Student Spotlight: Meet Susan
In our first Student Spotlight, we're introducing our beloved client, Susan! in our first year of business, Susan took more classes than anyone else! We're so inspired by her quiet dedication & kind, compassionate spirit. Read more about Susan and her journey below:
How long have you been practicing yoga & what do you remember about your first yoga class?
I started yoga about a decade ago at the invitation of my very best friend in a studio called Happy Yoga in Olney, Maryland. What I remember about that first class is that it was surprising how hard it was to balance! I really like GUD yoga because it has the same happy vibe as that first studio.
What is your professional background?
I am a therapist for children and families and I've been doing this work for about 30 years now. (I took a few years off to raise my children.) Doing yoga really, really helps me reset my capacity to being fully present with my clients. Sometimes I absorb the emotional pain that my clients bring to a session and the physical moving of my body somehow releases that pain that I might be holding. It really is quite incredible.
What's your favorite pose & why?
My favorite pose is humble warrior because I like the image that pops in my head when I hear those words. I'm reminded of all these strong women in the background in this world who go forward bravely fighting battles in homes and schools and workplaces and even the actual battlefield with little need or want of recognition, just humbly serving others. Plus it's a great arm and leg stretch!
What keeps you coming back to your mat?
What keeps me coming back to the mat is the promise I have made to myself to take care of myself. When I'm not there enough I'm actually storing up all those absorbed feelings I referenced. So coming to yoga for me it's an act of self care and professional development.
Why do you enjoy practicing at GUD yoga?
GUD yoga is special because it was started by a woman and it takes the special needs of women into consideration by providing childcare and convenient classes. Even though I don't need child care anymore, I want to support a studio that offers that service because I could have really benefited from that myself when I was a young mother. What makes GUD Yoga special for me is the warmth and kindness I feel surrounded by in every class I attend. Thank you for changing my life!
