Jody Augustyn

In November 2009 I injured my shoulder and required surgery. Not only was the injury debilitating, but the recovery was very long – 4 months—which required that I do very little. With that sort of lifestyle, the body began to weaken as my mind began to fill with depression and thoughts of a premature death. I am thankful for the events that have turned my life and my health around. In 2010, my daughter began her teacher certification for Ashtanga yoga. I liked what I was hearing from her and I tried several of the suggestions. Some of the ideas were helping. But it wasn’t easy. There wasn’t a yoga studio to go to here in Loup City, NE or nearby. So for a year I motivated, forced, and prodded myself to do what I was supposed to do to get better. Then, my daughter suggested that I become a yoga teacher – or at least learn more by taking a teacher training class. I pondered and made up a lot of excuses, and finally accepted that fact that I was going – no matter what because the idea just kept staring me in the face. June 2011, I travelled to Clearwater, Florida, stayed with my daughter for a month and completed my 200 hour teacher certification for Ashtanga-based Yoga. I went there planning to learn for myself so I could “age more gracefully” and left there with a group of eager students waiting for me when I returned to Loup City. Since that day, I have touched the lives of nearly 250 yoga students. July 15, 2021 will mark my ten year anniversary of teaching Ashtanga yoga. I feel better than I have felt in a long time. The sciatic nerve pain, the foot pain, the misaligned spine that stopped me in my tracks is now a memory. I am stronger, more patient, my mind is calm and clear, and I am making a difference in other people’s lives. I encourage you to put your pre-conceived thoughts about what yoga is and come to a class to find out what yoga will do for you. It is all about breathing in and breathing out and becoming aware of your body and its’ needs. It is worth a visit. Namaste…the light in me sees the light in you; the peace in me sees the peace in you; the love in me sees the love in you.