One of the first things I noticed when I came into my teacher Judi Rice’s studio was a plaque that said “Faith Moves Mountains.” I had recently had a conversion – a change in lifestyle you could say - and I thought a lot about those words and how faith had changed the way I thought and how I acted and reacted. I had experienced Judi’s teaching previously as one of her yoga students at the University of Louisville (UofL) but I had to change my way of living before I could really commit myself to yoga.
Under Judi’s guidance, a small group of her students went through the certification process. I was certified in 2007 and taught classes at UofL, the women’s prison in Pewee Valley, and different studios in town. In 2010, our teacher retired as her illness with multiple myeloma progressed. Her students have carried on her teaching faithfully, most notably Alex Cleveland and Kathleen Geile with their studio, Crescent Hill Yoga.
In 2014, I retired as an internal auditor having worked in the accounting field for 17 years. Having been in the business of risk management I knew that I was moving into a world of uncertainty. It felt like the right thing to do. Since then, I have focused on studying and teaching yoga. After teaching out of my home for a few years, I opened a studio called Iyengar Yoga of St Matthews in 2019. Teaching from my home was complicated with limited parking and tight quarters for students. Opening a studio outside my home gave me freedom to grow. The studio is above a restaurant in my neighborhood with plenty of parking. Other businesses in the building include massage therapists and a counseling center.
I teach six classes a week – four at my studio, one at the women’s prison and one at Foxhollow Farm outside of Louisville. Becoming a studio owner has been an interesting learning experience. I am starting to do more marketing and discovered that the Louisville Small Business Association has been an amazing free resource especially with their help with social media. I was not a frequent user of social media before and I’m still a beginner and learning more about the best ways to use it.
I think, know and feel such gratitude for yoga and especially Judi, who was a true guru to her students. I have to break through my fear and take a step each day in meeting myself on the mat, teaching others yoga, and encouraging them to find out for themselves how yoga can impact their lives. Sometimes I think I’m in the business of not knowing and I try to let faith step in and I take her hand and walk another step.
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