance and non-judgment helps me in all aspects of my life. My mind is slowly becoming stiller (on good days!) and more patient. I believe that the mental benefits of yoga outweigh all the rest for me.
Emotionally: Honestly, I’m just so much happier after a yoga class, and really for the rest of the day! Whether it is one of Alicia’s basic morning classes, which I found energizing and so very joyful, or Phi’s intermediate classes that are so physically challenging (and, therefore, emotionally challenging) and yet, very calming. All of the classes I take at Agame lift my mood and also keep it steadier throughout the day.
What’s your favorite posture?
I really enjoy all of the warrior poses: Warrior 1, Warrior 2, Peaceful Warrior. They give me a feeling of being strong and feminine (an irresistible combination)! And though my arms don’t always agree, how can you not love Wild Thing? So freeing! Oh and I just want to let my yoga teachers know, I have always dreamed of doing Scorpion pose. Just putting that out there as something to work towards!
What’s your least favorite posture?
Anything that requires me to lift my entire body with my arms and puts a lot of pressure on my wrists: Eight Angle Pose, Side Plank. I’m also not a huge fan of Helicopter. All of these poses take me away from my breath and put me in a place of judgment. But I have a feeling it won’t always be this way!
What has been your experience practicing at Agame Yoga & Meditation Center?
Agame feels like home. I felt welcome the very fist time I walked in. I think what I love most about my teachers at Agame is that they focus on the spiritual aspects of yoga just as much as (if not more than) the physical aspects. This truly speaks to my heart. While I love the strength and physical energy yoga gives me, the mental clarity and emotional stability it provides is what I find so essential. The connection to other like-minded beings is truly a gift I receive every time I walk into the studio. I’ve only been at Agame a few short months, but on the days I don’t have class, I constantly find myself looking forward to the next time I’m there. Accomplishments, connections, challenges, failures, tiny awakenings and realizations… I love it all.
March Student of the Month
Becky French
How did you discover yoga?
I discovered yoga through a co-worker who one day, out of the blue, invited me to a class. My first yoga class was in June of 2008. It was a Hatha Yoga class taught by Julie Bouguouis.
Do you remember your “aha!” moment in yoga class?
My “aha” moment came to me in my first yoga class during savasana. As I laid in that restorative pose, I knew yoga would continue to be a regular part of my life simply because of how good it made me feel. This first class left me feeling strong, healthy, grounded, rejuvenated and joyful, and I knew I wanted more of that! It was at this moment that I knew yoga would remain forever a part of my life.
How has yoga helped you?
I believe I was born into this world with an intention to expand, feel good and experience overall well being. Somewhere along the way, stress, insecurity, anxiety, loneliness and worry entered my life experience. Yoga is one activity in my life which brings me back to my intention, the natural desire within me to feel good and experience overall well being. Yoga helps me on all levels, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Physically: Yoga has helped my physical body by toning muscles and improving my flexibility and balance. While my primary purpose for practicing yoga is not physical exercise, it is a great way to stay active and get in shape!
Mentally: Mentally, yoga has helped me stayed grounded and focused in the present moment. My practice teaches me acceptance, patience, gratitude and non-judgment. Through learning to become aware of my thoughts and accept where I am in every moment, I am empowered and know I have the ability to shift my focus and change my reality.
Emotionally: Yoga gives me perspective on what is happening inside of me emotionally. Practicing yoga has helped me release resistance (emotional ties) through acceptance. I am learning to see my emotions as a gift. It is my feelings and emotions that tell me if I am connected with my higher self or pulling away.
What’s your favorite posture?
Not once have I gone into child’s pose, or corps pose and not enjoyed it! I find great joy and rest in those two soothing poses. I love spinal twists because it massages the liver and kidneys and stretches my problem areas, which are the hips, shoulder and neck.
What’s your least favorite posture?
