We chat with yoga instructor Stacie Graham about her background, practices and inspirations…
Inform us a bit about your self
That is considered one of my least favorite questions. I by no means know the place to begin, what’s value mentioning and what I ought to omit. I’ll preserve this one brief and hopefully a bit bit candy.
The UK is accent obsessed, so I’ll begin there. I communicate with an American accent, regardless that I’ve lived outdoors of the US longer than I lived there. I’m initially from Miami, FL, however we don’t have to speak concerning the climate or whether or not or not I miss it.
I’m a artistic individual, who is well engaged and may turn out to be excited by all method of pursuits. I like movies and high quality television, however I solely enable myself to observe on the weekend. In the course of the week, you’ll discover my nostril buried every night in a e-book – fiction, non-fiction, science fiction. It doesn’t matter. I’ve at all times been bodily lively. I performed on the primary women’ soccer crew at my major college. I ran observe and discipline fairly efficiently till an damage lower my profession brief. I danced in Germany’s First Nationwide League for Fashionable Dance, and many others. Motion makes me pleased.
What does a typical day seem like for you?
Between the time I’m scripting this and the time readers will learn it, issues will seemingly look very in a different way. I grew to become mom to a cuddly, cheeky, inquisitive and headstrong child woman in November 2023. I’m completely in love along with her and, after all, her calls for dictate my day. I’ve been so grateful to have a lot time at residence along with her, however I’ll be going again to work by the point that is printed.
She’s an early riser, so she usually wakes within the yogic hour, someplace between 4am and 5:30am, when the surface world feels so nonetheless. She feeds, after which we’ve got a cuddle and a sleep collectively in mattress. On the newest, she’s prepared to begin her day by 6:30am. She’s typically fairly chatty within the morning, telling me of her goals of the evening earlier than – babababa, mamamama, dadadada. She likes to play with all the pieces in her eyesight, toy or not. Then she eats a breakfast much like mine that features oats and fruit puree. I eat soaked oats with hemp hearts, flax seed, chia seed and recent berries. And for those who’re questioning – sure, I eat the identical breakfast about 355 days out of the yr. If it’s chilly out, I’ll warmth the oats as an alternative of merely soaking them. That’s the one variation.
When Child Nayla is prepared for her morning nap, then she both sleeps alone in her cot (which suggests I solely have half-hour earlier than she’s awake once more) or I’d take a nap along with her if I’m feeling sleep disadvantaged by which case I can get a little bit of social media posts scheduled and have a nap as a result of, accompanied, she sleeps 70 – 90 minutes. If we’ve got a playdate, swimming classes or a play circle to attend, then she sleeps alone in her cot, and I take a fast bathe and prepare for our outing. I’ve at all times used my bathe as sacred time for my gratitude observe.
Now that Nayla’s older, she’s loving her independence and, thus, wants lots of alternative to discover and uncover the massive world round her. So, I attempt to get us out most days. Fortunately, she eats very well from a spoon, so we take lunch on the highway with us. Cruising round city will not be really easy in London, and all the pieces takes for much longer if you want to journey step free. Buses received’t at all times have house. Tube stations with elevators aren’t nicely designed, so that you may need to take three completely different elevators till you get to the place you’re attempting to go. It’s good observe for me for numerous causes, most significantly to cease the London tempo of speeding all over the place. There’s no motive to hurry.
Our afternoons are sometimes very chilled. We play. There’s normally one other nap, a feed and a few cuddling. Anybody who has ever discovered with me is aware of that I emphasise the significance of a wind down routine. Nayla has her dinner. She enjoys having her two little teethies brushed. She performs along with her squeaky duck at bathtub time. We learn a e-book or two. After which I snuggle her till she falls asleep. As soon as I put her down in her cot, then I’ve a lightweight dinner – normally salad and a few recent lower pineapple with yoghurt – earlier than I dive into no matter e-book I’m studying. I’d journal a bit with an exquisite e-book about motherhood that considered one of my colleagues gifted me. I’ve beloved utilizing it to simply have some house to course of all the various experiences of this a part of my journey.
I observe prāṇāyāma after which I meditate earlier than sleep. However, I’d go to sleep throughout observe, as I’ve been so sleep disadvantaged (however much less so lately). Or my observe is perhaps interrupted by somebody who wants one other cuddle to get again to sleep.
How did your yoga journey start and what impressed you to turn out to be a yoga instructor?
