Testimonials

Let me tell you how weary I was about trying yoga! I have been running marathons for 9 years and finally a friend convinced me to go to Empowered Yoga. The center was so beautiful and welcoming! The instructors are top shelf! Yoga has made the biggest difference in how I feel - mentally and physically. It's really had a transformative effect on my life and my perspective. And I feel like it makes me stronger in so many ways. You've helped me tremendously. Thank you very much!
 
Jennifer Van Allen
Bryn Mawr, PA

I cannot say enough about the transformative power that practicing yoga has had in my life. I started taking classes to add the “exercise” component to my “diet and exercise” regimen for weight loss; my goal is to lose at least 100 pounds. Prior to coming to yoga, I had lost about 25 pounds after five months on a simple “making healthier choices” diet. I spent another month stuck on a frustrating weight plateau, and I knew that I had to start exercising. Since I began practicing yoga 3 months ago, I have lost another 25 pounds! If weight loss were my only goal, clearly it is being well met.

I have found many additional benefits. I am especially grateful for the quality of my teachers at Empowered Yoga. They pay careful attention to safety and craft, even as their gentle humor enlivens the atmosphere. They support me where I am while they encourage me to go deeper. I never feel that they expect more than I can give at any session, and yet I find that I have more to give than I expect, every time.

In fact, I decided to go to Empowered Yoga after hearing that they had a “Brand New Beginners” class; I thought "Beginners" meant they would take it easy on us. I felt that I was too overweight and out of shape to measure up in a regular class with “normal” people (especially those unbelievably athletic yoga students). What I discovered is that yoga is an intensely personal process that cannot be measured through comparison with others.

In the beginners class we were taught the same poses that every student is asked to practice, regardless of fitness or level of experience. At first I noticed that everybody had difficulty with some poses – we all were starting at the beginning. Then, at each class I noticed that I had made progress. I was stronger and more flexible. I noticed less and less what other students were doing, because their progress and abilities made no difference to my process; I could do what I could do, no matter what anybody else could do.

Now as I come to class, I am only aware of my own growth and healing. My relationship with my body has totally changed. Where my body had been an encumbrance to me, I am now deeply connected to how it supports me. Where I once avoided the discomfort of strenuous physical activity, I now find myself looking forward to it for relief from the mental and emotional stressors I encounter every day. It has truly changed my life!