Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Hales.
Angela, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m a Virginia native. I grew up in the rural center of that state, and my early childhood was largely focused on competitive acrobatic gymnastics, in which I participated until age 15. Though I enjoyed the sport, the environment was unhealthy and I have related chronic pain, which yoga now helps to address.
I went to the College of William and Mary in Virginia, where I first encountered yoga during my freshman year. At the time, I only understood yoga as physical postures (asana), and breathwork (pranayama). I liked how the physical practice of yoga made me feel, and that it was not a competitive endeavor (it felt like everything else in my life at that time was!). After college, I met a teacher in my hometown who taught me more about the other limbs of classical yoga and how yoga is about so much more than physical postures; it’s really a spiritual practice by design.
I moved to Atlanta for a job nearly four years ago, after completing my master’s degree in International Higher Education. I’ve been teaching hatha yoga since summer 2018, after graduating from the 200-hour yoga teacher training program at Infinity Yoga (now YogaWorks). After graduation, I began researching how to create a business and formed my LLC. I’ve taught at a couple different studios in metro Atlanta, and currently teach regular classes and workshops at Giving Tree Yoga in Smyrna. Last year I completed an additional 300 hours of yoga teacher training at Etowah Valley Yoga in Cartersville, GA. Today, I teach to empower yoga students of all backgrounds and abilities to find strength, healing, and peace. The great thing about yoga is that no experience is required! Come as you are.
Has it been a smooth road?
Teaching yoga is my passion. However, it’s difficult to make a living teaching yoga full-time. I balance teaching with a full-time job working with the international community in Atlanta and beyond. Once I became a yoga teacher, I found it quite easy to take on too many classes and responsibilities at different locations, leading to burn-out — common for many folks working in teaching and healing professions. Therefore, it’s so important for me to make time for my own yoga practice and to do activities that fill my cup in general.
To young women just starting your yoga entrepreneurship journey: Meditate. Practice. Read. Meet different teachers — and know that often, your students are your greatest teachers. Keep an open mind. If you have graduated from a yoga teacher training, congratulations! I encourage you to keep practicing and learning; the concept of “yoga” is vast.
Regarding the business side of things, setting up an LLC, for example, isn’t as tough as it sounds. I wrote blog posts about my experience delving into entrepreneurship on my blog at angelahales.com/blog.
One last tip: Don’t forget to breathe!
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I teach vinyasa flow yoga, basics of hatha yoga, and yin yoga. I’m also certified to teach prenatal fitness through Oh Baby! Fitness. Currently, I’m enrolled in a continuing education training called Y12SR: The Yoga of 12-Step Recovery.
I love to play the harmonium and chant in Sanskrit in every class I teach! I want to ensure that all students feel welcome in class and have a positive experience that contributes to deepening their practice. I draw on a variety of material from which I quote, and I try to stay true to yoga’s roots. I also talk about my story on my blog and provide tips for how other yogis can start a business, save money, audition for a yoga teaching position, learn to play the harmonium, and more!
I’m excited to be leading my first international yoga retreat this October 10-17, in beautiful Bali, Indonesia! We will be traveling to two destinations to practice and experience the incredible culture and energy of Bali. More information is available at angelahales.com/retreats.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
I’m currently reading “Peace is Every Breath” by Thich Nhat Hanh. Other books that I have found very influential are “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma” by Bessel van der Kolk, “The 10% Entrepreneur” by Patrick J. McGinnis, and “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.”
As far as apps go, I don’t get very far without a decent list and calendar app!
Pricing:
- $2,995/person double room; $3,795/person single room. Secure your spot with a $500 deposit! Payment plans available.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://angelahales.com
- Email: yoga@angelahales.com
- Instagram: @angelahalesyoga
- Facebook: @angelahalesyoga
Image Credit:
Fabi Lovell
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