My yoga journey started with damage. I used to be affected by continual complications, and I didn’t know the trigger. I don’t normally have complications, so I used to be involved. I used to be despatched to many various docs, till an orthopedic specialist mentioned that the complications had been brought on by stress in my neck and shoulders. On the time, I used to be a correct fitness center bunny, and I couldn’t actually perceive why I’d have stress complications.
I used to be prescribed bodily remedy. The therapist I labored with clearly couldn’t see me. She stored speaking about how girls should construct energy blablabla. That’s not my challenge. I talked to considered one of my closest mates about it. He’s additionally a bodily therapist and an athletic coach. He massaged me and couldn’t imagine how tight my muscle mass had been. “Exhausting muscle mass are unhealthy; supple muscle mass are what we wish”, he mentioned. He instructed I attempt yoga. So I went to a category. It was okay. I’m unsure what stored me going again, however I’d go on occasion.
The trail to instructing yoga was not simple. I made a decision to go to India whereas I used to be engaged on my doctorate. I wanted a break, and my shut good friend on the time was from India. He knew that part of my research had taken place on the South Asia Institute of my college, however I had by no means been. He was already in a postdoctoral programme and recognised that I used to be in determined want of a change. So he requested his mother the place I ought to go first, and he or she instructed an ashram in Rishikesh. That ashram, Parmarth Niketan, was nearly to host a world yoga competition, so it was excellent timing. I spent three months in India, touring from North to South, and making many mates alongside the way in which. I spontaneously studied with religious masters throughout completely different practices and faiths. And I felt referred to as to deliver no less than a few of that again residence. In Europe, I hadn’t discovered a studying surroundings that was in any method much like my experiences in India. To authentically honour the origin and lineage was my motivation. I went again a pair years later to finish my instructor coaching.
What impressed you to specialise in your observe?
I don’t know if I will be referred to as a specialist. I contemplate myself a generalist throughout all method of disciplines. I’d say I do lots of various things nicely. However, there’s at all times somebody who does them higher than me. These are the specialists.
My private observe additionally differs from what I educate.
I imagine the thread that ties my instructing collectively is an intentional give attention to presence and permitting. Irrespective of if I’m guiding āsana or prāṇāyāma or mindfulness, I’m guiding from a spot of nonjudgmental consciousness.
In posture observe, specializing in what a posture “ought to” seem like results in struggling. There’s disappointment with the physique for not performing. There’s potential for damage as a result of the physique is getting used and compelled as a software. It’s related throughout any observe, if one is barely involved with an end result. Being overly involved with outputs and outcomes tends to imply that the method, the routes and journeys are compromised, ignored and underappreciated. However that’s the place the magic occurs.
After I discuss permitting, I don’t imply complacency or accepting dangerous issues. Permitting begins from inside. Can I make house for all the sentiments, all of the ideas, all of the feelings? Can I recognise that permitting house for that which arises is the primary and, maybe, most vital step in seeing?
How have you ever seen yoga profit your college students?
In so some ways, however I’d say most of all of their studying to just accept and belief themselves as they’re.
What’s your favourite quote or life motto?
“Tat Tvam Asi” – Thou artwork that. ~ Chandogya Upanishad
“The thoughts creates the abyss, the guts crosses it” ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
What’s developing for you in 2024/25?
OYA Retreats is happy to host a variety of classes. Issues had been a bit quiet on account of my being pregnant and maternity depart, however I’m at the moment planning some thrilling occasions for 2025. They haven’t all been introduced but, however they may embrace:
Gentle Life Sundays – These are our neighborhood classes at Sāmya Studios which happen each first Sunday of the month. These aren’t strictly yoga classes; slightly they’re centered on connection, embodiment and relaxation.
Befriending My Internal Critic – This can be a common four-part sequence that gives some easy instruments that can assist you befriend your interior critic. Our interior critic solely needs to guard us, however it may possibly get a bit too bold. With some easy steps, your interior critic can do the job it’s meant to do whereas wreaking much less havoc!
Creativeness Gallery – We’ll offer two city (day) retreats in London that assist reignite your sense of visioning. I’ve a giant creativeness, like to daydream and create imaginative and prescient boards each 1st of January. As adults, we might all profit from getting again to our sense of play and dreamscape.
As well as, I hope to supply one other weeklong retreat in paradise (Mallorca) in collaboration with REESET after our profitable inaugural retreat, Awaken the Sacred Goddess, that takes place there twenty ninth September via fifth October 2024.
And who is aware of, there could also be extra. Keep tuned!
Discover out extra about Stacie:
Web site: https://stacieccgraham.com/
OYA Retreats: https://www.oyaretreats.com/
Instagram: @oyaretreats