Any pose that takes me out of the moment and into a judgmental, comparative state of mind. Some of these poses include crow, wheel and pigeon. Even though I list these poses as my least favorite I have found great joy in them. When I began yoga I could not get into these poses at all (I could not even touch my toes)! I will never forget the wonderful feeling I had when I could hold the poses. While I am still growing and learning to align myself properly in these poses I am grateful and excited that I am improving in my practice.
What has been your experience practicing at Agame Yoga & Meditation Center?
Agame is my refuge from the sometimes chaotic world. Through Agame I am exposed to many opportunities to balance myself physically, mentally and emotionally. It is a place I can go to get happy! Whether I am attending a yoga class, kirtan, book club meeting or dance class I know I can connect with my natural state of peace and well being, and carry that good feeling home with me. I am so grateful to have expanded my community to include supportive, like-minded people!
February Student of the Month
John Burns
How did you discover yoga?
I just wanted to try it out. My first experience was at the Y with Phi and John Eads. I have been practicing for almost five years.
Do you remember your “aha!” moment in yoga class?
Yes. It took about a year. It was when I first pushed up into wheel by myself.
How has yoga helped you?
It has given me peace and reduced stress. I am a business owner. I needed a way to reduce physical and mental stress.
What’s your favorite posture?
There is not just one. I like Crescent pose, headstand and triangle. I like the entire flow yoga process.
What’s your least favorite posture?
Pigeon. I work hard to get better, but my hips are tight.
What has been your experience practicing at Agame Yoga & Meditation Center?
I started a couple of years ago in Phi’s house. I loved the small room and the early morning classes. I continue to thrive on the early morning classes with Dee Dee. She rocks!
January Student of the Month
Danielle Wheeler
How did you discover yoga?
Trying to pinpoint how I discovered yoga led me to see that there was not one specific instance that turned on a light for me, but rather a gradual growing brightness of light that allowed me to open my eyes, heart, and mind to this practice. I took the occasional class here and there, and I received a book about the asthanga practice from a former boss, but it wasn’t until I stumbled across Christine Chrest’s early morning classes over a year and half ago that I began a consistent and dedicated practice. Her beautiful, non-assuming, compassionate approach to the physical and mental practice provided me with the solid alignment-focused foundation that allowed me to dive deeper in the physiology and eventual psychology of the practice.
Do you remember your “aha!” moment in yoga class?
Hero’s pose has always been a challenging pose for me due to two knee surgeries I had as a teenager and I had always dreaded this pose. Eventually, however, I realized that I disliked this pose so much not only because it was physically difficult for me, but because it brought me back to the resentment, anger, and frustration I dealt with during that surgery time in my life. I had never fully processed those emotions and I was holding onto them, allowing it to manifest itself in different imbalances in my physical body and emotional self. One morning, as we were transitioning into hero’s pose, I tried a different approach — one of compassion and awareness. It was so much easier! In that moment, I realized that by simply adjusting both my physical and mental approach on the mat completely changed how I experienced the posture and how I could experience life off the mat. Hero’s pose opened my eyes to awareness and allowed me to see more clearly the union of the mind and the body.
How has yoga helped you?
As my physical practice continues to grow, I am able to carry what I learn on the mat to my daily interactions and approaches to life, creating a more balanced lifestyle. It has allowed me to see the link between the mind and the body, observing the sensations that arise and adjust any habitual patterned responses I have created. Each day, I see more and more of the interconnectedness of all things.
What’s your favorite posture?
I love doing any hip or heart openers, especially crescent lunge or pigeon. They provide such a powerful release! Also, I absolutely love the challenge that bird of paradise provides. It’s the ultimate combination of balance, strength, and flexibility.
What’s your least favorite posture?
Twisted Utkatasana, but I’m working on it.
What has been your experience practicing at Agame Yoga & Meditation Center?
Agame has provided a pure, open, compassionate community. The teachers have seamlessly joined the physical and mental elements of a dedicated yoga practice to create a place where one can learn and practice. There is no judgment, egos are kept at bay, and everyone I’ve encountered is an open book. We are all there to learn from each other and guide each other along our paths. In short, it is full of love and gratitude.
