Steve Ross Yoga Virginia

Happy 2014! I am so excited to relaunch our Yogis in the Community here on Chelsea Loves Yoga! This January we have Tonya Fasusi of Maryland kicking it off for 2014! I recently met Tonya through her Instagram page, zoeysunday and knew she had a story to share. Hope you enjoy learning more about Tonya and her practice! Happy New Year 🙂

Name: Tonya Fasusi

Location: Maryland

How long have you been practicing yoga?

I was introduced to yoga when I was in high school (over 10 years ago), so I have been practicing on and off since then. I have only been practicing yoga consistently for about the last year and a half.

What led you to the practice of yoga? My father introduced me to yoga when I was in high school. He has always been a very health conscious individual, and as a doctor specializing in pain management he sees the negative effects of inactivity on a daily basis. He encouraged me to try it out. There used to be this show called “Inhale” with Steve Ross on the Oxygen network, which was my introduction to yoga. I fell in love with it mainly due to that show!

My practice fell off when I went away to college, but thankfully I found my way back to my mat. I was experiencing a lot of stiffness and body aches/pains from running and working in an office for 8 hours a day. These are things that yoga is an extremely effective remedy for, I got back on the mat and haven’t looked back since.

What has been one of the most challenging things you’ve encountered through your practice? Consistency is definitely something I struggle with at times. We all get busy and frazzled in our daily lives so sometimes making time for it just doesn’t seem possible but a little bit of yoga is better than no yoga at all. Even if its only 10 or 15 min I try to fit in a light practice or stretches everyday.

I am also learning to be conscious of not rushing my practice and being happy with where my body is and what it is able to do.

Not comparing myself to others can be quite the challenge as well, I just remind myself that the person I’m comparing myself to was once where I am and with enough practice I can get to where they are and beyond!

What tips or suggestions do you have for people who don’t think yoga is for them? My suggestion is: just try it. You never know if something is for you until you try it. Bodies are meant to move and bend and stretch, and they are happiest when doing so. Body and mind work hand in hand and I find that when I practice I not only feel physically stronger but also happier and more content in general. What better workout is there than one which targets your muscles and your mind? Get into it.

How has yoga influenced the way you process things in this world? Yoga has played a huge role in increasing the level of patience that I have not only with myself but also with others around me. One of the immediate lessons that yoga teaches you is that you HAVE to go slow, you can’t force your body to do things it isn’t ready to do. Slow, present, thoughtful movements get you farthest. Yoga has taught me how slow down and breath through moments of anger, anxiety or turmoil; instead of just reacting in that moment.