I spent this weekend in Tennessee at VIDA Hot Yoga kicking off our second 200-hour yoga teacher training. My heart is full and I feel LIT UP! I am so grateful for this studio, its yogis and its management/ownership.
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We ❤️ all you VIDA yogis and having you in our studio, Jen ? @jen_pbrunner @poweryogaflow
Spending time in Kingsport, Tennessee at VIDA Hot Yoga is a breath of fresh air. I grew up in a small town in middle Georgia and while I enjoy living in a bigger city like Charlotte, I appreciate so much about small towns. Yoga in Kingsport is very different than yoga in Charlotte. In Kingsport, VIDA is the only yoga studio in town. The community is TIGHT and there is no competition or people teaching/practicing at multiple studios. Most of the yogis are fairly new to the practice and are so, so eager to learn.
The yoga scene in Charlotte is bananas. We have SO many studios, and SO many yogis. Yogis practice at multiple studios (mostly thanks to ClassPass) and it’s not uncommon for teachers to teach at 3-4 different studios. Yoga in Charlotte definitely has its positives but it’s also really overwhelming lately. Teaching at VIDA grounds me and reminds my why I fell in love with yoga and teaching in the first place. I believe in what we are doing at VIDA and I’m honored to hold the role of lead teacher.
For the weekend recap…let’s start with a rewind.
I baked sourdough on Friday morning before leaving for Tennessee. It’s extra sweet these days because Finn loves my homemade sourdough. <3
I planned to arrive in time to workout before going to the studio to teach and host our teacher training intro session. The gym in the hotel where I stay is so nice and is never crowded. I did 30 minutes on the treadmill.
Our Friday evening sessions are a 75-minute practice followed by a group meeting. I arrived back at the hotel around 9:15p. The hotel has great food. I ordered a kale and ancient grain salad with salmon from room service. I wanted something light since I wasn’t eating until 10p.
I was back at the studio at 8a on Saturday to lead a meditation session for the TTs. After that I taught a hot power yoga class that was open to the public and then ate breakfast I had packed from Charlotte. I did a 50/50 chia pudding/overnight oats hybrid and topped it with peanut butter and diced banana.
Our morning session was a lecture on what is yoga and the history of yoga, along with a group discussion of the TTs relationship with the practice.
I took a walk around downtown Kingsport during our lunch break and then made lunch with stuff I’d packed from Charlotte and picked up in Kingsport. I made a PBJ and ate it alongside fresh fruit, chips and a blackberry cupcake with cream cheese frosting from a local bakery.
Our afternoon session included a lecture on the four major yogic paths and types of yoga. Next up was an asana 101 clinic where we broke town postures like tadasana, down dog, chaturanga and forward fold. Meditation closed us out for the day.
I got back to the hotel around 6:30p and met the studio owners and managers in the bar for dinner. I always love talking with them and we are so aligned in our vision for VIDA. I had a southern Cobb salad with romaine, pimento cheese, tomatoes, smoked hardboiled egg, grilled chicken, bacon, crispy chickpeas and ranch. YUM!
We started at 7:30a on Sunday. I taught led Ashtanga which always rocks the TTs worlds a little bit. Haha. After practice we broke down sun salutation A and B. We also watched a TED Talk on body language and had a discussion about that.
I went for a run during our lunch break. It was my only chance to move all day. I ran a 5K around downtown Kingsport.
I planned to make a PBJ when I got back but I just couldn’t do it. I quickly showered and ran to SUBWAY which was super close by. I was craving a turkey sandwich. Y’all. It’s been a hot second since I ate Subway and not going to lie to you…it was delicious. I had a turkey sub with pepper jack, lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, olives and mayo.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of the eight limbs of yoga, practice teaching sun a and b and meditation. This is my first 100% female TT group and these ladies are the real deal. We got deep and close on our first weekend and I cannot wait to see what the rest of this training holds with them!
BEST EVER to come home to these two.
Virginia and Stella hung out with Zoey for the weekend. Stella thought Finn’s elephant chair was her “place.” How cute is this?
I love what I do but after teaching 10 classes and almost 20 hours of teacher training in the last week, I am done. My Monday looks like zero work and 100% self-care and spending time with Finn. I cannot wait.
Are you more small town or big city?
Questions about yoga???