December Student of the Month
Josh Peak
How did you discover yoga?
I first discovered yoga at Agame after a friend of mine had been coming for a few weeks. I was training for a distance run at the time and battling constant “tightness.” I was mainly looking for a more comprehensive stretching routine. I had been interested in yoga for a while beforehand, so I jumped at the invitation. The race came and went but by then I’d realized a lot more benefits to yoga than I’d assumed. I’ve been practicing ever since.
Do you remember your “aha!” moment in yoga class?
Those eureka moments seem to sneak up on me once a week, but I can recall a pivotal one early in my practice with Phi. I had been struggling with down dog for a while at this point, but at this practice Phi started correcting me. I thought I was following instructions, and I seemed to look more or less like the other students, but I was still fighting the posture. With a few corrections and Phi standing over me, I took a full breath and relaxed into the pose. I suddenly realized how actively I had been trying to force the pose for my first few weeks. Ever since then I’ve been much more successful by simply trusting my body and allowing it to ‘settle in’ to the posture.
How has yoga helped you?
Yoga definitely helps me balance my career with my life. I bring a lot of stress home with me and even when I’m not thinking about it, I still carry it around in strange joints and muscles without realizing it. Coming to practice is so mentally and physically engaging that I always leave with a calm, clear mind and a refreshed, relaxed body. I relish the Saturday’s which I start at Agame because I walk out with a fresh outlook towards my whole weekend.
What’s your favorite posture?
I think I most often look forward to the ‘wheel’ pose when in practice. Fundamentally it’s simple and grounded, but physically so expressive. I’ve also always been drawn to inversions. It’s still elusive, but I’m hoping to reach a full handstand in the near future.
What’s your least favorite posture?
Strangely, I think ‘child’s pose’ may be my least favorite. I know it’s important to counter back bends, but I just don’t get much out of it. I suppose I tend to enjoy the more demanding poses… I think that’s called masochism.
What has been your experience practicing at Agame Yoga & Meditation Center?
It’s always a pleasure to come to practice and simply be enveloped by positive energy. I’ve gotten to know a lot of the ‘family’ at Agame and enjoy the comradery of the journey. It’s been great to see the encouragement as different people accomplish their personal goals and, of course, to realize progress in my own practice. I’ve been going for less than a year, but I’ll often be shocked to find myself in a pose that seemed impossible when I began practicing. When it comes time to roll up my mat, I’m usually already excited to see where the next practice will take us.
November Student of the Month
Denese Blue
How did you discover yoga?
My first experience with yoga was at Spectrum Health Club. After attending a few classes I realized I liked it more than traditional exercise and wanted to learn more about the spiritual aspects. I would consider my first yoga teacher John Eads. His teaching style was very instrumental in getting me “hooked”.
Do you remember your “aha!” moment in yoga class?
I remember taking an Ashtanga workshop with Todd Geiser several years ago and putting all the pieces together of the series I had been practicing without realizing it was a series. He also taught a lot on the bundas and how important it is to use your core. The weekend experience of posture, chanting and the history of yoga opened my eyes and heart to want to experience more than exercise.
How has yoga helped you?
It has helped me physically deal with stress and the aches and pains that come with it and has helped me mentally accept things that I struggle with. I’ve learned that I live in the past and worry about the future. Yoga teaches us to be present in the moment… easier said than done… but a regular practice keeps it in focus.
What’s your favorite posture?
I think my favorite posture is Triangle Pose. I really feel good to stretch the body and open the heart in this posture.
What’s your least favorite posture?
I have great difficulty with arm balances and any of those evil arm binds — my shoulders and arms just don’t want to work that way!
What has been your experience practicing at Agame Yoga & Meditation Center?
My experience at Agame has been one of family. I truly have an extended family here — always encouraging me when life gets tough. When one of us misses a class, it throws off the balance of the whole experience. I’ve always felt like a part of something special at Agame. I’ve never walked through the doors without getting a much needed hug from one or more people. Love my yoga family!