Student, Andrew McCloy, describes his ongoing transformation with yoga: As I see it, the transformation with a yoga practice is ongoing — it can be life-long and you do not receive a diploma. It happens every day.

The little brown ranch house where I lived as a boy in Manchester-by-the-Sea had more than 50 acres of woods, streams, ravines, and rock formations just out its front door. Because of those woods, I often say I had a “Huck Finn childhood.”

I spent endless hours in the woods, exploring, wandering, and playing “war” or “manhunt” with my friends. In my child’s mind, they seemed vast and unknowable, and I found adventure, mystery, and peace in them.

My yoga journey has been 13 (gasp!) years so far, and I could write for pages about every class, every teacher and every lesson.  All those years ago, a very dear friend told me, “You should just come with me, see if you like it.  The teacher is young and fun and you’ll feel SO good after class!” Well, why not?  I was coming through a difficult time in my heart and mind and decided it couldn’t hurt.  Wow, was THAT an understatement!  I have learned SO many things along the way.  So many more things than I expected.  

Treetop Yoga Teacher Training Graduate Lisa Lunnen reflects on her journey with yoga, teaching, and life.

I’ve spent some time really thinking about the benefits of my Teacher Training at Treetop Yoga Studio. I’ve spent time thinking about my life before and after teacher training, about teachers that shared so much with me.  Should I write about the discipline it gave to my personal practice? My experiences with meditation? The exhilaration of actually doing a hand stand again? As I continued mulling over 6 or 8 possible, valid and amazing topics, the subject of my first blog came to me.  One of the greatest byproducts of my Teacher Training, is Reflection.  Yoga has somehow reopened a larger channel of connection between my mind and heart. 

Treetop Yoga Student Sharon Billings explores her long-term relationship with YOGA.

I first started dabbling in yoga 17 years ago.  I know this, because my now 17-year-old daughter was an infant.  I took a class at a local gym one night to get out of the house.  What followed was the BEST night’s sleep I had had in months.  I mean really restful, deep, glorious sleep.  What was this magic?  Any new parent can appreciate this, but to a single mom, this was GINORMOUS!!  More please! So…I started taking classes here and there.  Self-care was pretty low on the to-do list in those days, but curiosity and interest grew.

The barrage of negative news headlines finally got to me last week. I thought I had been taking the current volatile environment of our country in stride by subscribing whole-heartedly to the often-repeated mantra of “Be the change you want to see in the world.” My weekly yoga classes have helped me stay tuned into this mantra. Between that one and my other favorite – “If you judge, there is no room to love” – I felt like I had been able to listen better and absorb all that is swirling around me.

A new student recently stopped me after class and told me “that was the best class I’ve taken yet. It made me want to puke!” – not necessarily what you’d expect to hear after a yoga class!

This got me thinking about the reasons people come to yoga. Reasons often include strength, flexibility, mindfulness, weight loss, relaxation, the list goes on and on. Just like this newer student, I began my journey into yoga looking for a way to get a great workout. I sought out the classes that would push me to my limits, challenge me and make me feel sore for days. I loved how yoga made me feel and I quickly saw physical changes.