Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracy Jennings-Hill.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Tracy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
A little about me… I began practicing yoga over 19 years ago, while I was on active duty in the Air Force stationed in Colorado Springs. I had injured myself while on active duty and found that yoga is what healed me, so this is where my yoga life began. After retiring, I became involved in the fitness world teaching everything from a step, kickboxing, barbell, cycling, personal training and more but I still stayed true to my yoga. I did my first part of my yoga teacher training in April 2000, this was the first change or shift for me. After that, I took awhile to complete my 200 RYT but when I finished in January 2007, I knew this was where I was supposed to be and in March 2007 became a trainer for YogaFit. So, in addition to training aspiring yoga teachers, I was a personal trainer and group fitness instructor at a couple facilities.
For the last 5 years, prior to purchasing my yoga studio, I was the studio manager and personal trainer at a Lifetime Athletic in Atlanta, GA. I loved being at Lifetime but I also felt like something was missing and decided in May 2017, that I wanted to step down from my manager position and just begin teaching more yoga classes in the Atlanta community. Right after, I had given my resignation to my General manager, one of my friends who taught for me at Lifetime came to me and told me about that the owner of her yoga studio was looking to sell. What’s so coincidental about this is, I had taught a teacher training in August 2016 at the studio and has already met the owner.
So, when I found out she was interested in selling, I gave her a call and we met the next day. We ended up sharing for over 2 hours, and when I walked out the front door, I knew I was buying this studio, which has now become LiveURYoga. The idea of LiveURYoga came to me over 4 years prior to my purchase on 1 Sept 2017, I had already purchased all the domains, created the LLC and knew my focus, my vision of transformation, empowerment, and growth. All coming from my yogic and life experiences over my lifetime. One of the things I realized was I had been missing the Atlanta community because my position with YogaFit had provided me amazing opportunities to teach in Germany, Egypt, Taiwan, India, and Canada but not much in Atlanta, so I wanted to find my footing and place within the Atlanta community and give my vision to the local community.
In addition, to traveling and teaching for YogaFit, I have had the pleasure to travel to Rishikesh, India since February 2008, where I truly found my voice and my vision… I met my true teacher there… Anand Mehrotra of Sattva Yoga. Not only did I meet my teacher but I also discovered Ayurveda, which is another intrical part of what we offer at LiveURYoga. So, every year, I return… guiding other yogi’s to the birthplace of Yoga… for a two-week transformation. Truly understanding, this was my other major shift logically. I feel at home there! My desire and push are to share what I have experienced there and grown from exponentially. Doing my best, applying all the principles and philosophies of my daily life. Now, that I have brick and mortar at my shala, I am so excited because I know I can and have and will continue to bring transformation, empowerment, and growth to all who walk through my front door… #liveuryoga
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Has it been a smooth road… wow… what a question! No, it hasn’t been a smooth road but it’s been a revealing and fulfilling road. Yoga helped me heal myself when I was at my lowest in life. In 1997, I lost the love of my life in a car accident and became a single mom of 2. I began trying to rebuild my life and thought I had figured things out but even then I had no clue. I remarried thinking that was where I needed to be, but I soon found that I was so wrong, so I slowly began to truly find myself again through my yoga practice and teacher training with YogaFit. I was like peeling layers off a bloomen onion. Each layer that was shed… I found me which came from my yoga. I learned so much about myself as I began to teach other yogis and even more, so when I traveled to India in February of 2008 and almost every year since. I’ve only missed 2 years in the last ten… and I never miss anymore. It is my pilgrimage and my reset each year.
So, what advice I would give…. hmmm… here is the most important thing I have learned… listen to your inner voice, your intuition, your wisdom base… don’t let anyone or anything steal that from you. When you think you know… you do! And when you are in doubt… seek to understand!
what should we know about LiveURYoga? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My work… so here’s the thing… I don’t look at it as my work… I look at it as my path or dharma. I believe we are all born with a path or plan, the hardest part is following it or really knowing what it is. Our western society has a way of convincing us that it’s about having certain things or being a certain way. So, after spending 20 years in the Air Force, I found my passion which is teaching people how to find themselves. I was trained to teach a vinyasa flow with emphasis on alignment, strength, and flexibility in a safe environment… but the beautiful thing is I’ve consistently grown as my yoga practice and teaching as grown. I would say my specialties are in yoga philosophy and Ayurveda. Being able to apply both of these ancient aspects to our present day lives and understanding that they are timeless and tried and true.
My brand is LiveURYoga and I believe it speaks for itself. My mission is transformation, empowerment and growth, each of these is an essential aspect of yoga as it’s about impermanence and change. To me, the ultimate idea of a yogic life is to find your TRUE self. LiveURYoga is the conduit of that from offering different disciplines of asana, workshops of growth and education retreats for introspection and stillness, and an annual pilgrimage to Rishikesh, India, the birthplace of yoga.
It’s truly about Living Your Yoga in its abundance… that’s my love and desire for all who choose this path and even more importantly those who have lost their way.
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
Ok, so, of course, the classics of the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, the Bhagavad Gita. Then, my next favs for yogic growth are the Yamas and Niyamas by Deborah Adele, the seven spiritual law of yoga by Deepak Chopra. For Ayurveda, Eat, Taste, Heal by Dr. Thomas Yarema, M.D., Daniel Rhonda & Chef Johnny Brannigan, the Prime by Kulreet Chaundary, MD.
I’ve been doing a lot of audible books, so here are a few. Getting Unstuck by Pema Chodron, What I know for Sure by Oprah Winfrey, Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss, Absolute Tao: Subtle is the way to love, happiness and truth by Osho.
Contact Info:
- Address: 408 South Atlanta Street Suite 157
Roswell, GA 30075 - Website: www.liveuryoga.com
- Phone: 770-299-1639
- Email: info@liveuryoga.com
- Instagram: @liveuryoga
- Facebook: @liveuryoga
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
