If you’ve been taking classes at the studio, you’ve probably met one of our most ardent Yoga Shed practitioners: Mike Shayeson! We’d like to share his experience with you, so that it may inspire you on your yoga journey.

Q: When did you first take a yoga class?

October 2016 I began my first yoga classes in Cincinnati with about a month of private lessons. This was the same time as I found a house in DeLand and would be closing on it within 2 months and begin a year long renovation. I thus found myself in DeLand a lot of the time and my Cincinnati yoga instructor found the Yoga Shed when I asked her for a referral. I began to take lessons at the Yoga Shed in January 2017.

Q: What keeps you coming back to classes?

A: I have always been an active individual and participated in activities that required strength and endurance. Some of the activities include, sailing, weight training/ body building, hiking, canoeing, etc. Once I began my yoga practice at the Yoga Shed, I started to have a much better understanding and appreciation for my body and how to continually improve how I feel physically. This was critical to me as through the years I have suffered numerous injuries such as bone breaks, sprains, muscle tears, etc. What I found at the Yoga Shed was not simply trying to look like my instructor in her asana but HOW to look like my instructor when I was taught the alignment of the various joints and body parts. This especially became apparent to me when I signed on to the 300 hour teacher training. My expectations for taking this course was never to actually teach (although I do on occasion and enjoy doing so) but to do a deep dive into the yoga asanas and other limbs of yoga. I was not disappointed and would highly recommend taking this course to anyone who may want to improve the overall well-being! I keep coming back because I ALWAYS feel better after my classes both physically mentally and spiritually. I also come back because my teachers bring a new element to each practice where I can experience something new for my continuing practice. The more I come the better I feel, ALWAYS!!

Q: In what way has yoga impacted your life?

Wow, this is a big one. Yoga has impacted my life in many ways. From a physical standpoint, I am stronger today (almost 72 years old) than I was when I was in my 20s. More importantly, I have learned to CONTROL my body in movements and range of motion. This has probably been the greatest help in maintaining my activity level as my body grows older. So often in the past, I would throw my body in to something without consideration it may not be well controlled and often I would injure myself (torn quad in my 20s playing racquetball, reinjured displaced vertebrae in my back while hiking out on a sailboat, etc.). With yoga, I have developed an inner awareness and a mindfulness of movement in virtually everything I do physically. The kind of thing that saves my back when moving or lifting a heavy object. From a mental/spiritual side, yoga has been far more beneficial to me than I had ever considered it would have. During my teacher training, we spent some of our time on all 8 limbs of yoga. Spending time studying the Yamas and Niyamas added a new element to high I would treat myself as I would practice my asanas. The Pranayama was extremely helpful for me to improve my asana practice. I also found the pranayama practice vastly improved my weight training as well. As my practice has become more of an all consuming endeavor (that I truly enjoy), I have begun to “TASTE” a bit of the next four limbs of yoga. Pratyahara – turning within, Dharana – focused concentration, Dhyana – meditative absorption, and Samadhi – Bliss, one with the Universe, enlightenment. I hope to have more than just a taste of these last 4, but with more of a long term relationship, which I hope will come with more practice.

Q: What is something that connects you with your yoga community?

A: I feel very blessed that I had the opportunity to find my way to the Yoga Shed.  Every instructor there has always been excellent and has made the yoga experience a pleasant one.  There is no pressure to “push through” the pain or discomfort but instead, they find a way to achieve the same goals but with less discomfort with their knowledge and use of the wonderful props this particular studio has.  The yoga wall is an amazing tool that can make the novice feel in control and good about their practice, while can still give the seasoned practitioner opportunities to do some of the more challenging poses with an assist.

Q: What aspect of your yoga practice interests you most?

I would probably have to answer this with my asana practice, only because I probably spend most of time in this practice. That being said, I still have a large interest in the other 7 limbs as well and do attempt to broaden my yoga studies into these limbs. I try to attend as many classes being taught at the Yoga Shed, as possible. This currently means I go to about 4 classes a week and would go to 3 more but have some scheduling conflicts. Everyday that I am home and not traveling I start my morning with a 45 minute to 1 hour yoga practice at home. There is more meditation in this practice than heavy duty asanas. This light asana practice and my preparation practice of sitting in Padmasana, has really been very rewarding for me. My mental and physical state is primed and ready to take on the day. The other beautiful aspect of yoga that I really enjoy is the fact you really do not need much of anything to have a wonderful practice. A mat (although not absolutely necessary), a few blocks (which I’m finding I need less and less) and that’s about all you need. I hope to continue my yoga practice until my last breadth. Hopefully my practice will extend that date quite a few years out.

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Thank you, Mike, for sharing with us and being a part of our Yoga Shed community. If you’d like to contribute your experience, please email us at info@yoga-shed.com and we’d love to hear from you and share your story!

Namaste, Yogis!