Episode 20: Journey to Inner Peace: Unveiling the Power of Yoga

Welcome to The Mirror Project!

Welcome to The Mirror Project! We’re your hosts, Christine and Alexandra. We are thrilled to dive into a topic that brings balance and peace: yoga. Joining them is a special guest, Christine’s sister, Victoria (affectionately known as Torre). Torre's journey with yoga began as a quest for mindfulness and has since blossomed into a fulfilling practice as a yoga teacher. Tune in to hear about the pivotal moments that led her to the mat, the challenges she faced, and how yoga has guided her through life's transitions. Whether you're a seasoned yogi or simply curious about the practice, this episode offers valuable insights and inspiration. Grab your mat, take a deep breath, and join us as we explore the transformative power of yoga

Guest Introduction

Christine introduces her phenomenal little sister, Torre, who is not just a dedicated yogi but also an all-around athlete and avid learner. From gymnastics to rock climbing, and now a career in marketing, Torre's journey is as dynamic as her personality. She completed her 200-hour yoga certification during her senior year at USC and has been teaching yoga ever since. Her diverse interests range from rock music to Quentin Tarantino films. We're excited to have her share her insights and experiences with us today!

Stay Connected

Before we dive in, make sure to hit that like, subscribe, or follow button on your favorite listening platform. Let's make this journey together!

Victoria’s Yoga Journey

Torre dives into her initial discovery of yoga, recounting the personal quest that drew her to the mat. She reveals the type of yoga she practices and the inspiration behind her journey to become a certified instructor. With a captivating overview, Torre explores the diverse styles and approaches within the expansive yoga umbrella.

Transitioning with Yoga & Post-Graduation

Torre opens up about seamlessly integrating yoga into her life post-certification, including her experiences teaching while still in school and now balancing her practice with a full-time marketing job. She also shares her aspirations for the future of her yoga journey and contemplates whether she might return to teaching.

Engage with Us on Socials

Join us on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for more content and engagement!

Victoria’s Resources

Offering valuable insights, Torre navigates through the trendy fads to uncover the traditional and deeper practices of yoga. She delves into the rich roots of yoga and what it takes to complete a 200-hour certification. Torre provides practical advice for beginners attending in-person yoga classes and shares useful resources for those practicing at home, including tips on chair yoga.

Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, where Torre earned her 200 hour certification: https://kripalu.org

Closing Thoughts

We wrap up this inspiring episode with Torre’s journey from discovering yoga to becoming a certified instructor. Whether you're a seasoned yogi or just starting, yoga offers something for everyone. Torre’s insights into integrating yoga into daily life, understanding its roots, and finding useful resources were truly eye-opening. Join us next week as we dive into the world of dating—exploring the highs, the lows, and everything in between! Thank you for tuning in, and until next time, be curious and stay inspired!

Support Our Journey

Enjoying the show? Support us through our Buy Us a Coffee! Every contribution fuels our passion project. We're immensely grateful for your generosity.

Join Us Next Time  

As we close, don't forget to hit that like, subscribe, or follow button on your preferred platform. Keep the conversation going, and we'll catch you on the next episode!

Hello, and welcome to the mirror project.

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We're your hosts, Alexandra,

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Christine: and Christine,

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Alexandra: and we're so glad

you were joining us today.

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We are diving into a topic

that has the power to bring

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balance and peace to our lives.

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Yoga joining us as a very special guest,

Christine's sister, Victoria, her journey

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with yoga began as a personal quest for

mindfulness and has since blossomed into

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a fulfilling practice as a yoga teacher.

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We'll hear about pivotal moments

that led her to the mat and the

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challenges she faced along the way

and how yoga has been a guiding force

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through many transitions of life.

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Whether you're a seasoned yogi or

somebody who's curious about the

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practice, this episode will offer

valuable insights and inspiration.

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So grab your mat.

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Take a deep breath and join us as we

explore the transformative power of yoga.

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Let's get started.

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Christine: All right.

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I'm super excited because today

we have a very special guest

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joining us someone who's not just a

phenomenal yogi but also an absolute

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delight of a little sister Torre.

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She's the youngest in her family and

she's been living it up in Nashville

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since graduating from USC just last May.

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Torre's kicking off her career in the

world of marketing, but while she was

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still in school, she got her 200 hour

yoga certification and even taught

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yoga during her senior year of college.

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Talk about dedication.

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But wait, that's not all.

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Torre's an incredible athlete.

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She's done it all.

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Gymnastics, competitive cheerleading,

rock climbing, running a half

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marathon, hiking and kayaking.

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Seriously, if it's active and

adventurous, she's probably mastered it.

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When she's not busy being an athletic

powerhouse, Tori loves to curl up with

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a good book or challenge her mind with

the New York Times Connections game.

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She's also a huge fan of

rock music and her current

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playlist has a groovy 70s vibe.

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top of all of that, she's currently making

her way through the entire filmography of

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Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan.

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Seriously, when do you sleep?

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We're so glad to have her on the show

today to share her journey and insights.

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So without further ado, let's

give a warm welcome to Torre.

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Hi Torre.

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Welcome.

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Torre: Hello, thank you

so much for having me.

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I'm very excited to be

on the podcast today

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Christine: Yeah.

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We're so happy you're here.

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Alexandra: happy to, we're

so happy to have you here.

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It's the same line,

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Christine and I,

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Christine: Yes, exactly.

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We're just one brain.

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Before we delve into today's riveting

topic, make sure to hit that like,

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subscribe, or follow button on

your Preferred listening platform.

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Take a moment to do it now

before it slips your mind.

