Teacher Spotlight: Meet Mary Pat
Tell us a little about you. I love to garden, read, needlepoint, travel, cook and eat with the emphasis on EAT! Also, about 2 years ago, I started playing Pickleball & have joined the pickleball craze like so many others. My husband Scott and I have 3 grown kids. We have 2 sons in Omaha and a daughter who is married living in Denver with her husband. Our dog, Reese, a red fox Labrador, keeps us laughing and the household hopping. And I have a passion and love for Uganda. I am on the board of a Ugandan Education Fund where we now have approximately 100 kids that we educate in and around Kampala, Uganda. We invest in specific children and raise funds to provide them with an education. We now have over 25 students that have graduated and are giving back to their communities, Uganda, and Africa.
What is the biggest impact that yoga has had on your life? There has been a twofold impact on my life. The primary impact is what drew me to yoga initially – the relief from physical pain. I feel that yoga has helped me avoid back surgery. I was experiencing a great deal of pain in 2001 in my lower back. After initially being prescribed medicine and told to do ‘back exercises’ which did not provide any relief, I was determined to find answers. I was diagnosed with a herniated disc in my lower back after switching doctors, a thorough exam and an MRI. Then I began a journey into the world of yoga starting with the hot series. The second impact has been mentally and simply has helped make me, hopefully, become a better human being. Yoga is so much more than the asanas or the postures we practice. The yamas & niyamas give us pause to reflect on our integrity and ethical behavior as well as self-discipline. One of my favorite quotes from the Bhagavad Gita is “Yoga is the practice of tolerating the consequences of being yourself.” The time spent on my mat removes the distractions of daily life and allows me time to find out exactly what is going on in my body, head, and heart.
When do you apply the lessons of yoga in your daily life? I think I’ve gotten to the point where the question might be, when don’t I apply the lessons of yoga in my daily life?! The breath…. we do it every second, every hour, & every day of our lives. Paying attention and noticing the breath has become so interesting to me. Breath awareness has helped to reduce stress in so many situations. Hello pandemic! Throughout these past several years simply focusing on the breath has been extremely beneficial to me. Also, the body awareness that I’ve developed since that initial diagnosis with my back has allowed me to become aware of twinges of discomfort early on before it develops into a more serious issue. Another lesson is with my mental attitude. There are so many snippets of wisdom - maintain flexibility at all times, go with the flow, recognize impermanence, & this too shall pass. These bring to mind & are related to another one of my favorite quotes I’ve found through yoga. Bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists ~ Japanese/Chinese proverb. The obvious implication is the physical meaning, but I think this applies mentally as well. With this in mind, I’ve have tried to soften or bend my thinking and judgements to see & hear the other side of a situation or opinion. This brings about greater understanding and empathy towards others.
What are your 3 go-to poses if you need a quick practice? Since the start of the pandemic, routines were upended and changed. While I still did yoga online, like so many of us, I also started walking miles and miles. As I mentioned before, I also joined the pickleball craze and played 1-2 times a week. This was taking a toll on my knees and lower back. I found child’s pose, virasana seating & down dog to be an absolute necessity on a regular basis. Child’s pose released my lower back, virasana seating restored my knees, & down dog provided me a lovely release for the hamstrings.
What is your favorite style of yoga right now and why? I have taught hot, yin, vinyasa, and hatha styles of yoga but mainly the hot and vinyasa style classes. Pre-pandemic, I taught the hot series for 9 years. Currently, I teach the Friday 11:30-12:30 Gentle/Senior yoga class each week that is a vinyasa/hatha type. And I have subbed for all thEach yoga type has its specific benefits. The repetition of the 26 poses in each hot class gives the yogi a benchmark with which to see physically how the body is doing day to day. The four on the floor poses in the hot series are so beneficial to my back. The vinyasa classes allow for development of more upper body strength. Incorporating yin and hatha classes to my practice adds variety and keeps practicing yoga fresh and fun. I find the yin practice a wonderful counterbalance to our busy lifestyles. It also allows for deeper stretching providing awesome benefits that compliments all other forms of exercise and life activities in general. My favorite style now for both teaching and taking a class is hatha yoga. Hatha prepares the body for a pose in an intellectual & intentional way. From a teaching perspective, I love the creativity that is involved in planning to teach a hatha class. From a student perspective, I love that the poses allow for more exploration and preparation in leading to the final pose.
What is unique about your classes and your style of teaching? Having come to yoga in 2001 – over 20 years ago, I have practiced through injuries & illness, while raising kids, processing the loss of parents & a sibling, the pandemic and any & all of life’s ups & downs. I think my classes are unique because of these life experiences. I try to modify each class to make it accessible to everyone especially those who are dealing with limitations due to injury or life experiences. Also, throughout all the classes that I teach, I always weave in the element of gratitude. As a more ‘mature’ yogi of 62 years of age, I’ve come to realize that aging is gift. And that fact that in a yoga class, one can bend, stretch, move & breath relatively pain free is something not everyone has the possibility of doing.