Elizabeth Meier
Four years ago, she was involved in a bad car accident. But it wasn’t the crash that put her on the mat. It was a botched surgery on her jaw. A surgeon accidentally cut into her inner ear, causing her to lose her sense of balance and experience bouts of vertigo.
Yoga, Meier realized, not only helped ease her emotional pain, it also enabled her to get her core strength back. It was difficult at first, particularly the poses that require being upside down. However, the overall workout, including relaxing breathing exercises, allowed her to regain her active lifestyle.
The new way of life was so powerful that it inspired Meier to open her own yoga studio. iThrive Yoga opened May 1 in a southern suburb of Denver and is already changing students’ way of thinking.
Meier originally planned to open a studio geared toward children after learning about the tremendous benefits to young people, including breathing techniques that reduce stress during test taking and general empowerment to control their emotions. It also instills a confidence in children that few other physical activities can.
Towards this end Meier trained with an international organization known as YogaKids. However the many upsides of yoga for adults led Meier to open her studio up to all ages. Some classes will be mixed, while others will be age-restricted. Parents and kids could further solidify their bond by joining the same class, said Meier, a mother of two.
“Yoga has helped me a lot, and I hope that by opening this studio this benefit is available to the members of my community,” said Meier.
Credits: This story was contributed by Beth Meier. You can find her at her studio iThrive Yoga.
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