Hello all! Welcome to Rise and Vibe Yoga! So glad you’ve come to visit, as I believe this space right here will change your life! Well, it changed mine.
I’m Stephanie Smith and I’m a Rise and Vibe YTT graduate and yoga teacher living in Cabarete, Dominican Republic. I've been teaching yoga for about a year, but I practiced yoga for 15 years before finally becoming a teacher. I knew YTT could be transformative, but training with Chrissy, who is an amazing yoga guru and who I would describe as walking sunshine, was particularly special.
I'm going to be sharing some of my thoughts on yoga philosophy over the next few months here on the Rise and Vibe blog, but first, I wanted to share why I became a yoga teacher. It has a lot to do with my daughter, Quorra.
After 20 years of living in New York City, my husband and I moved to the Dominican Republic in January 2019. We were tired of brutal East Coast winters and wanted to spend more time outside in warmer temperatures. I was up for the move, but underestimated what a big change it would mean for me. For the first time in my adult life, I would not have a regular 9-to-5 job to both keep me busy during the day and align my identity to. Instead, I would be a stay at home mom in an unfamiliar town where I didn’t speak the language. But I didn’t let that deter me--I said goodbye to my friends and family, to high heels and power suits and to 24-hour Seamless delivery to move to the island.
The first few months, I felt lonely, nervous and had anxiety over adjusting to my new surroundings. I went to a few yoga classes where I found some refuge from my frustrations, and jokingly thought of becoming a yoga teacher if only to help me feel more chill throughout my days. But off the yoga mat, I felt lonely, unsure of my surroundings and unhappy. None of this made me a great role model for my daughter.
During my funk, I remember one dinner we had as a family. Quorra sat in her high chair, my husband on the other side of me. I felt unbearable sadness, it was like my heart was breaking in my chest. I could barely hold my head up, but when I did, I got a glance of my daughter looking at me with her almond shaped, hazel eyes. She looked sad, too. Then, she slowly looked back at her food, her head hanging heavy. It was at that moment that I knew I had to make a change. I could not let my daughter see me in this state or feel that sort of sadness in her home.
I blurted it out almost immediately, “I’m going to yoga teacher training.”
My husband immediately answered, “I think you should. I’ll do whatever it takes to support you.”
Just a few weeks later, Chrissy was scheduled to host a 200 hr YTT at The Yoga Loft at Extreme Hotel in Cabarete. We quickly arranged to meet, and after one conversation with her I felt better. Chrissy has a way of changing the energy in a room for the better, no matter how harried you might be feeling. I signed up for the training, taking what I felt was a proactive move to bring calm and control to my anxieties.
For three weeks, I woke up at 5:30 and hopped on a guagua, or the DR’s version of a public bus, to get to training by 7 am. I was gone for 12 hours a day and only saw my daughter long enough to kiss her goodnight. Each day that passed, I felt happier, like the fog around myself was lifting. I spoke softer, I felt lighter, I smiled, and felt more hopeful.
Once I graduated YTT, I started teaching classes at The Yoga Loft. I also practiced yoga with Quorra at home, and she quickly mimicked my downward dogs and plank poses. My heart melted when she smiled and said namaste and brought her hands to prayer at her heart center. I felt like I was influencing her for the better, to being a more mindful, calm child. And I was a more calm and mindful mother for Quorra--I was less reactive to stressful situations such as when she had tantrums, and I had more patience and forgiveness towards her.
Teaching yoga to others has given me purpose in my new home and given me an outlet to be helpful to others. And I’ve experienced such joy teaching yoga to Quorra, I earned a certification to teach kids yoga and started teaching kids yoga classes here in Cabarete. I also produced a yoga coloring book for the holidays, Reindeer Yoga, and am working on my own kids yoga curriculum with Chrissy, and a line of books, games and other merchandise to help little ones have fun with yoga.
I love teaching yoga, and I love learning more about the practice each day. Over the next few months I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the principles of yoga and how you can apply them to your life. I’ll also share other fun things Chrissy and I are up to, from learning to kite surf to other adventures around DR. Visit us here and keep in touch, and if you haven’t already, come on down to the DR and visit us!
Stephanie Smith is an author, editor, illustrator and 200 HR YTT graduate of Rise and Vibe Yoga. She is currently teaching yoga at Natura Cabana in Cabarete, Dominican Republic. Her yoga schedule, products and other musings can be found at Salt Sand Yoga.