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Trust us, we're not getting

started without you.

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Let's make this journey together.

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Alexandra: all right.

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So before we dive in, is there

anything Christine didn't cover

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in her intro of you that you'd

like to share with the listeners?

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Christine: Oh, well, I'm sure I

have, I certainly have much I could

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share, but Tori, did I miss anything?

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Torre: No, is there

supposed to be something?

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Alexandra: No, that was just an option for

you if you wanted to share other things.

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In that very glowing review of you uh,

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Christine: that was a little too glowing.

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Torre: you, Christine.

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Everyone's gonna think I'm

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Christine: I know

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Torre: I'm not that cool.

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Christine: The real

stuff's going to come out.

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We have a siblings episode

coming out later this year.

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So that's when we'll have

both you and Nicole on.

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So the real thing's

going to come out then.

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Torre: be Nicole and I bickering.

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Christine: know it's going to be great.

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Everybody's going to laugh.

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It's going to be a good time.

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Torre: Alex, prepare yourself.

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Christine: have

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Alexandra: I'm already prepared.

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I'm

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excited

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Christine: knows she's

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Alexandra: I'm

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like,

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Christine: have to be the mediator

because I mean, when the three

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of us get going, look out.

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Alexandra: All right,

everyone to your corners.

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Quite literally the corners on the screen.

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All right, we'll get in.

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Okay.

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So Tori, how did you first find

yoga and what's your yoga story?

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Torre: Yeah, so, like how Christine

mentioned, I grew up doing gymnastics

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and cheerleading and dancing different

things in that and There was often

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yoga introduced in that environment,

whether to stretch, warm up the body

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or to kind of have a reset and take

care of the body because those are

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really hard in your joints, those

types of activities in those sports.

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So during middle school and high

school, had it here and there, it was

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sort of just, Oh, why not do a little

yoga class to feel good and feel a

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little bit more relaxed type of thing.

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Very casual.

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When I got into college, though, I was

searching for an outlet to work out in a

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way that kind of mimicked the activities

that I used to do when I was still in

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high school and a little bit younger.

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But that kind of fit my schedule when I

was going between classes and things like

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that, just to help me establish a routine.

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And My friend Lisa actually is her

name she introduced me to a hot yoga

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studio called studio fire and where

my college town was located and I

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was like, okay, we'll give it a go.

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We'll try it.

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I went with a couple of my sorority

sisters as like a little event type

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of thing to see how I would fare

doing it because this is my first time

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doing hot yoga as well and I ended

up really liking it, and it just,

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it was a way, I felt really, it

felt, heh, it felt really good to do.

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I felt like, When you do hot yoga, you

just sweat everything out of your body.

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So it was just a very good detox for me.

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And I got to really step back into the

yoga space, get more serious about it.

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Now, a lot of people will say,

Hot yoga is not true yoga.

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Agree 50 50 with that.

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There's certain um, classes that

you can take that are a little

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bit, stray a little bit away from

what the true yoga practice is.

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But I like to go and be involved

in the typical vinyasa flows

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to sit in a heated room.

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That's really what I did.

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And that became my routine.

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I would go four days out of the week.

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It helped my mental health a lot at the

time I was struggling just with like

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school personal stuff Relationships

changes that happen as you go through

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being in Your early 20s as a college

student Allowed me to have that little

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escape and I fell in love with it became

my sanctuary type of thing and I had

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this moment where I was saying if this

makes you feel this way, why don't

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you put yourself in a position where

you can give that to other people as

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well and help them through that way.

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So that's kind of a very rough overview,

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Alexandra: No, I love that.

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Torre: of my little journey, why

I decided to become an instructor.

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Yeah,

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Alexandra: Do you still,

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Oh, absolutely.

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I think that's a great journey.

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And I think that's very

relatable to a lot of people.

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Cause I remember being in high school and

where I grew up in Southern California,

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there was studio, I think it was yoga.

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Shakti, Shanti, one of the two it

was a really great studio and had

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a similar journey, like just the

transitions of life was super helpful.

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Would you say that hot yoga is still

what you're practicing today or

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have you kind of veered into other

avenues and different paths of yoga?

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Torre: Yeah, so I've explored both when

I got my certification, I was actually

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trained in a different style of yoga.

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We'll get into that

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in a little bit.

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But what I taught and what I

practiced during that experience

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was not in a hot room or an infrared

room is what they would say.

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So.

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50 50, I do really like to

go to some hot yoga classes.

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I think it's really good

to detox the body, reset.

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If you ever do a yin yoga class

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It is so, you just reborn.

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It's amazing.

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But I also do like to go with a

more traditional class as well.

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And a normal setting, a normal room.

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Where you're not heated and you can

really focus on just like the movement

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Like either room you're focusing on

the movement that your body is doing

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and the breath work and everything.

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One is just a lot less sweaty.

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And a little you feel like

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you're working out a little bit less It's

more of a meditative experience because

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you're not actively sweating to the

extent that you would in the other room

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Alexandra: Yeah.

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Torre: say 50 50 do both.

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I know a lot of people In the community

prefer one over the other There's

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a lot of debate on whether Like hot

yoga is traditional yoga different

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things like that At the end of the

day You're moving your body to the

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flow and movement of your breath

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Alexandra: I sometimes find that

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so hard.

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It's like I'll get off sync, right?

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You know, even in some, I've

recently started doing some yin

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yoga, which is super hard to stay.

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I mean, I love more traditional yoga.

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I know you talked about like the 50,

50 of not a super fan of bodybuilding.

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super fast movements and just

kind of rushing through poses.

