Simoné Elizabeth Bart

I have been a mover my entire life, from dancing since the age of 2, to a gymnast (both artistic and rhythmic - invited to the junior olympics at 14 years old), to a dancer (ballet, modern & contemporary jazz primarily), and now an actor (the ultimate physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual rush of movement!). Yoga found me in the midst of all of that - when life was moving as quickly as I was, when I needed moments to breathe, when the rigors of competing and 'being the best' filled me with anxiety. Yoga was something I always sought refuge in, but never initially saw myself teaching - I was always the student, the athlete, the competitor - never someone to lead. I also didn't really see yoga teachers that looked like me, or did what I did. Fast forward to The Shutdown of 2020. We now had all the time in the world to dive deeper into ourselves. We were forced to sit still, to observe, to listen. I'd return to my mat day after day, looking for answers, but instead would be filled with questions. The answer arrived in a little innocuous conversation between me and my partner..."why don't you get your certification? You already love it." he said. I was ready to respond with all the reasons why I couldn't and shouldn't, and realized I had nothing substantial. That, was the ultimate question, and the ultimate answer. "WHY?" and "LOVE". These are the through lines in how I now, a RYT 200, teach my classes: Why do we do what we do? Why am I feeling this? Why is there resistance? Why is there an aversion? Why does this alignment matter? Why why why? The answer can always find itself back to love. The love of breath, the love of movement, the love of stillness, the love for others, the love for Self, the love for Source, the love for our Home. And - what a hugely important essential value for me is, how do others, who may not receive equal love in our society, find a safe and loving space for their WHY's? I still have so many questions, vastly outnumbering a few answers I've learned over time, but through my training, and what is the perpetual training as a yoga teacher, I am learning comfort in this space in between. I'd love to explore that with you.