Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra Ann.
Alexandra, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
While I’m tempted to dive into the details of my childhood, I can summarize myself as a precocious and driven student. From a young age, I wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. Ask my mother, who had to buy me something from every store we went to together. This led all the way through my high school career, where I petitioned the school board to take online classes during my junior year so I could graduate a year early, as I believed my high school had offered everything it could to my education.
I didn’t grow up wanting to be a Doctor or a Lawyer, but I did want to be “successful,” whatever I thought that meant. I was driven by the American Dream to have a nice house, fancy clothes, travel the world and a husband that would be trustworthy. So even though I was unsure what I really wanted to do for a living that would make me happy, I pursued business and graduated from the University of Georgia Summa Cum Laude and the recipient of the honorable burnout, exhaustion and eating disorders that you too can achieve striving for perfection. This continued for years after college, working, getting promoted “successfully,” racking up thousands of dollars of credit card debt to “dress up,” all while shrinking in my fancy clothes to take up less space and question my self worth even more.
Throughout these “work hard, play harder” years, I used yoga as a way to “detox” and get bendier (i.e. more desirable). But one day, I was too hungover to drag my skin and bones into a hot yoga room, so I opted for the slower, cooler, “chill” Yin yoga class. This was probably the first time I sat still and quiet enough to hear my thoughts and truly understand the despair, exhaustion and overall self-loathing I was carrying with me. For a while, I tried to ignore it, but as I went back to more Yin yoga classes, it became undeniable that I was going to have to make big changes. I got a therapist, stopped spending as much money and started the process of becoming a minimalist.
While I recovered from my eating disorder, left a corporate job, paid down debt, reduced how much stuff and things I purchased, I made a few more pivotal decisions. First, I turned to an ex-boyfriend that I knew was safe and trustworthy and got married. Second, I invested in the first (of many) Yoga Teacher Training and began to teach as much yoga as I possibly could while I maintained my personal yoga practice. Third, I continued to travel, as that was the only time I felt free.
It’s probably no surprise that the marriage I ran to in the middle of major life events while healing from burnout, imposter syndrome and eating disorders didn’t last. It is one of my biggest mistakes and biggest lessons. When I finally left my marriage to stand on my own two feet, it was the first of many big steps I made to take up space. Instead of shrinking and trying to fit into the model of success our society sells us, I began to define it on my own.
I choose to define success as working in industries that I feel passionate about and can help people, like teaching yoga. Success became my ability to be myself around the people I chose to spend time with and to enjoy the time I spend with them. It’s one of the reasons why travel made me feel free. It’s because I didn’t care about the opinions of the strangers I met (within reason). I was concerned how, I was perceived by the people I surrounded myself with because I didn’t feel “good enough,” but as I stepped into being more true to my desires and passions, I wasn’t concerned with others’ perceptions of me. The more I follow my passion and interests, the more like minded people I meet and those relationships are the most valuable to me. And now when I travel, I enjoy the trips I take more deeply because I can savor the food, the cultures and connecting with locals to gain new perspectives.
Teaching Yin Yoga Teacher Trainings has been my path for years. It was the practice that saved my life and continues to be the rock that keeps me balanced. It didn’t happen overnight. I’ve taught over 1,000 hours of yoga over nearly half a decade and half of that is probably Yin Yoga classes. Over the course of that time, I struggled with how to make money, to get clients and to do it all with integrity. If I used my old definition of success, I would have been “failing” the last few years. Yet, teaching Yin and sharing the practice with so many incredible humans is in line with my new definition of success. As I’ve gotten more skilled and knowledgeable teaching this practice, I’ve been able to share that knowledge with even more impact through teacher training and one-on-one coaching sessions.
Even before the pandemic, I had begun to slow my life down and create more balance. Practicing Yin Yoga on my mat gave me the clarity to continue taking steps to have even more balance off my mat. I began to carve away at other relationships that didn’t serve me so I could spend more time with the people who matter most. Instead of trying to fit in 500 appointments and happy hours, I began to take fewer so I could be home with my dog and my partner. I’m able to show up, fully and clearly, for clients, my personal relationships and myself. It’s what I try to help others do through my programs, without all of the trial and error that I had to go through.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t believe anyone has a smooth road in life. Each of us has our struggles. Mine, in the grand scheme of things, were challenging to me but not in comparison to others. So while I’m going to discuss mine, I want to be clear with how grateful I am to have had the privilege, resources and a support system to move through these struggles.
One of the biggest struggles has been de-conditioning my belief in the capitalistic system of “have money, be happy.” Yes, a reasonable amount of money is necessary to survive, but how much is debatable. I certainly didn’t need as many clothes and gadgets as I initially bought into. And certainly having money at the expense of working a job that feels soul sucking or out of integrity with your belief system is, at least for me, unacceptable. Additionally, the belief in the United States that we should be working “harder” and wear burnout or “busy” like a badge of honor, has been necessary but challenging to override. In the pursuit of being number 1, we have neglected things that matter. Examples of this are basic human rights like access to health care, mental health services and affordable housing. More privileged examples of this are being able to spend time with your partner or family, vacation days and maternity/paternity leave.
