Mary Helfeldt
Hi.
I unknowingly have been on this journey leading me to yog(a) since I was born, but that is a very long story to tell. Therefore, I will begin with the most recent chapter when yoga finally found me.
My pants are on backwards in the photo and this is how I ended up in Rishikesh with backward pants. I “tried” yoga many years ago, but I did not understand it. I was not ready; therefore, I did not try it again.
Skip ahead to 2015…
Life events put me on a different path. I joined my local gym and signed up for every class to prevent myself from falling into a depression. I established a routine as a way to get back into life and yoga classes became a part of it. I did not really understand it, but I knew when class ended I felt amazing. This feeling made me curious to learn more about it. Now, I was ready.
I chose to learn from the roots and in 2019 I boarded a plane to India. I had never traveled that far across the world and certainly not solo. The many days of travel brought me to Rishikesh where I completed my 200 hour training at Vinyasa Yoga School. Exhausted and on information overload, I thought I would never go back to India… never. Once I was home, I studied, absorbed and put into practice the information I had been taught.
As time passed, I began feeling the need to return, something was guiding me back. Therefore, I once again boarded a plane and returned to Rishikesh in 2022; however, this time I stayed for four months. While there I completed my 300 hour training at Rishikesh Yogpeeth Abhayaranya Yoga Ashram. I also did a short term volunteer program at Mother Miracle School teaching English conversation skills. Service is also a part of yoga.
Prior to my 200 and 300 hour certifications, I completed the 80 hour Advanced Chair Yoga Teacher Training Program through Yoga Vista Academy in combination with Yoga Underground. All of my combined studies allowed me to obtain the Training Program in Yoga certificate recognized by the HNB Garhwal University Department of Naturopathy and Yoga, Srinagar Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India. The certifications are part of studying, but it is not about collecting paperwork. It is about sharing this beautiful knowledge. Papers tear, burn, disintegrate, but knowledge grows into wisdom. There is no need for a picture frame, backpack or suitcase, you carry it within.
I could go on about my adventures, the transformative power of yoga, life in general and the fact that I did not know my pants were on backwards until the end of the day, but that is not important. What is important is knowing that when you are ready, yoga will find you and begin leading you back to your true self. Yoga does not care about the label society has put on you or you have put on yourself. Yoga has no labels, it is for everyone.
Remember to be grateful for the journey that made you who you are today. Be beautiful you and spread your light.
I never set out to become an instructor. My goal was simply to learn for my own understanding; however, opportunities opened up for me. Looking forward with excitement, I set aside my hesitation and fear to share what I learned with others. I am always a student first and foremost. I continue to learn and share this with each of you. We will grow together.
My mission as an instructor is to help you grow beyond a mat, for you to feel safe, free to be you and plant a seed of growth in your journey. Yoga empowers you to look at life differently, live it fully while hopefully filling it with many smiles and much laughter along the way.
Yoga has become my peace, my healing, my way of life. It is a source of strength, reflection and direction for me. I am always a student, studying, learning, growing and evolving. I teach because I enjoy sharing what I have learned and have personally experienced the transformative power of yoga.
I believe yoga has the power to transform the world. It begins with you. You must find peace within before you can share it with others.