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So even a traditional class, but the

yin yoga is kind of staying there.

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And I'm like, this is hard game.

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I mean, this is like the edge of pain.

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And I'm like, I didn't have

to stay here for longer.

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And so then the breath

just gets totally off.

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And I'm like, I don't know if I'm

supposed to read in out, hold it.

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Torre: yeah.

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Alexandra: so I know you mentioned kind

of wanting to give back that feeling

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to other, but was there a specific

moment or event that happened that

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you're like, This is where I want to

now become a certified instructor.

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And what was that process of

looking for that training?

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Torre: Yes, a specific moment I'm not

sure if it was one specific Moment where

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I was like, yes, like this is why I want

to do this It was more of just over time

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and accumulation of things Where I noticed

improvement in my mental health and my

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physical health as well Just an overwhelm.

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Oh, well and just an overall better

quality of life came from it And yeah I

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always want to do things that help people,

whether that's in my career, my hobbies,

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being around my friends and family.

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I want to be able to help them create

a positive experience in a welcoming,

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warm environment for everyone.

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Cause if you aren't doing that,

what are you doing with your life?

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You've got to make people happy.

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You've got to be happy yourself.

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So this was an opportunity where,

me being still a college student,

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I could do something like that.

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And also, step into a community

of people that are like minded.

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And, involve myself in that.

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So, what I ended up doing was, I got in

touch with My favorite yogi or my favorite

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instructor at that studio at the time.

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Her name was Logan She is amazing.

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I will give you guys her contact

and for her social information.

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You should follow her She is a very big

inspiration to me and Asked her how she

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got started in it what she would recommend

Different avenues in that realm and I also

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spoke with my Mom actually very odd how

this kind of came about, but mentioned

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I was looking to do something like this.

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She said, Oh, my mom is a

certified yoga instructor.

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You should talk to her.

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So I ended up speaking with her as well.

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And she was very honest about, okay, well,

what do you want your experience to be?

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And do you want it to be a little bit more

youthful more centered around a fitness

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experience or do you want it to be more

mindful, more spiritual, more meditative?

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And I was like, okay, well, I definitely

want to have a very strong knowledge

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of the practice and the health benefits

and I don't think I want to be so much.

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And the fitness industry side of it

more so just like the root is yoga?

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Where did it come from?

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How is it helpful to you?

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That just resonated with me a little

bit more I have friends that went

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the other route and they loved it and

they're fantastic instructors as well.

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I think Just that environment was also

going to be a little bit more feasible

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for me Because she recommended I

went through a center called Krupalu.

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They're based out of Massachusetts.

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So Western Massachusetts in the Berkshires

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still kind of coming back from COVID.

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They were offering their training online.

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It's like this is perfect

I'm still in school.

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I can't be dedicating Six hours a

day in one studio room for like I

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forget how long it was like 10 weeks.

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Maybe it was very long time.

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It's 200 hours

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Alexandra: being in South Carolina,

that would be a long trek up there.

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Torre: Yes, so all in all the roads

kind of pointed to that experience and

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It just made a lot of sense for me.

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I loved it.

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So going with Kripalu I learned Like the

origins of yoga health benefits of it.

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I learned a lot about the human body, the

anatomy, which was great to learn what to

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do when parts of your body are hurting.

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And you need to know that when you're

teaching and guiding people, if

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someone has a limitation, you have

to be able to work with them and know

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what to protect, how to protect them.

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And if someone's to come to you and

say, this is hurting me when I do this,

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you have to be able to know, okay.

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That must be your Like

certain ligament or whatever.

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I don't know.

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This is how to Change to still do it

but in a way that it works for your

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body and you always have to listen to

your body So that was really awesome

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I can't say you want to receive

that in another type of training but

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that was really my impactful for me.

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I'm glad that I had that base foundation.

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Going through Kupa Klu, I was taught

to lead haha, haha, yoga, but I learned

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and as a student, practiced Vinyasa.

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So those, I still like to practice both.

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Vinyasa is more of a cycle form

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So you.

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are adding on to the same cycle as you go.

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It's that's the best way to explain it.

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It's just you constantly doing motion

a flow over and over again But every

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time something is added into it and

then hatha is you Through the flow

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you're kind of working your way up

to what we would call a peak pose.

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So it would either be A balancing pose

or a pose that you would hold for an

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extended period of time to challenge the

mind and the body to stay focused on the

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breath and to not focus on the burning

sensation that you may feel when you're

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sitting in chair for a minute and a half.

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But to focus on what your

body is saying, releasing that

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tension almost, very powerful.

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And then also like coming down

from it and then to Shavasana,

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so That's kind of my journey.

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I'm grateful for that experience.

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I If I were to ever get certified

for my 500 hour or any other, type

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of Journeys within that realm, I

would definitely go back to Krupalu.

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Beautiful center.

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I think now they're all back on site.

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So their trainings are conducted there.

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But it's awesome.

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It was a really cool experience

too, especially doing it online.

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Because my, the people in my

cohort were from all over.

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Lot of them were from New England area.

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But, I had some people from Chicago,

I had someone that was in Costa Rica,

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people down in Florida and the Carolinas.

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Someone was a nomad, so

she was on a sailboat.

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They sold their house and all

of their belongings and they

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just would take people's boats

from one point to the other.

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Alexandra: That's pretty cool.

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Torre: And that she lived on a boat

and she practiced yoga on a boat.

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She

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Christine: Oh, wow.

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That's really cool.

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Alexandra: That almost makes me think

of I really enjoy paddleboarding.

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And when I was living in Southern

California, they would do, there

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was a lot of people who would

practice yoga on a paddleboard.

