We chat with yoga trainer Stacie Graham about her background, practices and inspirations…
Inform us a bit about your self
That is one in every of my least favorite questions. I by no means know the place to start out, what’s value mentioning and what I ought to omit. I’ll preserve this one quick and hopefully a bit bit candy.
The UK is accent obsessed, so I’ll begin there. I communicate with an American accent, although I’ve lived outdoors of the US longer than I lived there. I’m initially from Miami, FL, however we don’t have to speak concerning the climate or whether or not or not I miss it.
I’m a inventive individual, who is definitely engaged and may turn into excited by all method of pursuits. I really like movies and high quality television, however I solely enable myself to observe on the weekend. Throughout the week, you’ll discover my nostril buried every night in a e book – fiction, non-fiction, science fiction. It doesn’t matter. I’ve at all times been bodily energetic. I performed on the primary women’ soccer crew at my main faculty. I ran monitor and area fairly efficiently till an damage reduce my profession quick. I danced in Germany’s First Nationwide League for Fashionable Dance, and many others. Motion makes me completely happy.
What does a typical day appear like for you?
Between the time I’m penning this and the time readers will learn it, issues will probably look very otherwise. I grew to become mom to a cuddly, cheeky, inquisitive and headstrong child lady in November 2023. I’m completely in love along with her and, in fact, her calls for dictate my day. I’ve been so grateful to have a lot time at house along with her, however I’ll be going again to work by the point that is printed.
She’s an early riser, so she usually wakes within the yogic hour, someplace between 4am and 5:30am, when the skin world feels so nonetheless. She feeds, after which we’ve got a cuddle and a sleep collectively in mattress. On the newest, she’s prepared to start out her day by 6:30am. She’s typically fairly chatty within the morning, telling me of her desires of the night time earlier than – babababa, mamamama, dadadada. She likes to play with all the pieces in her eyesight, toy or not. Then she eats a breakfast much like mine that features oats and fruit puree. I eat soaked oats with hemp hearts, flax seed, chia seed and recent berries. And in the event you’re questioning – sure, I eat the identical breakfast about 355 days out of the 12 months. If it’s chilly out, I’ll warmth the oats as a substitute of merely soaking them. That’s the one variation.
When Child Nayla is prepared for her morning nap, then she both sleeps alone in her cot (which suggests I solely have half-hour earlier than she’s awake once more) or I’d take a nap along with her if I’m feeling sleep disadvantaged through which case I can get a little bit of social media posts scheduled and have a nap as a result of, accompanied, she sleeps 70 – 90 minutes. If we’ve got a playdate, swimming classes or a play circle to attend, then she sleeps alone in her cot, and I take a fast bathe and prepare for our outing. I’ve at all times used my bathe as sacred time for my gratitude apply.
Now that Nayla’s older, she’s loving her independence and, thus, wants numerous alternative to discover and uncover the large world round her. So, I attempt to get us out most days. Fortunately, she eats very well from a spoon, so we take lunch on the street with us. Cruising round city shouldn’t be really easy in London, and all the pieces takes for much longer if it’s good to journey step free. Buses received’t at all times have house. Tube stations with elevators aren’t properly designed, so that you might need to take three totally different elevators till you get to the place you’re attempting to go. It’s good apply for me for a lot of causes, most significantly to cease the London tempo of dashing in all places. There’s no motive to hurry.
Our afternoons are usually very chilled. We play. There’s often one other nap, a feed and a few cuddling. Anybody who has ever realized with me is aware of that I emphasise the significance of a wind down routine. Nayla has her dinner. She enjoys having her two little teethies brushed. She performs along with her squeaky duck at bathtub time. We learn a e book or two. After which I snuggle her till she falls asleep. As soon as I put her down in her cot, then I’ve a light-weight dinner – often salad and a few recent reduce pineapple with yoghurt – earlier than I dive into no matter e book I’m studying. I’d journal a bit with a beautiful e book about motherhood that one in every of my colleagues gifted me. I’ve cherished utilizing it to only have some house to course of all the various experiences of this a part of my journey.
I apply prāṇāyāma after which I meditate earlier than sleep. However, I’d go to sleep throughout apply, as I’ve been so sleep disadvantaged (however much less so as of late). Or my apply is likely to be interrupted by somebody who wants one other cuddle to get again to sleep.
How did your yoga journey start and what impressed you to turn into a yoga trainer?
