Jaimie Hale

1) I am here because it’s nice to spend time being present without thinking about the past or future.

2) 6 Things I can’t live without are my cowboy boots, sunshine, the ocean, friends, kids and good food.

3) My top 3 goals in life are: My goals at the moment are to get better at Spanish, make a beautiful quilt and to appreciate the here and now more.

4) Ask me about books, French, teaching, travelling, jokes, recipes, anything really, I love to chat.

5) I’m really good at relating to kids. I spend my days surrounded by little ones and teenagers and they make me pretty happy.

6) My all-time favorite book is In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje. I love reading though so there are tons of books that I love. I don’t watch too many movies but one of my favorites is Café de Flore…. Oh and I love Matilda too. As for food, I love it! I love spicy, colorful dishes with lots of flavor.

7) What is your most positive character trait? I am really optimistic, I have a lot of faith that things will turn out.

8) Describe your best experience in a yoga class: I love feeling really strong in a pose, and I love when I manage to do it with a smirk.

9) In theory I love birds and fish because they are so speedy and free but in reality, my favorite animals are dogs. I can’t wait to have one again.

10) I think the idea that we need to concentrate on ourselves and not compare ourselves to other people is so important in yoga. We’re all there for different reasons and getting different things out of our practice, so we can only do what feels right for us.

<3

Darhen Sing

I am here because: I was looking for a change. I felt lost - adrift amid things that used to bring me comfort and it scared me. I was looking for something to ground me again.

Six things I can't live without:
- My friends and family; they are one and the same.
- The ocean. I can’t imagine living away from it.
- Music.
- A good pair of walking shoes.
- Tea.
- My Journal.

Top three goals:
- To pursue the things that make me happy.
- To learn how to be comfortable in my own skin.
- To teach something worthwhile, and to never stop learning.

Ask me about: Where my last name comes from.

I'm really good at: Being optimistic. I always look for the good in things, no matter how nasty they might be. You can call me naïve, but I believe that there is beauty in everything - we only have to be aware of our surroundings and open minded enough to see it.

Most positive character trait: Loyalty. Determination. Trustworthiness... Though these traits have gotten me into trouble in the past.

Best yoga class experience: Does my best studio experience count? During one of my very first trade shifts, Brianna Richardson and I were in the Dharma room, and she was trying to teach me how to do a headstand. I fell over and smacked into the wall, and I laughed so hard that I couldn’t breathe. It had been a long time since I had laughed like that, and it released a knot of tension in my chest that had been there for ages. It was at that point that I knew I had come to the right place. When I left the studio that afternoon I had a huge smile on my face. Upon releasing all that tension, I opened up a long forgotten space. It was incredible! I’d been starved for air for so long that I didn‘t even know I was suffocating. I’d forgotten what a deep breath felt like and the openness I experienced that afternoon redefined my definition of freedom.

Favorite animal: Big dogs such as German Shepherds, Labs, Retrievers, Newfs, etc. (Little dogs are cute… but they aren't as awesome as big ones). They are incredible creatures. What could be better than coming home to a wiggling, wagging, wonderful dog?

Most important thing learned in class: To listen to my body. To remember I’m only human - I make mistakes and I must learn from them. To breathe deeply and allow myself to let go. To acknowledge that it is in fact okay to let go.

<3