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And stuff.

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And I was like, I'd love to be

able to have that sense of balance

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to do this on top of something

that's floating on the water.

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So I can imagine sailing, you know,

kind of working with the, how the

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boat moves along with what you're

doing to your body is pretty cool.

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Christine: Yeah.

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I did have a question for the 500 hour.

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Would that mean you have

to do an additional 500 or

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would it add on to your 200?

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Torre: Yeah, it would

add on to your 200, so

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you would do I believe the

way that Kripalu did it they

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had two 75 hour classes.

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Or programs that you could do, so

you would do them separately, and

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then you would work your way to

getting the full 500 hours done.

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Christine: Oh,

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okay.

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Torre: at 200 hours, what most folks will

do, folks, well, what most yogis will do.

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Sorry.

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Christine: It's all good.

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Torre: My manager at work

always says folks, so.

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Christine: Shout out.

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Torre: hours, what.

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The 200 hours, what most Yogi's will

start with most Yogi's instructors

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will have that and then they'll go

back to get the 75 when they have

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time and then the following to get

the full 500 hour certification.

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And then.

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Alexandra: Is there anything beyond

the 500 hour certification or just

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the, like 200 hours and then 500 hours?

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Torre: I believe there is, but it

would more so be a specialization and

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certain types of yoga practices so

they could specialize and pediatric.

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Is that what you like working

with kids or working with adults?

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You can do different trainings there.

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At least that's what I know Kripalu

had, they had different offerings there.

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They will get into like different types

of yogas a little bit later, but they

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have one for like chair yoga where

you could get certified to teach that.

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And I want to say, yeah, just

like the different styles of

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yoga too, you can get trained in.

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And so, again Hatha

different things like that.

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Yeah, I would say the Vinyasa and

Hatha yoga are gonna be the main

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types of yoga practices that you will

learn and you're normal within the

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500 hour trainings, but then you can

go and get specialized in those other

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ones like Yeah, there's another one

that's escaping my mind at the moment.

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I'm sorry

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Christine: It's okay.

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Alexandra: was actually going to say, this

is a perfect segue into my next question

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for you, which is, can you briefly talk

about what's under the yoga yoga umbrella?

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Cause you talked about the, Yin and

the Vinyasa, but you also talked in

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more fitness focused and hot yoga.

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So what is all encompassing

under this umbrella from the

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spiritual mindful to the physical?

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Torre: Yes, there's so much.

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So, obviously, as I've spoken, there's

the different practices I said.

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Vinyasa, Yin, there's so many more.

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There's so many to the point that I

don't even know all of the practices

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that exist out there, which is

awesome because there's quite

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literally something for everyone.

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As I mentioned Vinyasa, again, that's

more of a cycle you build as you go.

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Hatha, you work your way up

to a peak pose and then come

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down to prepare for Shavasana.

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Yin Yoga is It's very, it's a very

slow moving focus just on deep

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stretching the body usually you're

just laying down the entire time, doing

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different poses to release tension

within the muscles and the joints.

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Christine: me up for that.

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Torre: yeah.

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But it's all to breath.

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Your main focus is always to focus

on your breath to allow those

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sensations to flow out of you.

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Then, and there's so much more to that.

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I, again, it expand, extends

from my mind and my experience.

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But that's where my realm has really

stayed for the past like, seven years.

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Again, of course, there is the more, Woo!

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Fitness!

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Work

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outside of yoga hot yoga can get,

Certain hot yoga classes can get very

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Fast paced Folk that some might have

a little like weights added into it.

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I know core power yoga.

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That's a very famous yoga Studio, they

have locations are all across the u.

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s.

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And they're more of a bar yoga mix

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Where they will incorporate weights and

bands and different exercises within a

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yoga flow there are at the studio that I

used to go to, they had classes like that.

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They also had hit exercises

and yoga incorporated into one,

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which is super interesting.

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You get your heart rate up and then you

bring it back down with a quick flow.

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That was a great workout.

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There's those types of things.

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That kind of then start getting

into the world of Bard classes and

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matt pilates classes and like they

incorporate yoga into some of those

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Experiences to release tension in the

body and stretch and everything which

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is great as you can see it's in a lot

of different types of forms of fitness.

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But then there's that world of it

where some people consider that yoga.

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Some people will say that's

not true yoga I'm indifferent.

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I think as long as you're moving your

body and you feel good who cares what

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it's called enjoy it But That's those

two sides of the umbrella and then Within

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yoga there you can Get creative with it.

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You can specialize it a little bit.

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So of course yoga for kids and yoga for

older elders, those are two different

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areas people can specialize in To

teach that there's I know I mentioned

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a little bit earlier chair yoga.

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So for people that can't really stand or

that can't be mobile too much if they're

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in a wheelchair or anything like that You

can still practice while sitting down.

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You can do it on a paddle board.

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My, the instructor that was

really influential for me, Logan

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she actually teaches yoga on

paddle boards in South Carolina.

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And it's really cool.

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I haven't had the chance to do

it yet, but it is awesome to be

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able to just Center yourself to

the point where you can do that.

411

Alexandra: Okay, I'll go to a

class if you go to a class, so

412

I'll go with you.

413

Christine: after you guys are done.

414

Torre: Perfect.

415

Alexandra: take a girl's

trip to South Carolina.

416

Torre: Yes, but with that it's

Again as you can see there's

417

so many different things.

418

It's so widespread now Which is amazing

because it just started out as one

419

Idea and one It's very the

core of it is very spiritual.

420

It's very meditative.

421

You are connecting within your

inner self to try and reach your

422

What's the word what's the word?

