Mindy Pistacchio

I peeled my boots off, and sat timidly on my mat.  Yoga had been suggested to me because I have always had trouble sleeping. Sure enough, after an hour of practice, I was sound asleep in svanasana.  Yoga stayed fairly physical for me for the first few years. I used it as a way to train for surfing, snowboarding, and whatever other sport I was up to at the time. In 2007, I started my Master’s degree in Environmental Education, and yoga started to change from a physical practice into a way for me to relax. I started to feel the stress leave my body after practicing. My first 200-hour training was spread out over the course of two years, and gave me plenty of time to think about whether or not I was ready to stand in front of a class and guide them. Diane’s method of teaching was very different from what I was used to. There was a lot more breathing and meditation, and for the first time, I was able to sit.  In 2013, I went through one of those life changing moments, where I was left clinging on to the pieces of my life, and not really sure what to do. I went back to yoga, and enrolled in my second 200-hour training with Tahnee Fournier and Janelle Kroon. For my body, my mind and my soul, that first session of teacher training was exactly what I needed. The dedication I needed to attend the training itself gave me something to focus on, rather than the pieces. Yoga has helped me find solace, and Tahnee and Janelle inspired me to get up and share my practice.  I just finished my fourth year out on the water teaching paddleboard yoga, studio classes and beach classes.  I love teaching beginners and kids, and anything outside! I am currently located up in Maine on an apple orchard, where I have a small studio over looking the apple trees.  Come play!