Meet our April Teacher of the Month, the amazing Hayley Hobson! Not only does Hayley teach both yoga and pilates, but she is an author, mother, and health coach. Read on find out Hayley's advice for yoga students, as well as how she came to LOVE yoga!
1. When did you start practicing yoga?
I started practicing yoga in 1996 in Santa Monica, CA at Yogaworks. It was relatively "new" back then. No one was really doing it. I felt like a freaky hippie.
2. What has yoga brought to your life?
I started practicing yoga at a time when I felt I needed peace, clarity, calmness in my life. I was a stressed out young professional trying to "make it happen" in the world. I was also an elite athlete with every injury under the sun. I knew that if I didn't become more flexible in my body (and now I know I meant my mind too :-) I'd break. Yoga allowed me to slow down. Since then it's changed my life in ways I never would have imagined.
3. Why did you become a yoga instructor?
I actually had no idea I would actually become a yoga instructor. I went through teacher training simply as a gift to myself. But as my body opened, my level of awareness opened. My heart opened and I wanted to share the beauty of the practice and all of its healing benefits with as many people as I could.
4. What impact can a regular yoga practice have on a person's life?
When I first started practicing yoga, I figured yoga would have an impact on my strength and flexibility. It did, and that was enough for me at the time. And that's the beauty of yoga. It meets you where you are. As I matured in my practice, I began to request more from my practice. I learned mindfulness, compassion and accountability. So if you're asking what impact yoga can have on a person's life, I guess the answer is anything. Send out an intention and you'll receive.
5. What advice would you give to someone that is just starting yoga?
Be patient. Changes come slowly but are very powerful. There will be days you do not feel like getting on your mat but do it. Even if it's only for 20 min. As long as you show up consistently, your life will change.
6. What is special about the style of yoga you teach?
I teach Vinyasa with a focus on alignment. I believe its important to be aligned with the universe and if we cannot be aligned with ourselves, in our own posture, how can we be aligned with the universe? And then there's the flow. I love to move. So why not combine both?
7. What is your favorite yoga posture to teach, and why?
I don't really have a favorite pose to teach. I'm more into sequencing. I like to teach a series of poses that makes sense in the body so my students feel more capable of doing poses they may never have imagined they could do. If a class is sequenced intelligently, poses feel right when they arrive and the body opens naturally. But if I had to pick a favorite sequence, I guess I'd have to say something with backbends. I love teaching my students how to align their shoulder blades and rib cages so their spines and hearts open. :-)
8. Please share some words of wisdom or advice for your YogaDownload yoga students.
Take a moment to pause every day and see the beauty in everything and everyone around you.
10. What do you like to do "off the mat"?
Relax. LOL. Don't we all wish we had more time for that? But seriously, I like to try to find time for myself and to be with my husband Wes, my step-daughter, Makenna and my little smarty-pants 3 year old, Madeline.
With her unique specialization in the combination and complement of pilates, nutrition and yoga, Hayley offers a cocktail of lifestyle changes that produce real and lasting results. Hayley is a columnist for Elephant Journal and has been featured in Pilates Style Magazine, Natural Health Magazine and Triathlete Magazine. She currently lives in Boulder, CO with her husband, former world-ranked triathlete, Wes Hobson and their two beautiful daughters, Makenna and Madeline. Read more about Hayley and check out her new book at HayleyHobson.com
Download or stream one of Hayley's Empowering classes today:
Empowerment Flow
Tighten Your Core