423

It's not Divine or anything.

424

It's like awareness that is almost

a separate from like reality

425

Alexandra: Almost a little

bit like enlightenment kind of

426

Torre: thank you.

427

Yes the goal of the original Or not

the original but like the original

428

The goal of the core of yoga and the

meditative practice there is to reach

429

that enlightenment Or enlightened state

if you will Which is super powerful to

430

just try and work towards to listen to

the body listen to what it's telling

431

you and to just Everything out all the

noise just like it's gone It's like

432

you are focused on you and yourself

and what is going on with internally.

433

And then everything else is

just around you, like you're

434

in your own little bubble.

435

Which is really awesome if you can get

to that point some yogis, I know they

436

Whenever they practice it's just them

and the mat and nothing else matters

437

They a storm could be going on around

them and they're just like solely like

438

in tuned with themselves Which is really

powerful so yeah that again that is

439

Christine: The umbrella

440

Alexandra: Yeah.

441

Torre: and then everything falls

442

Christine: and all the things underneath.

443

Torre: things.

444

Yeah.

445

Alexandra: Super helpful.

446

Torre: Yeah, but again like that idea

in that Definition that I just kind of

447

briefly explained is what I've focused

on and Learned a little bit more about

448

and during my training and I encourage

Yogi's whether you are doing a hot

449

yoga class versus a traditional yoga

class first chair Whatever to explore

450

that and see if that is something that

spikes interest in you because Who

451

doesn't love to have a little meditation

here and there to clear the mind?

452

That's where the mental

wellness really helped me

453

and was really impactful for me.

454

Christine: that's amazing.

455

I, it's so, so beautiful that you

brought all that up because I've also

456

over the years of learned I think

there's a misconception when it comes

457

to meditation that you're supposed to

458

Block everything out.

459

Right.

460

And when things pop up to at least for

me, I was given this wrong definition

461

that when you're meditating, try and clear

your mind and not think about anything.

462

And when things pop up,

like push that away, but

463

that's Actually your, your

464

mind telling you like, Oh, this is

coming up and it, and you should.

465

Listen to or follow that thought for a

moment and why and dig deeper as to why

466

is this coming up in this point in time,

because I think a lot of people don't I'm

467

easily distracted by the noises like of

the world and It's really easy to lose

468

that connection with your inner self.

469

And I don't know if I truly have

a good relationship with my inner

470

beings or inner thought, because

sometimes that's kind of scary.

471

You don't know what's going to come up.

472

Alexandra: Well, Tori, correct me if

I'm wrong, but it's more like Meditation

473

and yoga is a practice and somebody who

struggles with perfectionism feeling

474

like I need to be perfect at it.

475

Christine said, like when I first

tried meditation, I was like, my

476

mind has to be entirely blank.

477

But that practice has evolved.

478

Is there anything that you would tell

people who have never done yoga before?

479

What to expect if they go

into a yoga class, you know?

480

Torre: What do expect?

481

Honestly, depending on what

type of yoga class they're going

482

into, that might change slightly.

483

I think just overall.

484

I would just say expect to Or not

expect but while you're going into

485

that experience try and listen

to your body Listen to what it's

486

telling you as something If you are

like asked to do emotion that your

487

body's I don't know about that.

488

Don't do it Modify it for you.

489

Listen to that signal if you are in

shavasana and Your mind is really

490

busy Acknowledge those thoughts.

491

Listen to what is being told to you.

492

And then in that moment, just tell

yourself, I'll get back to you in a minute

493

or five minutes from now type of thing.

494

Just be gentle with yourself.

495

Be kind to yourself while going

into those experiences because

496

yoga is not one size fits all.

497

It is different for everyone, no

matter who you are, what level

498

you're at in your practice.

499

It's.

500

Again, I've said it earlier

in this conversation.

501

It is putting movement to breath.

502

Expect to do that.

503

That is, it's so, it doesn't

matter if you're not flexible.

504

It doesn't matter if you

can't touch your toes.

505

Who cares?

506

You're there.

507

You showed up for yourself.

508

That's awesome.

509

You should be proud of that.

510

Listen to your body.

511

Inhale, exhale, do,

listen to your instructor.

512

They are there to guide you through it.

513

They're not there to teach you.

514

Well, of course they're

there to teach you.

515

Of course but essentially they're

kind of just a guide through the

516

experience and they've picked you

up and then they drop you off.

517

One thing kind of to the point I wanted

to mention when Christine was talking

518

about Your mind being busy when thoughts

come up during the practice too, and

519

you want to like, push them away.

520

one Of my teachers, when I was

getting my training, would always

521

say, If thoughts arise during this

experience, that is okay, just observe

522

them like they're passing clouds.

523

So, while they are there, just watch them.

524

You don't have to entertain

or worry about them.

525

They are just a little cloud in the

sky, and it moves on its way eventually.

526

And once you

527

have that perspective of it, you

realize that your body can let

528

go of those things a lot easier.

529

Because I'm the type of person when I

focus on something, I don't let go of it.

530

Alexandra: Right.

531

Torre: So if the thought comes up

532

Christine: feel like

that's a Borowsky trait.

533

Torre: Yeah, I'm not gonna be able to

let go of it But if you just attach

534

yourself from the thought It is that's

my piece of advice to like kind of help

535

Christine: Yeah, that's really beautiful.

536

It gives you back the power

in that moment, right?

537

I'm not going to let

this thought control me.

538

I'm going to acknowledge

that it showed up.

539

Maybe I'll revisit at another time.

540

But like you said, you

don't have to engage.

