Once I became a member, I tried out lots of classes and realized there were many classes I liked, which inspired me to go to yoga several times a week. I’m stronger, calmer, more patient and grounded (on the good days!) because of my yoga practice. I’m also virtually pain-free.

Establishing my yoga practice was the first step towards choosing things that give my life more purpose and intention. I have the utmost gratitude for Marit and the Inner Fire Yoga community for helping me find my path.

Being active has always been an important part of my life. In high school, I played tennis competitively and would practice nearly every day after school. Once I was in college and had less time for tennis, I started taking cardio-focused group fitness classes, like Zumba and HIIT, at our student rec center. I felt like I needed something high energy with a competitive component to maintain my attention and get a good workout.

While completing my first year of law school, I neglected to find time to take care of my mental and physical wellness. This spring, I decided to tackle both through yoga! As a busybody, I thought that I would be bored and under-stimulated by yoga. I now know that yoga is very stimulating, and continues to challenge me every time I practice.

I started practicing a few years ago in graduate school at the University of Illinois when I saw a flyer for weekly free yoga in my office. I had been experiencing repetitive stress injuries from years of running, so it was a convenient way to recover and remain active. I was surprised at my lack of strength and mobility in areas I had overlooked while running competitively.

Thank you for pointing the Student Spotlight almost 200 miles northwest of Madison! My name is Kaia Simon, my pronouns are she/her, and I live in Eau Claire, WI where I am an Assistant Professor of English at UW-Eau Claire.

In 2018 my life had very little structure. I was finishing a graduate program and a dissertation, confronted with days, weeks, and months of nothing but writing and far too much time to think. It was draining and disorienting.

A yogic lifestyle involves an emphasis on comprehensive, holistic approach to health. For me, this means I need to be physically active daily to properly integrate mind, body and spirit. I find that doing yoga accomplishes this to the extent that such awareness also transcends to other aspects of my life and those around me.