 After years of training as a martial artist, Ginny found her true inner warrior in yoga. Ginny took her formal teacher training under 532Yoga (previously US1Yoga), where her horizons were broadened to include studies in Iyengar and Viniyoga. Ginny continues to further her yogic education at every opportunity, and has had the pleasure of taking the Rocket Series training from David C. Kyle, Acro yoga immersions, and various wonderful workshops with both David and Doug Swanson as well as Swastha Yoga therapy training under Dr. Ganesh Mohan- who's parents, A.G. and Indira studied under Krishnamachayra. How did you begin practicing yoga? Many years ago, as my yoga friend would grab their mats and go to yoga class, I would put on my blacks and head to my martial arts dojo. They would ask me to join them- but (silly hippies!) gentle stretching versus active kicking and punching? Thanks- but no. Then, while engaging in some gloriously high tornado kicks, I catastrophically injured my leg. After a period of healing ( about 18 months) my friends tried again- and succeeded in getting me into a yoga class. I had the worst attitude: This was going to be a complete waste of my time- all I really wanted was to be kicking punching, and kia-ing - not sitting and stretching. And obviously, like so many people who don't do yoga- I had no idea what yoga was all about. My first class rocked my world- and changed my perceptions about this ancient discipline. This stuff was powerful. It wasn't easy- and it was strong. It challenged me on every level, humbled me, and addicted me. It balanced me, kicked my asana- and left me wanting more. I traded in my martial artist warrior- for a deeper quieter inner warrior. And I never looked back. Why is yoga important to you? On the mat you find strength, balance and flexibility. You find calm. You find compassion- for yourself, and you learn to let go. You learn that the ego is your harshest critic, and you learn that its okay to fail and try again. You learn to fall, you learn to stand up. You learn perseverance. And all these things give rise to confidence. From a place of confidence- love, kindness, compassion arise. These gifts do not stay on the mat- you take them off the mat, out of the studio, and into the world with you and into everything you do. Yoga is important to me- because from the mat, we begin to change the world into a kinder place, one yoga pose at a time. Truly, lokha samastha sukhino bhavantu. What made you want to teach yoga? In order to get my yoga practice in while away on a family vacation, I would sneak out to the beach early in the morning to work on my asanas (poses) by the sea w/ the waves crashing in the background and the gulls providing the music of my savasana. The first day I did this, a man watched. The second day, he jumped in and started doing. I started instructing him on the basic poses. By the third day, a few more people joined in. This continued for the whole week- sometimes it was me and my husband , and the man, sometimes we had a larger group. The man- I'll call him William - later told me that he was struggling- w/ money, work, personal issue etc. He was staying at a "party" house- and he wasn't really into that. So while his housemates slept it off- he walked the beach. And when he found me- he was ready to try this yoga stuff he had heard about. He said the weeks practice had helped him find some clarity - and that when he went home, he was going to search out some yoga classes. We kept in touch for awhile- and sure enough, William reported to me that he was taking classes. He was amazed at how a few simple moves could strengthen both body and mind. And while he still had issues, he was more at peace. I signed up for a teacher training course that very same fall- the power of yoga compelled me- something so mind blowing that it had to be shared..... the world needed to know about this thing called yoga. Do you have a preferred type of yoga to teach/practice? Please elaborate. I am drawn to the trans-formative qualities of power yoga. Nothing changes a body quite like it: Fluid strength and lightning reflexes as well as beautiful tone and increased function and range of motion. Arm balances and inversions liberally sprinkled in are amazingly fun and confidence building. I love to teach Rocket Yoga- created by Larry Schultz , and a style I like to call my "Funky Flow"- adventuresome freestyle vinyasa. Describe a yoga class with Ginny Loving. What makes the experience unique? My favorite quote- by Dr. Seuss- "If you don't do these things you should- these things are fun and fun is good." Every pose in yoga has variations and modifications, and I highly encourage my students to explore their practice. If you don't explore, how will you ever know? So I offer ways to take it up, or take it down or add variety. Not unusual during a pose to see everybody doing a different variation- after all variety is the spice of life! We play fun, irreverent, rocky and rolly music, and while the business of transformation is serious, you wont find me preaching- we laugh and play, and enjoy. I encourage students to talk to me, and to talk to each other- b/c sangha (community) is a huge part. You'll leave my class sweaty, tired, happy, with smile on your face and a new asana under your belt. And a spring in your step. The yoga journey is a lifelong one- the roadtrip should be a blast. Who is your favorite Washington D.C. area yoga teacher? My favorite area teacher happens to be my Teacher Training instructor- Suzanne Leitner Wise. Her years of experience means that when I go to her- even after many years, I pick up a new cue, a new alignment tip, or new language. Still the best trainer of teachers in the area, hands down. Take a class with Ginny at 532YOGA. Extract from a ‘featured Yogi’ series by Active Life DC
21 Comments
|