CRAWLING OUT OF INJURY. But let’s flash back a few years, and let me tell you how I started practicing yoga. Through an unfortunate series of accidents, I sustained multiple injuries to my spine, and my left hip, which no longer has structural integrity, and a torn psoas. I was diagnosed with Hip Impingement around the same time, and FAI surgery was offered - and declined.

I could barely move. My Physical Therapist grounded me from all movement for 6 months. Yet, for some reason, I wanted to do yoga - a truly scary proposition given what could go wrong with my injuries.

So, before being cleared, I left my physical therapist without a word, and I began showing up at yoga classes, in the back row.

I knew I didn’t belong. I knew I wasn’t one of these flowy people who understood the postures and could do them. Warrior 2 and so many other poses were excruciating. And yet, I would show up every day I felt able, scared to death of a disc moving out of place, and every pose I would tell myself “I can’t do that!” and every day I would answer with “do the thing you CAN do - start there.”

START WITH CAN became my mantra on and off the mat during this time. When things looked challenging or impossible in my life, I would stop, get present in the moment, and start with what I was able to do, and re-begin the process of moving forward.

Community, consistency, knowledge and FUN! :) This is our formula for growth here. But first, let me tell you a little more of my story, so you understand how I can help YOU.

Hi, I’m Linda! 👋 Nice to meet you! Let’s get this out of the way :) - I am not the most flexible person, and I am not the deepest backbender you will meet. It is exactly because training programs used for success by countless others were not fully working for me that I began to research more deeply, and gather insights from backbenders all over the world on what worked for them.

MY ORIGIN STORY. When I started practicing yoga, it would be an understatement to say that I was not a natural.

Strength was no problem - it felt like I could get strong so fast! - but flexibility … that was not coming on it’s own. After several years of practicing yoga and even getting certified to teach, I had made great progress, but I had to face facts: it didn’t matter how many yoga classes I took, I would never be able to move into the postures I wanted to reach unless I took matters into my own hands.

When the pandemic hit, I knew the time was right, and I began to study and practice different flexibility drills.

I knew I was onto something when - after I committed - I got the first side of my splits in three weeks of structured work. I had thought I had been doing the work - for years, even! - but really I had not been doing the right drills, the right amount of time with the right frequency.

Backbends were harder. I dedicated myself to a training plan, and made great progress over a year … but then I realized that I needed to do more and go further. I reached out to people online who had great backbends, and began learning details and additional drills that ended up making a real difference.

I had this artwork custom created for me, and I hung a copy over my dresser, and one at work, to remind myself that we can always start with what we can do… and often times things can grow from there. In the end, I am always amazed what can be accomplished when we simply take one step, then another, and another, and let the process unfold, often times going further than we originally thought possible.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FUN. I believe in the importance of fun. When we find ways to work towards our goals that are enjoyable, that are a little less serious, that helps us connect to others in the process - that’s when we stop working and we start playing, and we step onto an upward spiral of growth.

I hope you join me and decide to create an upward spiral of your own growth. Things work best when they serve more than one purpose - I hope my offerings not only help you get stronger and more flexible, but that they connect you with community and help you become a more joyous person. 💪