My name is Laurel Hunt and I am a Yoga and POP Pilates Instructor. I have been practising Yoga for three and a half years.
My love for Yoga began in 2016 when a friend of mine invited me to her first Yoga class. I had never done yoga before but I was open to trying something new. I was at a real low point in my life and would often be depressed. My life had recently taken an unexpected turn and honestly, I was not sure in what direction I should go. My heart was hurt, my mind was in turmoil and I felt like I did not know where to turn.
Yoga saved me. I started practising occasionally and as I progressed, my love for it grew. I did research into the history of Yoga, learned about breathing techniques, meditation and mindfulness. My practice taught me how to go inward and listen to myself, the needs of my body and to quiet my mind. Life goes so fast sometimes that we forget to slow down and pay attention to what we really need.
In March 2018, I became certified in POP Pilates, a free-flowing pilates based exercise to POP music. I have since adapted it to fit our culture and it has become Soca Pilates. It is an intense workout that targets each muscle group and works deep into the tissues and muscles using solely movement and body weight to SOCA music. I am hoping to introduce this on a larger scale and get people truly interested in this alternative. It is not aerobics and it is not Zumba - this is the next level.
In June of that year, I went to Bali, Indonesia to Yoga Teacher Training with the Pranashama Institute. This adventure has taught me so much about myself and what I needed. A woman who had never travelled further than New York City, I hopped on a plane and made a 21-hour journey halfway across the world by myself. Making that trip proved to me that I could do anything that I set my mind to. I booked flights, organised visas, booked my interim accommodation and navigated my way through countries I had only seen on the Internet and social media.
I mainly practise and teach Vinyasa Yoga. The Sanskrit definition for Vinyasa refers to it as a variation within prescribed parameters. It is a freestyle form of Yoga regularly referred to as a flow in general terms. Many other styles of Yoga have a fixed structure of poses that must come one after the other while Vinyasa, allows you to move from pose to pose creating a rhythm and pace of your own. A Vinyasa practice can range from gentle flowing poses to a faster, more high-intense practice depending on the type of class or practice that you want.
When I started teaching in September 2018, it was to a small group of persons at Jean Pierre Complex on Monday and Wednesday evenings. I still teach these classes and hold them dear to my heart because the students who attended, were the first to give me a chance and a step in the door, to sharing my passion with others.
In the realm of Vinyasa Yoga, I offer Gentle Yoga, Hot Yoga, Power Yoga and Restorative/Yin Yoga at my studio, Amber Yogini Wellness Studio, located at #39 Caroni Savannah Road, Charlieville. I also offer one on one sessions for persons who may not feel comfortable practising in group sessions or may have specific needs that cannot be addressed in a group session.
I share inspirational/motivational posts and tips on yoga pose on my Instagram (Amber_Yogini) and Facebook (Naturally.Ahimsa) and I have recently started a Blog called Amber Alight (amberyoginitt.site123.me) where I will be sharing personal stories and more topics related to Yoga, meditation, breathing techniques and wellness.
The practice of Yoga originated thousands of years ago and accredited to being founded in India. It was intended to bring unison of the mind and body, the heart and the soul. As the practice spread over the years across the Western world, it was realised that Yoga has many benefits in helping with diseases, relieving joint and muscle pain, easing stress and anxiety, lowering blood pressure and also increasing weight loss. All these benefits have been proven through several studies conducted by the US National National Institute of Health. The latter has become the most interesting aspect to many people however, while Yoga can help you to lose weight, that is not the most important aspect of the practice.
Yoga has been proven to awaken a deeper more spiritual side in practitioners. It makes you more aware of yourself, causes you to go deeper into your consciousness and to look at your lifestyle habits. Many teachings speak about simple things like our eating habits and how certain foods (such as fried and overly spicy foods) affect the performance and lifespan of our bodies. If we are looking to physically improve ourselves, then we have to also look at doing so from the inside - from our mental and emotional state to our spiritual state and even our digestive state. Yoga is about finding balance in the body, mind and soul. If we do not take care of our bodies from the inside and only take care of the external, then there is no way we will ever truly feel the balance that our lives deserve.
Yoga is the way that I have been able to find out more about who I am, who I want to be and how far I have come. In no way am I saying that it has made me the perfect person but, it has made me a better version of myself. I see someone more in tune with my inner self, able to constructively criticise myself, appreciate that I am not perfect (nor do I want to be) and find ways to continue to challenge and nurture myself. It has also made me want to share the amazingness of what the practice has done for me with everyone that I encounter. If I can make an impact on the life of one person, then I know that I’m doing something right.
My contact information:
Tel: 492-3638
Instagram: amber_yogini
Facebook: Amber Yogini (personal) Naturally.Ahimsa (Business)
Email: amberyoginitt@gmail.com
Blog: amberyoginitt.site123.me
When you want something, the universe conspires to give it.