541

I think that's such like a, just a

great mental shift that I'm going

542

to remember from this point on.

543

Alexandra: I think it's also because

I've been also working on that as well.

544

I mean, the therapy, but just on

my own practice kind of getting

545

so attached to certain thoughts

and that they may mean something.

546

And sometimes it's just a passing thought.

547

So I wonder if that objectivity

is a little bit that helps you

548

kind of get to that enlightened

state you were talking about.

549

And you know, I think for me, it's

just, I have to keep practicing

550

because sometimes I'm like, it's easy.

551

Right?

552

Oh, okay.

553

Just passing clouds.

554

The next time it's like, Nope, have

to follow that train wherever it goes.

555

Torre: Yeah again, it's it's What

I really like about yoga too is

556

it's a constant practice of it.

557

You can become a teacher and then a

few years later you can become just a

558

student again for the next couple years.

559

And then you can become a teacher

again and it is a very evolving You're

560

never stepping back or, I guess, It

could be moving forward to an extent.

561

I feel like we're always

moving forward in things.

562

As we just learn more, you're

always growing as a person.

563

But you're never stepping back

when it comes to yoga because

564

you're listening to yourself.

565

Maybe I need to focus on

this area of my practice.

566

Or focus on being kinder to my body if

certain things come up in other areas.

567

Areas of life different

stuff things like that.

568

It is It's not surprising, but it is a

very go with the flow easy chill Thing

569

to do and a thing to be part of your

life there's no pressure with it at all.

570

Why whenever someone says to me,

Oh, I'm scared to try yoga, I'm

571

not flexible, or I'm scared that

I'm not going to be good at it.

572

It doesn't matter if you're

good or if you're bad, if you're

573

inflexible or not It's your journey.

574

Alexandra: I feel like

that makes it so much more

575

Because, you know, I see you, you see

pictures of people who've been practicing

576

yoga for a very long time and have.

577

Earned and built up that flexibility and

can do the really intense inversions.

578

That looks so cool.

579

And then I remember as a newbie, I was

like, I will never be able to do that.

580

And it was very hard to approach it

going, I'm not, I won't, I can't do that.

581

So it's very nice to hear

that expected to, and that

582

Where you are is like,

that's your practice,

583

you know?

584

So that's cool.

585

Hopefully listeners who are

interested in trying yoga and

586

have not now feel like they can.

587

Christine: Yeah, I hope so, too.

588

exactly.

589

Alexandra: craving more of our company.

590

Join the fun over on YouTube at near

project pod, dive deeper into our world,

591

engage with us on a whole new level.

592

Don't miss out on the excitement

593

Christine: All right.

594

Well, why don't we transition a

little bit and maybe talk a little

595

bit about how yoga has been a part

of your life post certification?

596

Because I know you were teaching

while you were a senior in college.

597

So just talk about that.

598

How did,

599

how did you Once you got certified,

how did your life change or

600

what would you like to share?

601

Torre: Yeah, so I got certified The

fall of my junior year in college

602

and I started teaching in the winter

and Then I kind of taught for a

603

year from the winter to winter.

604

I took a break after the Like for this

spring, half of my senior year, I stopped

605

teaching just because work and internships

and I preparing to move and everything.

606

But that was a great experience.

607

It was fun to meet the, some people

in the community in my local area.

608

They got to know me chat with

other Yogi's here and there.

609

I definitely moving forward when

I do get more back into teaching

610

again, would like to involve myself

in the community a little bit more.

611

It was just a very busy time for

me, I couldn't dedicate as much as

612

I wanted, but that's okay because

613

Christine: Yeah.

614

Yeah.

615

Torre: I was able to contribute what I

could and I understood that my, in my

616

The owner of the studio understood that

as well, and they were understanding.

617

Christine: I mean, it's impressive that

you were doing that even for senior year

618

as a Hectic year for college students.

619

So the fact that you did that for

half of your senior years, amazing.

620

And I'm a little proud.

621

I'm a proud sister.

622

Torre: Thanks, Dean.

623

I appreciate that.

624

But yeah so, That was that piece

of me teaching, and since then, I

625

obviously have moved to Nashville.

626

Christine: Yeah.

627

So, so you were saying you've taken,

you've stepped back after graduation,

628

you moved out to Nashville, you've

started putting down roots there,

629

found a really good friend group.

630

Start your career.

631

So what role does yoga play in your

life now that you're working full time

632

and in a different field completely,

like I mentioned at the start, you're

633

starting your career in marketing.

634

So how does yoga fit

into your busy life now?

635

Torre: Yeah, so, it's definitely more

of a when I really need to get in

636

touch with myself again type of thing.

637

And to release tension from the body

with the other forms of physical

638

activity that I have in my life.

639

So, I ran a half marathon.

640

This past year and I'm very much

into lifting weights now to like just

641

strengthen my body a little bit more

Because then with that when you're

642

stronger you can do more things But

using yoga to help center myself keep

643

my body keep the movement flowing tune

with how I'm feeling So it's sort of

644

just like an aid to the other areas of

my life and a little escape when I get a

645

little bit too stressed out and need to

detach from the world around me for an

646

hour or so just to come back into myself

and remember why I started yoga all so

647

Christine: That's beautiful.

648

So it's very much like for you right now,

like you were mentioning earlier, there's

649

phases in life that people go through

once they do achieve a certification,

650

like they'll teach for a bit, but, and

when you were saying like, it's not

651

a step back, I kind of imagined it.

652

It's like not a linear journey.

653

It's very much there's branches and

they might come back to the center

654

where you started, but or they'll go

off completely in a different direction.

