Our Student Ambassador for January has become a fixture at our studio in the past few years and is a proud graduate of HYA’s Hot Vinyasa Teacher Training in 2021. Rachael Parsons has used her practice to improve her mental and physical health, gaining strength by showing up on her mat nearly every day.
“Let me just start this off by saying how grateful and honored I am to be the ambassador for the month of January!” Rachael said. “I learn how to further connect my body, mind and spirit each time I step on my mat.”
Her experience with teacher training was so valuable, Rachael said she would recommend it to anyone. “I completed my Vinyasa 200 hr YTT with Hot Yoga Asheville in 2021 and I would recommend to it everyone. “Even if you’re not interested in teaching, it provides you with a greater skill set for your continuing practice.”
Rachael and her husband are so dedicated to movement therapy they own and operate a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Wrestling Academy called The Speakeasy ( @speakeasybjjavl ). “Come check us out if you have the itch! Or just pop in and say hi!” Rachael said. Â
HYA: When did you first start practicing?
RP: I first started practicing yoga in the winter of 2020 at HYA. I stumbled into the hot room during a period of significant grief and loss, and once I felt that heat on my skin something just immediately clicked. I felt at home. I felt that I had just taken my first deep breath in quite some time. I’ve wandered through life feeling always as if something is missing. This practice has provided me something that I had been missing all along, connection. I learn how to further connect my body, mind, and spirit each time I step on my mat. I completed my Vinyasa 200 hr YTT with Hot Yoga Asheville in 2021 and I would recommend to it everyone. Even if you’re not interested in teaching, it provides you with a greater skill set for your continuing practice.
HYA: What is your favorite style?
RP: Vinyasa is the style that has spoken to me the most. Hot Power Flow and Hot Align Flow are my “go to” classes at HYA. Sometimes I need the speed of a power flow to calm my mind and other times I need to slow down and pause while I hold postures in an align class MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE! The style of flowing one breath to one movement has done wonders for my mental health. I can’t ever see myself walking away from it…it is just honestly too special.
HYA: What is your advice to a new student?
RP: I recommend for anyone that’s new to just show up wait for the magic to happen. The room is HOT! But don’t run away from the heat, lean into it! The hardest part of starting something new is just to show up. Once you’re on your mat everything else falls into place.
HYA: Why do you love HYA?
RP: HYA offers me a sense of community that I did not have before. It’s an incredibly warm and welcoming environment and I have truly met some of the most incredible people there. I have made friends for a lifetime just by walking through the front door.
P.S. YOGA IS LIFE
