The beauty and accessibility of the Adamantine^® Yoga practice for me came because I could do it during my son’s nap time and didn’t need much room or a ton of equipment—my body and my mat. My practice is the only time in the day dedicated to ME. Yoga has always made me feel really good, but I never had a practice that I felt served me and allowed me to create a similar feeling as I would have leaving a group class.

Naturally our brains seek routine, and of all the sequences various teachers had taught me and that I had come up with to teach my own students, I always seemed to struggle with having the motivation to move through one them on my own. I was constantly second guessing what I was doing and wondering if I was getting into postures correctly and doing them “right.” I also questioned whether what I was doing was a practice that I could sustain for a long period of time because anything I did wasn’t a sequence that, if practiced daily, would create a balanced body an outcome that I had long been teaching personal training clients and group fitness classes through other means of exercise. So when Adamantine^® Yoga was given to me, I knew this was the right path to supplement my other efforts in refining who I am.

When I began practicing, and to this day, attending a Guided Self-Practice (GSP) for myself was and is not very accessible because it requires driving to Des Moines, and generally takes about 3 hours out of my day when I go. So it was a better option for me to develop a consistent practice at home and attend GSP at least once a week as my schedule permitted. I have been blessed with the ability to self-motivate, allowing me to be willing to develop my practice with little direct supervision from an instructor. This is not an easy thing for much of the general population; leading to one of the few elements that make group yoga & fitness classes work—the sense of community that working towards the same end goal creates. And just like many other forms of exercise, yoga is a very personal journey that can be practiced with support from a group of peers. And this is actually what most people think of when they think of taking a yoga class. However, there is one difference that an Adamantine^® Yoga practice incorporates…EMPOWERMENT. The work you are doing is work to look inward and improve yourself, no one else. Practicing in a GSP setting promotes this while giving you accountability and the silent support of those practicing on their mats right next to you. People who are moving through modifications of the same sequence in the way that works best for their bodies. Because each person is unique, the practice becomes unique.

If I’d had closer access to a Guided Self-Practice that I could attend daily, I sure as heck would have; because GSP is like a drug that makes you do your best for that day every time you practice. I cherish every opportunity that my life allows for me step away from my world for just a few hours and travel to DSM to practice with other Adamantine^® practitioners. Sure it was hard to get motivated some days to practice on my own when I was just learning, but I didn’t have a choice; I had to do what I knew would make me my best self. When you practice on your own, it’s easy to let your mind wander and not find the “edge” your body needs in each asana to create an energized calm, but when you attend GSP, you perform at a different level because of the energy in the room from others. The choreography of the sequence becomes routine and allows you to let go of the expectations you have of what you think you “should” be doing (as in a group-led class or when practicing random yoga postures) and simply feel the postures as they begin to move into your body. Guided Self-Practice is also distinctive because the benefits you reap are so much more complete than what you could receive in a group-led class. You begin to make progress towards something larger than yourself; the simple act of practicing the same skill set each day with guidance from a certified Adamantine^® Yoga teacher gives you a means to measure your efforts against and to continue to thrive in your practice.