An interview with Yvonne O'Garro

Curiosity, relaxation, courage, community, inclusive and balance: six key words that form a basis for life and yoga practice from Yogamatter's community leader Yvonne O’Garro and form a framework for this inspiring interview. Some of you will already know and love and love you from the Yogamatter's online community courses and will appreciate this opportunity to get to know them better. As for the rest of them, you will experience a real pleasure.

curiosity

“Next week I’m trying yoga for laughter.”

Everything started here. On a Sunday afternoon in 2006, Yvonne O’Garro decided while completing her regular routine with machines and free weights to try yoga to laugh. She had never intended to do a yoga course, but she had seen the same people followed the same room in the same room every week and she was fascinated. She defeated the curiosity. As she is considering now, she can see that it was the community that she attracted, the same people who went there every week.

In this yoga class in the first week, everything changed for Yvonne when she explains: "When I went to Child's pose, laughing was over. Something in this attitude let me go, I didn't expect that. Oh, what happens here? '" At that moment. Yvonne began to be attentive. She went back every week and then started with other local courses, connected with the practice and felt calmer and more comfortable with herself. Her curiosity led her to triyoga, Primrose Hill in 2007, where she came across Anna Ashby, who became her teacher. For Yvonne, Anna was something special - "she explains things with deep knowledge and without arrogance" - and she soon connected with Anna's style and her honor for the roots of yoga.

A week after the lessons, Yvonne noticed that some people didn't go and again her curiosity was awakened with the question: "What does she say, get all these props?" So she stayed, and in that restful yoga class, she couldn't quite believe all those purple (her favorite color) props with little colored Yogamatters labels - her first association with Yogamatters as the brand that "gave me all this peace." She emerged from this grounding, calming, deeply relaxing practice as if she were floating...

relaxation

It sounds appealing, isn't it? And yet how many of us often see peace and relaxation as a luxury and enjoyment, for which we don't have time and which we never put in the foreground? Yvonne sees her role as a restorative yoga teacher as a privilege because she helps people understand that you can work better and be more productive with regular breaks. It is in the name "restorative", she emphasizes. Restorative yoga regenerates the body.

"Even before pandemic, society was always 'on'. We are conditioned," On, on, on, on "," Do, do, do "," Go, go, go ". I feel privileged to help people deal with all the different emotions that arise from pandemic. ”

courage

“I would rather try than wonder what if.”

When Yvonne turned 50, she decided to end a long career in retail and in the HR department in order to devote her life entirely to yoga. It was not an easy decision to change the job and she thought about it for a long time. It was her yoga practice that gave her the space and clarity to make the decision to move. Your P45 is dated 10^theMarch 2020 - and we all know what happened in the week after. After organizing a schedule for personal yoga courses, all gyms and studios were closed. When the news of the cancellations arrived, Yvonne sat there and cried. Fortunately, thanks to Zoom, the yoga world was able to switch to zoom and deep friendships led Yvonne to Yogamatt's Md Twanna Doherty and to this platform to share their love for yoga.

No, what if, no wonder.

Community

Yogamatt's online community courses were an absolute pleasure for Yvonne and have repeatedly proven that yoga is really suitable for everyone. She sees it as an honor to represent this established brand, which provides free offers and rooms for everyone all over the world and can present guest lecturers and guest studios.

"This 15-minute Q&A after the practice makes this class so special," she enthuses, "and it's so wonderful that people can come together with this common connection of yoga. It really warms my heart that people show up every week."

That is the nice thing about the connection.

Inclusiveness

Many of the teachers who invited Yvonne to the Yogamatt Community courses were color teachers, did you notice that? She notices that the yoga world is still not as comprehensive as it would like it, although steps are taken. She does not want to discuss it, but let the classes speak for herself.

When asked about inclusivity, her answer is:

"All I would ask is that people remember what they would do after the murder of George Floyd. Have you done it? Because it's ongoing. Buy and read - or better yet - listen to 'The Good Ally' by Nova Reid. The more people become comfortable with the uncomfortable and aware and choose to take that step - slowly, slowly, that's how the difference will be made."

balance

Balance, alignment, grounding, comfort, nurture… many other words come up as we speak, but Yvonne brings us back to one of Patanjali's sutras that she has been truly influenced by in her teaching and practice.

“Your posture should be stable and comfortable.” Patanjali

‘Find your comfort’. “Your practice is your practice.” 'The other mats are none of your business.'

Yvonne's regular students will recognize these prompts as an invitation to be themselves, to be comfortable in their own space, to find their expression of pose. Yvonne elaborates: "If I'm not comfortable, I won't be balanced because my mind will move away from where I should be. You don't have to worry about looking different because you are an individual. That's why Mr. Iyengar designed the props - so you take a brick and find your comfort."

With a slow, well -founded practice, Yvonne takes her caring role in granting people permission/license to be themselves very seriously. It is what we're all longing. For them, practice is the foundation of their life, a basis, something to which they can return after a long day or a difficult experience and group and reinvent themselves. You wish every student and every member of the online community and will do everything to create this room for each of us.

Final thoughts on looking forward to 2022…?

“I’m not sure what the new year will bring, but I love the journey and I will continue to share the practice.”

One thing is for sure, Yvonne is very happy that her teacher Anna Ashby is doing the last Yogamatters Community Class of the year. She sees Anna coming full circle in this series and is sure it will be very special to share her offering with the Yogamatters community.

Close Yvonne O’Garro and Anna Ashby on this free online community course on December 21-click here.