Teacher Feature: Blake
One of the most fun parts of my “job” is seeing when people begin to come more alive, more into their own. I’ve known and worked beside Blake for a few years now. I’m really not even sure how we met. But somehow, she became our studio manager. After so many years of answering the same phone calls and emails, buying toilet paper, candles, et cetera, I needed some backup. And in walked Blake!
She is the woman behind the scenes- taking your calls, adding virtual links to our calendar each month, scheduling private lessons and corporate sessions, and anticipating our needs before we even know we have them. Her heart is so good that she found us a local candle supplier who refills our glass holders each month. She thinks global and acts local.
And there is so much more to her than meets the eye. She is organized, kind, and caring. Add to this, she is an amazing teacher! She has always been there, steadily teaching. Quietly. But lately, I am noticing a little fire in her. In the best possible way. I see her light shining brighter each week as she leads yoga for Greenville County Art Museum. I see her come more to life as we meet for our Studio Stewards meeting at Daydrinkers Coffee. I see Her… and it seems it’s time for you to “see” Her too. If you haven’t met my right-hand person, now is your time. Below is from an interview with Blake earlier this week…
Before yoga, life was hard. I was in college, and life was busy as I did my coursework. For the first time in my life, I found myself with anxiety and depression. I had heard about yoga, but was too scared to go to a studio. I wanted to find a healthy way to deal with my mental health, so I found a yoga course for college credit. This let me learn the basics without being intimidated by a yoga studio. It got my feet wet and gave me the curiosity and confidence to keep going.
My first studio experience, I felt a big change. First, I found a place where people knew me. My school was so big. But the community of teachers and students at the studio let me feel seen. People were excited to see me. I’d walk in and people would say, “Blake!” This kept me showing up, even if I didn’t feel like it. One day in class catapulted me and anchored me to my yoga practice. I was in wheel (full backbend with arms overhead). I felt sobs coming out. I didn’t know why. So I made my way to child’s pose and I cried. This was an aha moment for me. This is where I was meant to be. I finally was able to feel without overwhelm. Those things I had pushed down, I could feel them now.
I knew I wanted to teach because of the owner of the studio. Her class worked for me. She held space and had a clarity to her whole realm of being. I wanted to hold space for people the way she did, allowing people to show up, feeling safe and seen. As a teacher, seeing people change, transform, and share never gets old! Supporting any win, physical or emotional, is a gift to me. I want students to know that this container of our building is a safe space to be who you are in this exact moment. I invite people to show up as they are, no masks needed to be in my class. I know students can put teachers on a pedestal. As a teacher, I am still on my journey of life and yoga as well. I know what people are going through. I have experienced it too (good, bad, grief, joy, excitement) and I am here for it all.
After the last decade and a half of practicing yoga (from nineteen until my mid-thirties), I feel more connected. I get to experience myself in a whole new way. Yoga has carried me through the years of life and has been the thread holding it all together. Whether hiking the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail, losing friends at young ages, and coming home- my yoga allowed me to experience and feel through it all. In the eight years since my Yoga Teacher Training, I have had the realization that my practice is always waiting. I may get busy or stray away. But it is always there, waiting for me. The moment your feet hit the mat, it’s like an old friend that you connect with, and nothing has changed between you. Yoga is a pillar. Even if you don’t see it, it’s always there, supporting you, waiting for you to show up.
