Starting at the beginning

I can remember the first time I had the idea to quit my job with the United Nations. Sitting at my desk in a sterile office setting, I felt a profound sense of dissatisfaction. Over the last 10 years, I had spent time in some of the most challenging and beautiful corners of the world, working with vulnerable people who deserved better than the cards they were dealt. That chapter of my life was full of growth and adventure, but I could feel deep in my core that the page was turning. I was ready to move on to something new.

But what would that new look like? I enjoyed my work with the United Nations and wanted to keep the intellectual stimulation it provided me, but I didn’t want to do it full-time anymore. There were other components of me that needed attention too - the emotional, the spiritual. Perhaps, I thought, it’s finally time to do something with yoga. I had completed my yoga teacher training and had been teaching in various locations for more than a decade, why not take the leap and make more space for it in my life? But then, I thought, what about my wandering spirit that sometimes wants nothing more than to be lost in the mountains in my campervan - with my partner, with my stepdaughter, with my dog, or with no one at all. Being in the mountains with nothing to do is essential for my well-being, how can I make space for that too?

It was at that precise moment, pushed back from my desk and staring out the small window, that it came to me: why can’t I do it all? As a complex human being with multiple needs and interests, it no longer serves me to do one thing full-time anymore. I would like to do consultancies for the United Nations from time to time because it intellectually stimulates me and I believe in the work. I would like to take time to be lost in my beloved mountains, with no cell network and nowhere to be. And most importantly, I would like yoga to take a more central role in my life. I can feel the difference when I’m practicing everyday… and when I’m not: I’m less patient, less understanding, more easily triggered, more in need of external validation. In short, when I’m not practicing yoga I don’t feel at home in my body.

It was with this final thought, that the origins of Green Mountain Yoga were born. I dream of providing yoga classes and retreats that are safe spaces for all people regardless of your demographics, physical ability, body composition, mental health, or life experiences. And so here you are to witness this journey from the very beginning, as I go step by step to bring this dream into reality. Whoever you are, wherever you come from, whatever you’ve experienced, you are welcome with me.

Wishing you clarity of thought, a compassionate heart, and a deep connection to the people and world around you.

With love,

AJ