Building a Yin Yoga Teacher business has also been a challenge. It has been years in the making, to gain the experience needed, build credibility and to market my services. The hardest part of all of that is believing in myself that I am not only worthy of sharing that knowledge, but that I’m uniquely qualified given my experience and the unique methodology that I bring to my services.
The eating disorders and imposter syndrome I experienced have also been a challenge to overcome. I can happily say that, most days, I’m free of those experiences and all of the internal turmoil they cause. The combination of Yin yoga, therapy and pursuing interests like traveling, hiking and spending quality time with people (and pets) that allow me to enjoy my short time here on earth are largely why I believe I overcame them. Yet I also think that these were just symptoms of the larger belief in the capitalistic system. Or at least, in the American culture.
And last, like many others, I’ve faced the challenging of having to make ends meet financially. Not just when I finalized a divorce without any savings and had to find a job in a new city paying exorbitantly high rent. But also right out of college, because I was never taught how to manage personal finances. You would think someone who graduated business school would, but it’s a challenge when you add in student debt and the perceived “need” of certain things to be an “adult”. For example, a fully furnished apartment or full closet so you don’t re-wear an outfit. But this challenge has shined a light on what I deemed “necessary” to live and how to prioritize my limited resources.
We’d love to hear more about Yinimalist.
Yinimalist is the combination of Minimalism and Yin Yoga. I provide Yin Yoga classes and Yin Yoga Teacher Trainings to give clients tools to create more balance in their life. Using the practice of Yin Yoga to carve out time for themselves to rest and take care of their physical and mental health. While I encourage all of my clients to practice for an hour multiple times a week, I also know how difficult carving that time out is to “be still” when most of them having a to do list longer than their forearm. That’s why I teach clients and teachers how to sequence a 20-30 minute practice. It’s the minimalist version of the practice.
Realistically speaking, most of us are juggling a lot of different responsibilities. What I have found is that consistency in a practice is more important than long and involved practices, at least for the clients that have 40 hour a week jobs and families. So instead of making a yoga practice feel like a burden, I believe you can carve out time to do Yin in less than 30 minutes. This is contrary to many of the “traditional” Yin and other Yoga practices. There is an emphasis on practicing an hour or more daily. While that would be amazing for us all to do, I believe in looking at what is realistic. Change happens with small steps over time. When you create the consistency of a 20 minute practice a few times a week, you start to make other small changes that add up in the long run.
This approach has made Yin Yoga more accessible to many of my clients, who previously felt unable to make the time commitment to their mental well being. I’m very proud to have made Yin Yoga accessible, and even a bit of fun. I don’t believe that yoga has to be serious all the time and I bring that to the classes and trainings I teach. We do the things that make us feel good, and I teach in a way that reflects on that theory. That doesn’t mean the other ways are wrong, but that’s what makes my teaching different.
Yin Yoga is a fairly new term in the yoga world, however it’s a practice that is based on traditions from years ago. What makes me different from the other Yin teachers out in the world, is that I created a methodology to sequencing poses in the the practice that it previously lacked. I give a loose structure to a Yin class that is inclusive for all clients, whether you know their background or not. It’s effective and makes the practice more approachable to learn and to teach.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
There are many people who have supported me, and I have to first point out my mom and dad, who always encouraged me to do my best. My mom also was the reason I began practicing yoga, and I wouldn’t have turned to it so early in my life if it wasn’t for her. I heavily rely on the guidance and teachings of Bernie Clark and Sarah Powers, who are influential and knowledgeable teachers of Yin Yoga and cannot express how grateful I am of their work and knowledge.
Shelly Carroll, the owner and CEO of Dancing Dogs Yoga, has been my mentor and teacher for the last few years. Teaching at Dancing Dogs and learning from the other teachers at the studio is how I became as strong of a teacher as I am now. Finally, my partner Zach Thoren, has been instrumental in supporting me when things got hard and encouraged me to keep going. And it was our conversations and musings about minimalism, yoga and creating a balanced life we love to live with each other that gave me the idea to combine my Yin and Minimalism beliefs into a cohesive practice. And he definitely deserves credit with coming up with the name!
Pricing:
- 45 Minute Private Yin Yoga Session – $50
- 1 Hour Corporate Yoga Session – $150
- 1 Hour One-on-One Coaching Session – $100
- Yin Yoga Teacher Training (20 CEUs) – $500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Yinimalist.com
- Phone: 912-667-4641
- Email: yinimalist@gmail.com
- Instagram: @yinimalist
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexandraann21/
Image Credit:
Jon Waites, Leeann Ritch, Zachary Kadolph, Lindsey Narbeth
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