Vanessa Birch
I’ve practiced on and off for about ten years. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with stenosis of the spine almost two years ago — after nearly 10 years as a competitive rower, three marathons and teaching as a certified Spinning instructor — that I committed to practicing yoga, and to honoring my body for what it was, and suddenly was not, capable of doing.
After my diagnosis and being told by my doctor that I probably would never run again, I went to my first Ashtanga yoga class at the Ashtanga Yoga Room in Birmingham, Michigan. I was petrified and confused and lost, and it was so HOT in the room. I left, and vowed I’d never go back. But the next day – with a little coaxing from some experienced yogi friends – I went again. And again. And then I tried a Vinyasa class. And then I tried another one. And before I knew it, I was hooked — in the heated room and on my mat I found that my mind cleared up, my back didn’t hurt as bad, and I found acceptance — acceptance of my body, acceptance within my mind, and acceptance in my community.
Through my daily Vinyasa practice, I formed a tight-knit yoga community. I then moved to Northern Virginia for my husband’s job and felt lost without the people and practice that had become such an integral and calming part of my hectic life. It wasn’t until I started practicing at Dancing Mind Yoga that I felt like I was regaining some of what I had given up when I left my yoga practice in Michigan. I hope that working (and hopefully teaching, after I go through Paula’s Teacher Training program in the fall!) at Dancing Mind Yoga will give me an opportunity to reach others who might be apprehensive about yoga, or unsure of what their body is capable of, or yearning for a community to find the peace, friendship and freedom of movement that I have found at Dancing Mind Yoga.
Dancing Mind Yoga, 929 W. Broad St. 
