Paula Huffman

Path: When I was a small child and probably, part fish, I would swim around in the pool with my legs in what I now know as lotus pose. There must have been something going on even then. As I grew older I was always curious about the yoga pictures I would see of people in India. Then when I lived in the mountains of NC in the early 70's, where I lived and worked as a Special Education teacher, I took my first yoga classes from a wonderful yoga teacher who taught very traditional yoga. From this, I began self study. During my pregnancy in the late 70's, I became very involved in my own yoga practice, using books to show me "pregnant lady poses". As time progressed, I later taught Prenatal Yoga in the 80's after Nursing School. As my yoga grew, so did my interest in working with pregnancy and childbirth and I began teaching Prenatal Yoga again. Along with this teaching experience, I found an incredible yoga teacher right here at our very own YMCA in Chapel Hill. He and those classes encouraged me and led me deeper into the experience of yoga. From him I learned safe yoga with great attention to alignment principles. I also learned just how fun yoga can be. To this day, I still do not know how I happened to receive an email from the NC School of Yoga announcing their first yoga teacher training. At the time there were no other programs available in our immediate area. I joined up for the training as soon as possible. I will never forget walking into the first day of training, looking around, as I put out my mat for the first time, thinking, "this is a dream come true!" From this training, coming full circle, I have progressed to teaching many types of classes in various settings and have been fortunate enough to participate in Prenatal Teacher training at the NC School of yoga where I was once a student myself. Inspiration: My students and their smiling faces! It is so gratifying for me to see those new to yoga, progress, and practiced students learning new ways of doing things. I have known some of my students for years, from the time they rolled out their first mat and now they are doing things they would never have believed possible for themselves. I am also inspired by the ways I realize yoga has changed my own life; physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and even socially as it has brought me many new friends. Favorites for Grounding: I love those first few moments on the mat at the beginning of class, breathing, just being there; shaking off the outside world. That is great to me. It is also very grounding for me when I work with students who have physical limitations throughout their daily lives, seeing their perseverance both on the mat and off. It is a wake up call for all the things I sometime take for granted. Off the mat, being outside with my hands in the dirt of the garden, being in the water at the beach, walking in the quiet snowy woods or just lying in the hot, baking sun all alone. Favorites for Kicking It: I don't really kick it on the mat anymore due to knee injuries. Off the mat, riding in a boat at the lake, and mostly dancing and singing to music..with or without a partner. Practice: I love going to workshops with advanced teachers for rejuvenation. Going to classes where I can be completely anonymous and just a student is something I also enjoy. (I have to go away to do this now). Practicing at home gets a little tough sometime but soon I will have my own home studio and expect my home practice to expand Intention: My intention for my students is number one, safety through proper alignment. Hopefully, through the yoga I offer my students, they can begin to identify with the feeling of surrender versus control, taking the concepts of yoga into everyday life. I would like for my students to take home the idea of "Enjoying the Ride," realizing it is not how far you go into a pose or how fast you get there, but what you do, what you feel on your way. As John Lennon once said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." The same could be said for Yoga. If you want to know all that Paula does around here go to Paula's Page for more info. Childbirth Education Alternatives, Prepared Childbirth Class Series Childbirth Classes . Mommy & Baby Postnatal Yoga Mid-week treat! Click here for more info and photos! The Birth Circle . Birth Circle Back to Home Page. Back to Bio Page Back to Schedule Page.