Standing tall with a regal body posture and a voice so warm yet so firm, she’s leading us through the 26 yoga postures. Every single time, with the same unwavering dedication to her practice and us, her students.
(Shhh… she doesn’t know that she could make an amazing Butoh dancer! She doesn’t know that I’m choreographing movements for her in my head while she guides us through the yoga poses.)
Sue performing the Triangle Pose (Trikanasana)
Susan or Sue, how she prefers to be called, has an inspiring story to share: the young girl who dreamt to be a teacher found herself instead working in finance and fiercely climbing the ladder to the status of VP at the collection company she worked for.
She opens up about her past as a highly functional alcoholic woman. She was 48 when, out of A.A. and entirely sober for the first time, she found Bikram yoga at the Evolation studio. She fell in love with this practice so much that at 65 when she retired she enrolled in the extremely intensive certification classes and became a Bikram style yoga teacher.
It’s incredible to hear how she transformed herself driven by the love for this empowering practice. Since then she has been active in her community, supporting A.A., Meals on Wheels, and teaching English to refugees. And since Covid, she became a care giver to her husband of 52 years. Although she didn’t expect such major change entering her life, it deeply moved me how beautifully she reconciled with her new situation, when she said: “he put up with me throughout my darkest years, it is now my turn to serve him.”
Today, at 72, her dream came true. She is one of the six women yoga teachers and owners at the Evolation studio where she first started. I will leave you with one of her powerful statements that she speaks at the end of each of her classes:
“It is always a pleasure and an honor to teach every single one of you. Please take the peace you have found in this class to your family, your community, and to the world.”
To experience this powerful practice for yourself, purchase a class at Evolation.