655

So I think that's just a really beautiful

way to look at it, because at least

656

for me, I think I can sometimes get

caught up in the linear fashion of

657

life supposed to be like 1 line from

point point Z, but The real beauty of

658

it is the fact that it isn't linear.

659

So I think that's really beautiful

to see how yoga practice can reflect

660

that and remind people of that.

661

Alexandra: I think that's such a fallacy

that we've sold ourselves, right?

662

Like life is, like you get from point A

to point B by striving this straight line.

663

And it's no rare, rarely is it that way,

or at least I'm learning that hard lesson.

664

But, that's really cool.

665

That is it's, it's very cyclical.

666

It seems like in terms of if you think

about people's health or mental health,

667

it's very much you move forward.

668

And like you, you don't think you're

moving forward because you feel like

669

you're taking 10 steps backwards, but

it's really just like that moment of.

670

the next round, so that's pretty cool.

671

Would you say that if somebody wanted

to deepen their practice of yoga, that

672

it would be worth pursuing the 200 hour

certification for their own pursuit

673

and their practice, even if they don't

674

want to teach.

675

Torre: Yeah, I within my cohort,

there was a handful of people

676

that were just there because they

wanted to deepen their practice

677

and Get more involved in that

experience for themselves And a lot

678

of people do that as well a lot.

679

I've known I've heard stories.

680

I haven't known them personally of

people that Didn't have any background

681

really in yoga, but got the certification

just to learn about it and they were

682

fitness instructor in different areas.

683

I think they focused with like

martial arts or something like that

684

and they got certified in yoga to

understand it better and to become

685

more just knowledgeable in that area.

686

So like it's not just to become

an instructor to get certified.

687

It's like anything.

688

You want to learn how

to knit or cook or code.

689

Develop websites and things like that.

690

You take classes and educate

yourself on how to do that.

691

This can be seen in that way as well.

692

And you get to learn how to guide people

through it, but you are also learning

693

how to guide yourself through it.

694

Christine: Very cool.

695

Torre: Obviously.

696

Christine: All right.

697

Well, before we move on to our

next topic, why don't can you share

698

with us what future hopes you have

when it comes to yoga and would you

699

ever become an instructor again?

700

I think you mentioned

that you'd like to, but

701

Torre: Yes, definitely would like to

down the line, I think, especially being

702

here and being so new to this area,

living in Nashville wanting to learn a

703

little bit more about the yoga community

and becoming more involved in that and

704

then potentially becoming an instructor

within that community down the line.

705

But for right now, I think i'm gonna

continue focusing on myself for a little

706

bit just so what I do feel like i'm

not as much in the time of transition

707

But in a time of this is my new home

Can kind of lean into that space

708

a lot more than what i'm currently

doing Which will be exciting Thanks

709

Alexandra: So why don't we

jump into our last section or a

710

group of questions for you tour?

711

So I know we've talked about

practice and for mental health

712

and finding that inner core.

713

If somebody doesn't have a whole lot

of time to go to a one hour yoga class

714

and the transport time to get there

and home every week, what are some

715

resources or things that you could

recommend to people to do to start

716

building that practice daily or weekly?

717

Torre: Yeah, it's super simple, but

YouTube is a great way to do that.

718

It's there's different classes from

beginner to advanced 15 minutes to

719

like an hour long practice, like flows

720

on that site, which is great.

721

Thank you too much, so much to the

Yugi's that put those out there.

722

I think my recommendation would be to

try what's best for you, what intrigues

723

you the most, what resonates with you.

724

Usually the yogi will give a brief

background in their bio of what they've

725

done, their experience, and if they

specialize in something as well.

726

I think a great way to like kind

of lean into it is if you have,

727

if you can, add like 30 minutes to

your morning or even 15 minutes.

728

Starting out with a quick sunrise

flow would be a really great way

729

And start your day on

a little positive note.

730

Christine: Yeah.

731

Torre: night right before

732

Christine: need to get back into that.

733

I used to do that.

734

I need to get back into it.

735

Torre: It doesn't have to be like a whole

Okay, gonna set aside an hour to do this.

736

It can be as simple as a morning stretch

or Just relaxing the body before you go

737

to bed Like there's yoga flows that you

can do in your bed as you're like getting

738

ready to go to bed like go to sleep

739

Alexandra: Oh,

740

Torre: So I definitely encourage

whatever you think would fit best

741

within your routine To just Do a

quick search in YouTube what pops up

742

and I encourage you to follow Whoever

resonates with you that on their socials

743

Because that way you can get even

more involved and if you're inspired

744

by something explore that curiosity

745

Because you never know what

that may lead to down the line.

746

It's like how it kind of led me

down a certain path, you know

747

Alexandra: Very cool.

748

That definitely makes it so much

more approachable and you're like,

749

okay, I can start somewhere that I

don't have to feel bad if I can't

750

get to a yoga class during the week.

751

Okay.

752

And you've mentioned it a few times

throughout our conversation, but chair

753

yoga, are You choose to specialize

in or you're going to specialize in

754

or, you know, what is the benefit

of chair yoga over some other ones?

755

Torre: I don't know if

I will specialize in it.

756

If I do, it might be at when I'm older.

757

But I mean, I guess the benefits of it is

just it gives people the opportunity to

758

do something where maybe they felt like

they have like they couldn't do it before

759

it really expands the accessibility To

a whole nother community of people that

760

Maybe can't get to a yoga studio or I feel

like they don't have the mobility for it

761

To still allow to have that experience

in that movement It's really powerful

762

I think being able to adapt and have

such a Well known and meditative, but

763

also like fitness experience and world

Just reach every type of audience that

764

you can think of it's really awesome

and I think chair yoga does a great way

765

of opening another yeah another door

that a Community of people can access.

