1. Tell me about your personal journey with yoga. Why is it important to you?:
I was introduced to yoga when I was dealing with depression following a sexual assault in my teens. Yoga brought me back to myself, reconnected me to my body and helped me get back on track better than therapy alone ever did for me.
In my 20s I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and became extremely disconnected with my body. I felt like I would be sick all the time and became depressed. I decided to dive deeper into my yoga practice and through a yoga teacher training I became myself again. I became more connected to my values and to my true self, and I began to live a yoga lifestyle. Yoga continues to heal me everyday, every time I step on my mat.
2. When did you first begin teaching yoga? What made you transition into a leadership position?:
I began teaching yoga in 2011 and have lots of experience as a teaching in Boston, MA and Houston TX. I teach yoga because I want others to feel the healing benefits of the practice and lifestyle that I have experienced. During my graduate work in psychology and clinical social work I began to develop my own style of therapy that combines traditional behavioral therapy techniques with chakra yoga movement, mantra, meditation and breath to process trauma and remove emotional blocks.
3. What makes your classes unique?:
My classes are unique because I emphasize flow and movement with breath to cultivate mindfulness. Each of my classes makes the connection between what asana teaches us on the mat and how we can live it off the mat. For example, if we can balance, breath and stay calm in an intense pose on the mat, we learn to breath and stay calm when faced with intense situations in our daily life.
4. How does music benefit your guidance in a yoga class?:
I use music to set the mood and energy level of the practice. I will often create playlists that have a build-up, a peak and a cool-down period. Hearing the style and tempo of music is a cue to the mind and body to either increase or decrease your energy and your heart rate. This helps to keep the class energy cohesive and allow students to get into the flow.
5. Tell me about your next event and where we can follow you online:
My next event is called Flow with Gratitude. It is a yoga party at a beautiful art gallery in SoWa Boston. We will have a gratitude meditation, a slow flow yoga practice and healthy snacks and drinks after while we hang out in the gallery. I am super excited for it! People can find out more about it on my site www.laurenfarenga.com and facebook.com/laurenfarenga/
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