Yoga is as much about patience as it is about building strength and flexibility. If there's one yogini, teacher, dancer, and hard-core fitness studio owner who knows that much, it's Lesa Williams. Today on Alive in the Fire, I'm honored to bring you the story of Lesa's yoga journey. May she inspire you to stretch farther, leap higher, and smile brighter as she has inspired me :)

My Yoga Journey

by Lesa Williams

I began my Yoga journey at the age of 16. I remember it was a Saturday morning class and I completely fell asleep in class.

It wasn’t until age 18 when I fully connected with Bikram’s yoga. One of my close friends told me about it and how it changed her life, so of course I had to check it out. We both came from dance backgrounds so we were always looking for a practice that would take us to the next level.

It was after my initial class when I knew I would have Yoga in my life forever. One of the many things I truly love about Yoga is the fact that there is no competition.

There is no expected date to get your leg by your head. Everyone’s bodies are different and how an asana feels on you may be different on someone else and that’s okay.

After years of dance competitions, Yoga was another way for me to exercise without having to compare, judge or scrutinize. It was a place to clear my mind and not have to think about anything but my breath.

I went on to pursue my Yoga Teacher Certification at YogaWell under the tutelage of Kathy Lee Kappmeier. She was an amazing spirit and I channel her everytime I teach.

I received my Master’s degree in Physical Education from Azusa Pacific University where my thesis was based on “College Students’ Perceptions of Yoga Participation and Its Influence on Academic Success and Concentration." I deeply believe everyone can benefit from Yoga practice.

The lesson I enjoy teaching the most to my students is the fact that you do what you can, when you can. There is no finish line.

As long as you feel it and it feels good, you’re good.

Simply because someone can reach their foot to their face doesn’t necessarily translate to enlightenment. It’s impressive! However, that person isn’t more or less of a Yogi/Yogini than the person who is working on simply touching their toes.

I hope that my students leave my classroom feeling better, feeling like they had a chance to spend time on themselves so that they can return to the world to give that positive energy back to others.

Recently, I had a student (an older male who is overweight and walks with a cane) tell me that since taking my class (2 semesters now), his doctor has cut his blood pressure medication in half. That made my day!

Photos in this post courtesy of Lesa Williams and Mika Yoga Wear.

Students need to find out for themselves that Yoga is an amazing practice. It helps with so many things: stress relief, inflexibility, obesity, high blood pressure, migraines, alignment issues, asthma, menstrual pains, Autism, ADHD, depression, arthritis, osteoporosis…I truly believe that Yoga is an amazing practice for the mind, body, and spirit and should be done by everyone daily.

For more details on Lesa's yoga, dance and fitness, check out her studio website: MIX, in the San Diego area. Or follow Lesa on Twitter for inspiration and health tips, and "like" her studio's page on Facebook. For easy to follow tips on inspiration, health and success, check out Lesa's book, “Train Well, Dance Well, Live Well.” She's also got a library of great videos on YouTube, and she models for Mika Yoga Wear.

Thanks again, Lesa, for sharing your inspiring yoga story!

Want to tell your own yoga story? I'd love to share your thoughts and reflections from the mat with the Alive in the Fire audience. Email me at aliveinthefire at gmail dot com. Namaste.