Our May student ambassador has been taking classes at HYA for so long, he even took classes in the old studio before our newer, modern space was built! Shawn Hutchens started visiting Asheville about 20 year ago when his brother moved here and relocated himself about six years ago. Since then, HYA has become his beloved yoga home.
“I stepped into a room years ago, and I did like a month. I did a lot of stepping in and stepping out,” Shawn said. “This last time I stepped in, about a year and a half ago, I just stuck with it. I was really grooving on building strength and flexibility. I had a lot of stuff to work through. I was completely out of shape and hadn’t moved for a long time. I had every reason to not keep coming. But I really enjoy the teachers here and I like the community vibe. There’s a lot of inspiration. Right now, I get so much from it. I get this nourishment for mind, body and spirit. That’s what keeps me coming.
“This has been the longest I have stuck with my practice, by a long shot.”
You will see Shawn in all the different kinds of classes, although he admits Yin and Restore is his weak spot, and knows it means he probably needs it more. He practices both Hot 26 and Flow, as well as the BLAST classes to build strength.
“I like doing the mix. I get a little bit of everything,” he said. “In the flow classes, I really love the Align Flow a lot. It’s hard. You’ve got to hold the stuff longer. But they’re all good. Every class has its little unique offerings. I try to do them all.”
Last year, Shawn was intrigued by the idea of HYA’s Hot Vinyasa Teacher Training, so he joined the information session via Zoom call and decided to sign up for it.
“I was enjoying my time at the studio and I wanted to get a deeper dive into what’s available to me in this practice,” he said. “I definitely did not have an intention of teaching. I have thought about it some since. But my life is so hard. Just to get in here and practice, I feel pretty full with that. It was fun. I would do it again.
“It opened up the door to all these other nuances that I didn’t know were happening. It gave me a wider view of the practice.”
Shawn has been lucky to be able to run a retail business in the Midwest from a distance and also manages a property in Marshall. Practicing at HYA, though, anchors him firmly in Asheville.
“I took a little break for a few weeks and when I came back in, I felt like I had this expansive flexibility and I overdid it. I felt like I was wrecked. I took another little break and when I came back this time, I took extra special care to not overdo it because once you overdo it, it takes so much time to get it back. I try to take it easy. The teachers here really hold space for that.”