My yoga journey started with damage. I used to be affected by continual complications, and I didn’t know the trigger. I don’t often have complications, so I used to be involved. I used to be despatched to many various medical doctors, till an orthopedic specialist stated that the complications had been brought on by stress in my neck and shoulders. On the time, I used to be a correct health club bunny, and I couldn’t actually perceive why I might have stress complications.
I used to be prescribed bodily remedy. The therapist I labored with clearly couldn’t see me. She saved speaking about how ladies should construct energy blablabla. That’s not my subject. I talked to one in every of my closest mates about it. He’s additionally a bodily therapist and an athletic coach. He massaged me and couldn’t imagine how tight my muscle mass had been. “Arduous muscle mass are unhealthy; supple muscle mass are what we would like”, he stated. He advised I attempt yoga. So I went to a category. It was okay. I’m undecided what saved me going again, however I’d go occasionally.
The trail to educating yoga was not easy. I made a decision to go to India whereas I used to be engaged on my doctorate. I wanted a break, and my shut good friend on the time was from India. He knew that part of my research had taken place on the South Asia Institute of my college, however I had by no means been. He was already in a postdoctoral programme and recognised that I used to be in determined want of a change. So he requested his mother the place I ought to go first, and she or he advised an ashram in Rishikesh. That ashram, Parmarth Niketan, was nearly to host a global yoga pageant, so it was excellent timing. I spent three months in India, touring from North to South, and making many mates alongside the best way. I spontaneously studied with religious masters throughout totally different practices and faiths. And I felt referred to as to convey not less than a few of that again house. In Europe, I hadn’t discovered a studying setting that was in any means much like my experiences in India. To authentically honour the origin and lineage was my motivation. I went again a pair years later to finish my trainer coaching.
What impressed you to concentrate on your apply?
I don’t know if I might be referred to as a specialist. I think about myself a generalist throughout all method of disciplines. I’d say I do numerous various things properly. However, there’s at all times somebody who does them higher than me. These are the specialists.
My private apply additionally differs from what I train.
I imagine the thread that ties my educating collectively is an intentional concentrate on presence and permitting. Regardless of if I’m guiding āsana or prāṇāyāma or mindfulness, I’m guiding from a spot of nonjudgmental consciousness.
In posture apply, specializing in what a posture “ought to” appear like results in struggling. There’s disappointment with the physique for not performing. There’s potential for damage as a result of the physique is getting used and compelled as a instrument. It’s comparable throughout any apply, if one is just involved with an end result. Being overly involved with outputs and outcomes tends to imply that the method, the routes and journeys are compromised, neglected and underappreciated. However that’s the place the magic occurs.
After I speak about permitting, I don’t imply complacency or accepting dangerous issues. Permitting begins from inside. Can I make house for all the sentiments, all of the ideas, all of the feelings? Can I recognise that permitting house for that which arises is the primary and, maybe, most necessary step in seeing?
How have you ever seen yoga profit your college students?
In so some ways, however I’d say most of all of their studying to simply accept and belief themselves as they’re.
What’s your favourite quote or life motto?
“Tat Tvam Asi” – Thou artwork that. ~ Chandogya Upanishad
“The thoughts creates the abyss, the center crosses it” ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
What’s developing for you in 2024/25?
OYA Retreats is worked up to host a variety of periods. Issues had been a bit quiet because of my being pregnant and maternity depart, however I’m at the moment planning some thrilling occasions for 2025. They haven’t all been introduced but, however they may embrace:
Delicate Life Sundays – These are our group periods at Sāmya Studios which happen each first Sunday of the month. These should not strictly yoga periods; somewhat they’re targeted on connection, embodiment and relaxation.
Befriending My Inside Critic – This can be a common four-part collection that gives some easy instruments that will help you befriend your inside critic. Our inside critic solely desires to guard us, however it could actually get a bit too bold. With some easy steps, your inside critic can do the job it’s meant to do whereas wreaking much less havoc!
Creativeness Gallery – We’ll offer two city (day) retreats in London that assist reignite your sense of visioning. I’ve an enormous creativeness, like to daydream and create imaginative and prescient boards each 1st of January. As adults, we might all profit from getting again to our sense of play and dreamscape.
As well as, I hope to supply one other weeklong retreat in paradise (Mallorca) in collaboration with REESET after our profitable inaugural retreat, Awaken the Sacred Goddess, that takes place there twenty ninth September by fifth October 2024.
And who is aware of, there could also be extra. Keep tuned!
Discover out extra about Stacie:
Web site: https://stacieccgraham.com/
