“In the end, just three things matter: How well we have lived.
How well we have loved.
How well we have learned to let go.”
― Jack Kornfield
Hi all! Welcome to Sanctuary Yoga! I'm Angela, a 44-year-old yoga teacher living in Spartanburg, South Carolina with my husband, Mike, and my 3 daughters, Courtney (who is away at college), Sydney & Sarah. Along the way, we adopted Henley, a golden retriever and lab mix, and Aly-Cat, who helped keep us on our toes at all times. My youngest discovered her love of sea life so about 6 months ago we decided to add even more entertainment to our lives with a fish tank. The excitement never ends! I have discovered a passion to take old houses and restore them to their original beauty...all by accident. Our past two home purchases have revealed years of past wear and tear so in my "spare time" I am learning how to be a contractor, subcontractor, plumber, and everything else in between. With the encouragement and moral support of my hubby, numerous Pinterest boards, texts to my "handy friends", and countless YouTube videos, we've put together some pretty impressive spaces to live in over the years.
HOW I FOUND YOGA
The pregnancy and birth of our daughter, Sarah, was a struggle from the get-go. In 2010, we lost a child mid-way through my pregnancy and decided that our family was complete. I was considered high risk from the beginning because of my age and also because of the previous loss. I was always waiting for the preverbal shoe to drop. Sarah's birth was uneventful but weeks later, I found myself lost in a sea of postpartum depression that went undiagnosed for almost a year. For those who are finding themselves in a position like that, please speak up and advocate for yourself. My voice went quiet after I mentioned it to two very close people in my life and was told that what I was going through was not PPD. In 2017, I started seeing a therapist who suggested a yoga studio near a town we were living in, and without hesitation, I signed up for my first class. I sat in my car afterward and swore I'd never go back. With encouragement from my therapist and my family, I went back two days later and never looked back.
HOW YOGA FOUND ME
“The mind is just like a muscle - the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets and the more it can expand.”
― Idowu Koyenikan
Six months into my yoga journey, I heard someone mention that there would be a yoga teacher training at the studio for anyone interested. Without hesitation, I told Mike I knew this was something I could not pass up. Having discovered through a combination of therapy and yoga that I was beginning to heal and feel like myself, a passion to share that "secret" was uncovered. Teacher training was not a singular event that helped me learn how to teach others how to practice yoga. It was 6 months of sharing space with others who had stories of their own. I learned that each student that walks into my class, is a person who deserves to take up space, feel safe, and BE. While I may get to be a space holder for any class I am teaching, deep down I will always be a student.
Still growing.
Still learning.
Still living.
