Adri Kyser
Like many, I started to practice yoga while I was trying to find relief from stress. My grandmother had gotten ill and I was one of her main caregivers. In addition, my husband was traveling due to his job and my baby had just turned one, so to say I was over my head it’s an under statement.
I started to suffer from severe back pain and sleepless nights. In my search to find some balance again, I turned into yoga. I remembered growing up and hearing my mom always talked about yoga, metaphysics, holistic health and so on. So I guess some of that stuff stuck with me. After several months of practice, I started to notice a difference. It not only helped me at the physical level, but it also helped me re-build my confidence, a sense of connection and so much more.
I always had been an outgoing, fun, loving and self-confident girl. Hence why I wanted to become a lawyer. I wanted to make things right and help people…. When I first moved to the US, my English was not the greatest and many people were rude to me. I felt rejected, hurt and like I did not belong. This made me become self-conscious about my accent and the way I spoke and for a period of time, I only relied on my husband to speak for me in public. I had put my law studies on hold, I did not have any friends and I felt lost for the first time in my life.
When I found out that my favorite yoga teacher was moving, she recommended that I registered in a yoga teacher-training program that would start in few months near my house. My first reaction was no way. I was horrified at the thought of teaching and having to speak with my accent in front of strangers. That brought back memories of all those people that were rude to me. I was afraid of being rejected once again for being different. After a lot of consideration, I decided to start the program. I figured I could learn how to teach so I could practice at home without ever having to teach in public.
Well, I guess the Universe had other plans for me. I was offered a job a little before I finished the program and I started to teach ever since. It sounds easy right? Well it was not. I had to get over the fact that someone I respected and viewed as a mentor point blank told me “ You are not good enough”…… That was another blow to my new found confidence. Thankfully, I cried for few days but then something happened. I got this urge and fire to prove that I was good enough not just to that person but to myself too. I started to do more yoga trainings and I found my great teacher Shiva Rea.
The truth is that not matter what others think, you are the only one that knows the truth. You only know what you want, who you are and where you are going. You are the only one that can follow your dreams and make them happen. There will be roadblocks, barriers and obstacles in your path. It is up to you to choose to fall and give up or figure out a way to get past it, grow and learn from it.
Personally, I choose to learn from my experiences. I may stumble and fall but I make sure I get up, dust off and keep going. What I learned about myself through this process is that I like to inspire my students; I want to make sure people feel heard and supported. I want people to feel that they are not alone and that is ok to be different. Maybe it is because the way I felt in the past but either way, this is something I truly hold true to my heart.
To me a good teacher is not the one that can do all fancy poses, twist into a pretzel and has the largest classes, for me a good teacher is the one who cares, the one that in a positive way challenges you to grow on and off the mat, the one that inspires you to become a better YOU!
So to all of you out there that ever doubted yourself or doubted if you could become a yoga teacher, please remember that all you can do is be your true self, speak from the heart and have good intentions. Only then good things can happen.
“When you follow your bliss, the Universe will open doors where there were only walls”
This is the story of Adri Kyser. Here is the story on youtube. The story has been reposted with permission. You can find the original here.
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