766

It's again making yoga For

everyone no matter who you are

767

Yeah, yes, I don't know too much

about you chair yoga like what you do

768

Personally, I know that my instructors

at Krupalu, one of them had a

769

specialization in it which was really

cool to hear about their experience.

770

And again, like their reason for

doing that was just to be able

771

to teach yoga to more people.

772

But yeah,

773

Christine: Yeah, very nice.

774

Alexandra: Is there anything that

we haven't asked you, but you are

775

dying to share or want to share?

776

Torre: I think I kind of rambled

a lot, so I don't think I have

777

anything else that I could share.

778

Christine: Well,

779

Torre: it was

780

Christine: Yeah, no, it was awesome.

781

Thank you so much tour

for the for talking to us.

782

And what we can do is in our show

notes include all the resources

783

that you mentioned where you

got your certification who that

784

um,

785

instructor who, you know, sort

of changed your whole life.

786

life here.

787

When it comes to yoga, we can

include her handle and any other

788

resources you want to share.

789

I think I have one thing that I

can't believe we've neglected to talk

790

about, but in terms of the trendy or

the fads of yoga, and I know you've

791

experienced this Tori, but can we just

take a moment to talk about goat yoga?

792

Torre: Yes.

793

I, okay,

794

Christine: are your thoughts?

795

Torre: sorry, goat yoga is not yoga.

796

Goat yoga is seeing cute

little goats play with you.

797

And you get to do yoga

poses, but it's not a flow.

798

You're not like, You're not adding

movement to breath with that

799

Um, you're just doing yoga poses and

goats are climbing on top of you.

800

I've done goat yoga Here in

nashville highly recommend.

801

They're very cute.

802

They do poop on you

803

Christine: So just

804

beware!

805

Alexandra: maybe don't wear

806

your cutest yoga outfit.

807

Torre: If you do go to goat yoga

wear a sweatshirt Wear a sweatshirt,

808

because The hooves will cut you,

809

and that will hurt.

810

I wore a sweatshirt when

I went, and I was okay.

811

I didn't get any pain from it.

812

But I have some pretty funny

photos, so I'll share that with you

813

Christine: Yeah, we should

we would love that, yeah.

814

If you're cool with it, maybe

we'll even post it on our socials.

815

Torre: Goat yoga!

816

No, but it is fun.

817

If you ever want to do something

different, go with a friend.

818

I would say maybe start with puppy yoga.

819

Christine: Oh,

820

Alexandra: I've seen some pictures of

that recently where like a puppy was

821

like sweetly sleeping on somebody.

822

I'm like, oh, I don't think

my dog will ever do that.

823

That was so cute.

824

Christine: Oh, that's awesome.

825

I would be down for puppy yoga.

826

I think I'm good on the goat yoga

front, but Sign me up for puppy yoga.

827

Alexandra: As long as

there's no snake yoga.

828

Torre: No.

829

Alexandra: I'm okay.

830

I'm okay.

831

Or

832

spiders.

833

Torre: I've, I think I've

only seen puppy and goat.

834

But.

835

Have not done puppy yoga.

836

But I feel like it would be fun.

837

Christine: And who knows?

838

I mean, they're always

creating some new crazy things.

839

So it'll be interesting to see

what comes up in the future

840

that has yoga attached to it.

841

But yeah, all righty.

842

Anything else,

843

Alexandra: running through all the animals

that you could have put with yogurt.

844

I'm like, Oh, horses, pigs, teacup pigs.

845

It's it's going to

846

Torre: Honestly, I think that exists.

847

Alexandra: Oh, okay

848

Torre: It might.

849

It might.

850

Honestly, again, every type of yoga

you could ever imagine exists probably.

851

Which is awesome.

852

I love that people can take it and

adapt it and get creative with it.

853

I think that's really cool.

854

You just find what works

for you and what you like.

855

Christine: All right, cool.

856

Torre: So,

857

Christine: Okay, cool.

858

Well, that's a wrap on today's

episode about finding yoga with

859

our amazing guest, my sister Tori.

860

We hope Tori's journey from

discovering yoga to becoming a

861

certified instructor has inspired

you to explore your own yoga path.

862

Whether you're a seasoned yogi

or just curious about starting,

863

remember that yoga offers something

for everyone, from traditional

864

practices to modern adaptations.

865

Tori has shared some invaluable

insights on integrating yoga into

866

daily life, even with a full time job,

and gave us a glimpse into her future

867

hopes for continuing her practice.

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Her tips on stripping back the trends to

get to the heart of yoga, understanding

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its roots, and finding resources for

both beginners and seasoned practitioners

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alike were truly eye opening.

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We hope you enjoyed learning

about the depth and breadth

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of yoga as much as we did.

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Next week, we're getting ready for a

completely different kind of journey

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as we dive into all things dating.

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We'll be exploring the highs and

lows and everything in between,

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so you won't want to miss it.

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Thanks for tuning in, and until next

time, be curious and stay inspired.

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Alexandra: Are you enjoying the

banter and insights we're serving up?

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If so, consider tossing some support our

way through our buy us a coffee page.

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Every bit helps in fueling

this passion project of ours.

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Find the link in our show

notes and visit our link tree.

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We are immensely grateful

for your generosity.

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As we wrap up, remember to hit

that like subscribe or follow

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button on your preferred platform.

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Until next time, let's keep the

conversations going and we'll

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catch you on the next episode.