Calm Under Pressure by Karina

My espousal for yoga is so strong that I am a second year yoga student. I enjoy the practice of yoga more and more as each day passes. 

Unlike my first year, I consciously chose yoga this year because I wanted to take it once again. The sensation I receive after a practice of yoga is astonishing. 

The things we practice in yoga can be applied to everyday situations. During a calculus test, or a really busy day at work, I thinking about past practices and do some breathing exercises. Breathing aids me in reaching a sense of equanimity. Calm under pressure, which was a state that I couldn’t reach a couple of years ago. 

This may be a bit far stretched, but I honestly believe that practicing yoga on a daily basis has helped improve my grades. I went from being an average student into becoming an above average student earning A's and B's. 

My first two years of high school weren't all that great. But my last two, when I started practicing yoga, were great. Yoga was taught me that the way I do anything is the way I do everything. If I feel strong on the mat and I have a balanced locus of control, then I feel the same way in everything that I do. I feel strong and confident about my grades, which parallels to how I feel on the mat. I found equilibrium on the mat, which eventually helped me find equilibrium in life. Especially during the period when I had to complete a lot of college applications...but even that went smoothly. 

I love yoga. It's become a great impact on my life, which is filled with nothing but bliss. I am excited to become a yoga teacher and to teach others the wonders of yoga and how the philosophy can be applied both on and off the mat. Yoga is a sensation that I am unable to receive anywhere else. These emotions I sense should be shared among everyone else in the world, from local to global.

Have an amazing yoga-tastic day!

-Karina A

Acknowledgement

Dear lululemon athletica, Rob, and Alison: 

Thank you for your generous donation to In-Powered's metta grant application, and for making the trip to visit our training in Houston! What inspires me the most about becoming a yoga teacher is the capacity to sway the sense of relaxation that I receive while doing yoga onto others around me. And, because of your willingness to support my training, I am now ready to follow this new path onto becoming a yoga instructor. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed my blog entry. I so look forward to sharing my energy amongst others! 

The Journey of a Nerdy Kid Just Trying to Get an Athletic Credit

by Evelyn Rodriquez

My personal yoga journey began in a pretty simple way. I needed an athletic credit, I hated gym, so I decided to take yoga instead. I had no idea what to expect really, the closest yoga experience I had  at that point was trying out the free DVD's that McDonald's gave away when you purchased a salad. 

I decided it was time to try something new, so I signed up for the yoga class without knowing that it would change my life.

My first day of practice was probably the most shocking. My expectations ranged from extreme acrobatics and levitation to simply sitting cross legged while constantly repeating "OM." It was nothing like that. 

Instead I tried movements that I wouldn't even think to do on a normal day. Some of the poses were really challenging, but I enjoyed that. The rhythmic breathing and movements made me more aware of my body than I had ever been before. It may have been a little odd at first, but I learned that breathing is everything, and the way I am on the mat reflects who I am in other parts of my life, and that was just on the first day.

The more I practiced, the more I felt like I gained control of myself. I  no longer felt like the clumsy, stressed, and low self-esteemed girl I always limited myself to be. Yoga taught me valuable lessons that a kid just doesn't hear enough when placed in the barriers of a classroom. "Don't take things personally" became my life motto, and it seemed like after all the lessons I learned from one class I had undergone some sort of mindset metamorphosis. Yoga helped me gain the strength, confidence, balance and philosophy I wouldn't have imagined I could have accomplished.


Ever since that first day I stepped on a mat, I no longer restrict myself because of the fear of failure. Yoga is more than just stretching and meditation. It teaches valuable lessons, creates supportive environments, and is just overall life changing. Yoga created a sort of asylum or haven that I couldn't get anywhere else. 

To put it shortly, yoga made me a happier and better person. I will never regret signing up for that class, and I want to create that feeling in others too. I commit to be a part of this movement because I am determined to help others improve their lives too, one pose at a time. 

Acknowledgement

Dear lululemon athletica,

Thank you so much for your generous donation to In-Powered through your metta grant! Because of your magnanimity, I get the opportunity to become a yoga teacher. What inspires me the most of becoming a yoga teacher is having the ability to purvey the bliss, self-awareness, and strength that comes with such a wonderful practice. Now, because of your charitable support of my training, I get to do that and more! 

Please allow me to share a blog entry that also serves as a part of my teacher training application. Thank you so much! I look forward to meeting you when you visit Houston, and to be able to inspire communities with the joyous practice that is yoga.