Melissa Ganshert
In the summer of 2019 I had the opportunity to study and earn my 200 hour RYT. Unfortunately, just when I was about to teach, the COVID outbreak began and classes were canceled. Shortly thereafter my daughter was born.
Through COVID I walked, ran, practiced yoga and danced from home to help my body heal from giving birth and to make sense of being a new mom in a very closed world.
Fast forward to now and I am happy that I found something that can give me peace of mind at the end of the day to help recenter my perspective and remind me to breathe. I want to keep strengthening my body to be a strong example for my daughter and continue to be proactive about my own health.
As a former classical dancer, salsa and zumba instructor, my body does best when it is moving. I still dance flamenco and salsa but my time is more limited. Gone are the days of 3x/week instructing and rehearsals, as my priorities have shifted. Also, my body would not be very forgiving of such work. I have a little one at home who needs and deserves my attention, care and love. I also have a challenging job working with low income students and helping them to navigate learning literacy, math and social emotional skills in English and Spanish.
Yoga helps me to keep calm as a teacher by day, and to be a more patient, centered and strong mother. It has allowed me to show up to a fresh start each morning when working with children in trauma who need me to help guide them as they learn and grow.
Some of my favorite poses are warrior 2, half moon, dancer and bow. My arch nemesis is anything involving arm balances (which I am working on) such as crow pose. I enjoy taking classes with all of the teachers at Inner Fire East. Jane helped me start the work week off on the right foot this year, Amelia and Tony helped me to pause and breath mid-week, and Victoria has been an inspiration for trying new poses on the weekends.
I am happy that I have found Inner Fire and the strong community of yogis here. It helped me to stay warm this fall and make it through the long winter months. Now, even as the weather warms up, I keep coming back to challenge myself and keep growing. It is close to home, always welcoming and has become a source of meeting new friends and mentors.
Melissa Ganshert (she/her)