"Life is not about being perfect, it's about getting better."
"We are always getting ready to live, but never really living."
" As you enter this life, I pray you depart, with a wrinkled face, and a brand new heart...
"There are no riches above a sound body."
"Tara is a tremendous teacher. Her enthusiasm and joyfulness is infectious. She encourages you to push yourself beyond your comfort zone, yet is mindful of your limitations. I come away from her class a better person, both physically and mentally."
--Ray
from Jackson, MS
I grew up in a small town in Rankin County, and like most kids, I looked forward to holidays and vacations, and enjoyed playing outside with my friends. Losing my mother at the age of 7, and my father later at the age of 15, however, marked childhood and adolescence a painful period. At that time the only way I knew how to cope with the pain and the loss was to shut down. "Be a good kid and make good grades," I told myself, hoping that resolve would ward off any more tragedy. My only living grandmother cared for and raised me, along with help from my Godmother, sister, and brother-in-law. Each of whom offered endless love and support. I know I would not have made it this far without them, and I am eternally grateful to each of them. .
I graduated college with a B.S. in Psychology and a Minor in English. While enrolled in a Graduate program with my sights set on a Ph.D in Marriage and Family Therapy, I was involved in a terrible accident. Due to the nature of the physical injuries sustained, I was unable to finish out the semester, and ultimately unable to complete the Graduate program in the allowed time. I was slowly beginning to break. I had no control over my past, present, and now future. "No more big losses" I thought, "I don't think I can take any more". One year later, I lost my dear grandmother.
Many moons had passed when I finally decided to give yoga a try. Great loss was behind me, fear was ever present and anxiety my future companion. I hoped that some form of physical activity would make me "feel" better. After failed attempts at the gym, I thought I'd give yoga a try. I was a bit apprehensive, as I was never the most graceful of beings. My discoveries in my own body through yoga continue to be surprising... some of my joints are hyper-flexible, which can cause much instability and imbalance in the body. And when I first started yoga, many of my muscles were extremely tight, and the remaining ones were weak. I also found out I had scoliosis (and unnatural curvature of the spine). Could someone like me even do yoga? Absolutely. Instead of feeling defeated, I felt empowered. With the help and support of incredible teachers, I worked through all of these "challenges," and I felt like a new person from within and without.
Today I find myself teaching yoga, giving back to something that gives to me without end. I am incredibly passionate about what I do, for yoga has been instrumental in helping me put the pieces of my life back together. Instead of holding on to the painful memories of my past, I try to look for the good in every situation, to look for the proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel," whether it's a radiant fire, or a glowing ember. For this change in the way I see things, for this change of viewpoint, I am forever grateful to Anusara Yoga. It is my desire to share this illuminating perspective and reflect its healing nature to all of my students.
That's the question I get most often. My answer, in one word, is transformation. Yoga has been defined and explained in a million different ways. Simply, and literally translated, yoga means union, to unite, or yoke together. To me, yoga is the skillful articulation of your mind, body, and spirit, coexisting in the perfect place of balance. But don't take my word for it, come try it out, and define for yourself!
Tara Blumenthal is an Anusara-Inspired Yoga teacher™, and is registered with the National Yoga Alliance.
She enjoys playing the drums and hula hooping in her spare time.