Meet Jean Benson – our yoga student of honor this session. In February, Jean met our studio challenge to students of purchasing and taking ten extra classes during that month. Jean was one of 8 students to take the challenge - and she didn’t miss a class!
Here’s what she has to say about her yoga experience at Follow Your Heart:

“I started yoga classes three months ago to help get into shape and lose weight. As a beginner I did not know that yoga was going to be such a positive and beneficial experience for me. I am thrilled to see the increased mobility that I have acquired. Even though I am 60 years old I am now moving around like I am 30 again! Yoga practice has proved to be more than just an exercise. The body is toned and the mind is calmed. After each yoga practice I feel as though I have taken a tranquilizer, only better. Because I feel more centered, I have a sense of peace that I desperately needed. I am also able to carry certain aspects of yoga into other areas of my life. For example, after falling on an icy sidewalk, I was able to use deep breathing techniques to calm myself, which made the ambulance ride a lot less scary. I look forward to continuing yoga practice and encourage everyone at my age to do something special for themselves. If we take good care of ourselves, all of our enrichments will allow us to share ourselves with our loved ones. PS – I am 20 pounds lighter.”

“I started going to Follow Your Heart Yoga three years ago. I had grown tired of the daily grind of the gym. I was searching for a workout but wanted to feel the mind-body-spirit connection that I knew only yoga could give me. Kathy Thompson’s class was welcoming and she made me feel completely at ease in every class. I get a great workout as well as a calmness that lasts long after the class ends. Now I can’t imagine my life without yoga. I feel stronger and more flexible. I used to have back and knee pain and now I don’t have either. Follow Your Heart Yoga, under the guidance of Kathy, has been life-changing for me on a physical, mental, and spiritual level.”

In 2006 I took up the hobby of marathoning. During my training and running in these past few years I’ve been plagued with various minor injuries, from muscle pulls to shin splints and general aches and pains brought on by 26.2 miles of running. Last year I turned to yoga to complement my training schedule and help increase my flexibility in hopes of helping my race performance. Taking the Stretch and Restore class at Follow Your Heart Yoga has not only helped my flexibility but I have had the unexpected benefit of helping treat and reduce my injuries as well. In 2007 I completed 2 full marathons. 3 half marathons and a few other races along the way. I’m confident that my performance benefited from my yoga practice. I would highly recommend the Stretch and Restore class to any and all athletes.

I started going to Follow Your Heart Yoga three years ago for just one night a week. My original intent was to relieve daily aches and pains due to inactivity, but soon realized that the practice of yoga was so much more than that! I started going two nights a week because I just couldn’t get enough. It was exciting to see how I improved through the poses, some I thought I would NEVER be able to do! But because my teachers, Linda and Sigal, patiently taught me to take my time and not to be discouraged, I gained confidence – which, by the way, translated into my everyday life. My teachers have taken me on a beautiful journey through the heart, with thoughts and reflections that help me get through a stressful workday, or just simply to view things in a different perspective. Who knew I would learn so much beyond just the physical benefits!

Having never been active in sports and failing to enjoy exercise most of my adult life, I managed to put on a few extra pounds in my early thirties. Desperate to make some life changes, I enlisted a personal trainer to help me with my weight loss goals. After a few months of training, my trainer got me to begin running. At first it was almost impossible to run more than 5 minutes, but in a few weeks I was able to run for a half hour fairly comfortably. Then I secretly signed up to run the 2006 Marine Corps Marathon. I was afraid to tell anyone so that I would not have to admit my failure if I were not successful. I began training on my own and poured myself into running magazines for guidance. Many running magazines suggested that yoga was an excellent way to stay stretched out. I felt the pains of training and assumed it was merely muscle pain. I was very wrong, the pains that I was feeling were eventually diagnosed as stress fractures and shin splints.

To alleviate my new “pains” I decided to take the advice of the running magazines that I was reading and I signed up for a yoga class at Follow Your Heart Yoga Center. Sigal Ayali was my instructor and has remained my instructor for more than two years now. I was impressed with how she took the time to be sure that each and every student in her classes maintained proper form and performed the poses in a manner that would not cause any injuries. It is clear that she is genuinely concerned for each and every one of her students. Sigal took extra time with me at the end of class to show me stretches and yoga poses to improve my running. She worked with me to strengthen my shins, and other muscles needed to maintain proper form in running. Sigal also taught me how to properly stretch to avoid future injury.

Although my injuries prevented my running the 2006 Marine Corps Marathon, I was able to successfully run the marathon in 2007. I credit my injury-free 2007 running season and pain-free marathon to the hard work and genuine care that Sigal showed me throughout the training season. She is a truly dedicated yoga instructor and the most warm and caring teacher that I have ever been fortunate enough to encounter. I give many thanks to Sigal and Follow Your Heart Yoga for the support they gave me as I endeavored to run my marathon. I could not have done it without Sigal’s support. I look forward to continuing my yoga practice at Follow Your Heart in the future and to successfully running the Frederick Marathon in May 2008.

Since taking yoga classes at Follow Your Heart Yoga I have found that I have more energy and focus. Being able to focus has allowed me to achieve some new goals and revisit and accomplish some old goals.

“I started doing yoga 2 years ago at Follow Your Heart. I wanted to lower my high blood pressure, stress level and also to become more flexible. I have met all goals. I always feel great after my yoga classes. Everyone should give yoga a try.”