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Yoga-Related Articles
Link: On Hiking With Your Significant Other (March 14, 2019)
Link: On Being a Woman in the Woods (February 15, 2019)
Link: SHT Final Reflections (October 21, 2018)
Link: On Not Leaving a Trace (August 7th, 2018)
Link: On Community (January 17th, 2018)
Link: On Wilderness and Darkness (September 24th, 2017)
Link: Post-Camino del Norte Reflections (June 10th, 2017)
Link: Foothills Trail of South/North Carolina (March 2017)
Link: PCT reflections and what’s next (December 15th, 2016)
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[Updated January 2018]
In April 2016, Domonick and I quit our day jobs and began our thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).
This is something I would have never thought of doing before, but my yoga practice brought me to that space. Yoga, as we know, is much deeper than postures. To me, yoga is a an ever changing spiritual journey, a connection to the divine, a discovery of who we really are (and aren’t). To be thrust into nature with our belongings on our backs, in the ever changing environment, sleeping under the stars, I had to experience this first hand. I certainly got more than I bargained for on my first long-distance hike and grew in so many ways.
Since the PCT, I have thru-hiked the Long Trail, Camino del Norte, and biked across South Korea. I have also completed three solo backpacking trips (the Foothills Trail in the Carolinas, Cranberry Lake 50 in the Adirondacks, and the Escarpment Trail in the Catskills)
Nature continues to inspire me, give me confidence, and make me feel connected and grounded. In addition to backpacking in the wilderness, I have completed several months of work-exchanges at two yoga centers. These experiences continue to mold my practice of yoga and teach me what is important in life. My perspective is always changing, and I am incredibly grateful for all the opportunities I have been given.
Below is a bit of background on how my yoga journey began…
I was introduced to yoga while living in Seattle, Washington for graduate school. After moving back to my home state of Michigan in 2010, I began to deepen my practice and experienced its many benefits. This led to the life-changing experience of earning my 200-hour teaching certificate from SchoolYoga Institute in Savusavu, Fiji in 2013. I began sharing my practice with others as an instructor at the YMCA of Toledo at the end of 2014. Realizing that yoga is an endless journey and there is so much to learn and experience, I completed a 300-hour training at the Mystical Yoga Farm in Guatemala in 2015. I am a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance at the 500-hour level and co-hosted my first workshop (What is Yoga? – Intro to Yoga Basics and Philosophy) in October 2015. As a lifelong student, I participate in workshops and retreats as often as I can, and I am grateful to be able to share what I’ve experienced with others. My classes are often nature-inspired, promote mindfulness and connection to breath, and I invite students to tune into their bodies and make the practice their own. I encourage my students to live their yoga.
Happy Trails and Peace,
Carolyn (Ladybug)
