Why do you want to become a yoga teacher?

For me, yoga started out as solely a physical activity.  I injured my back in high school and yoga was the only thing that brought any sort of relief from the pain.  I tried yoga out of despiration and over time, yoga healed my body by increasing my strength and flexibility.  Since then, yoga has become something deeper for me.  Throughout my divorce, my mat was the one place I could clear my head, leave all of the stress outside, and find peace.  This is when I discovered the emotional and mental healing that can be found through yoga.

Throughout my practice, I have found freedom unlike anything else, and a community that I have fallen in love with.  I just want to learn as much as I can and gain a deeper understanding of the yoga philosophies.  Yoga is a lifelong journal of growth and learning.  Yoga has given me so much and I just want to opportunity to give back by passing that along.

Who your favorite yoga teacher is and how did they inspire you?

Christy Marsden is one of my favorite yoga teachers!  What Christy has been for me, I want to be for others.  She has a very open and loving approach.  I love how Christy acknowledges her students for where they are in their journey on the mat and in their lives.  She gives her students what they need in that moment, as well as, what they need to carry the lesson off of the mat and apply it to their lives outside of class.

She offers the spectrum of what yoga encompasses and allows her students to take from it what works for them. It is Christy’s openness, acceptance, encouragement and love that inspire me and make me want to teach others.  One thing that Christy always says throughout class is “no judgement.”  I want to be the kind of person and the kind of teacher who allows others to be able to acknowledge where they are without judgement.

Why do you want to take a yoga teacher training with the school you have chosen?

I have been doing yoga for many years.  I only recently started taking classes at Yoga Blend within this past year.  Over the past seven months the teachers there have helped me develop and refine my practice to a level that I did not even know existed.  They showed me the spiritual side of yoga.  I am very thankful for all that I have learned there in the. I have visited several other yoga studios and there is always something to learn no matter where you go.  However, Yoga Blend feels like home to me.  The qualities that the teachers at Yoga Blend embody are the qualities that I would like to develop and cultivate as an instructor.

How do you plan to make an impact in the world as a yoga teacher?

As Mahatma Gandhi said, I want to be the difference I want to see in the world.  I want to help others learn to love themselves.  One of my yoga teachers told me that, “yoga does not teach you how to become a better version of yourself, rather, it teaches you to love and accept yourself as you are and find peace in that.”

2012 Yoga Scholarship Essay

By: Jacqueline Fusari

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