~Testimonials~

"I started my practice looking for improved flexibility, balance and strength.

On the way, I discovered mental challenge, a stonger sense of self and purpose, peace, and community.

Now, when I go to my mat, I am filled with anticipation, wondering what I'll find next.

Namaste to the teachers and staff at Y4E who are helping me on my way."
Stephen Tague

"When I practice Yoga, this Zen story I read as a child back in China always comes to me, and I cannot stop smiling. It can be roughly translated as the following, and hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I do:

A man was chased by a tiger to a cliff. Right before the tiger reached him, he found a vein to climb down. However, half way through, he saw another tiger waiting at the bottom of the cliff. He looked up, the first tiger was waiting at the top of the cliff. Meanwhile, a mouse was chewing on the vein he hold onto with his dear life. The man looked around desperately for a way to escape. All of sudden, he noticed that there was this little strawberry bush growing out of the cracks of the cliff, and there was this one vividly red, fresh and lovely strawberry. He reached out, took the strawberry, put it in his mouth, and thought to himself:
"What a delicious taste!"

I know it's probably far-out. However, despite of any hectics in life, I guess Yoga is always that strawberry to me."
Yan Luo

"6 years after taking my first yoga class when Y4E opened its doors, the practice has become an important component of my life.  I consider myself blessed to be a participant in this studio and its community and have no doubt that I will be a lifelong student of yoga." -Ben Baker, Architect

As with most people today, I am busy with work, kids and taking care of a home. Sometimes just getting to the studio is a challenge, but when I roll out my mat I know the next hour or so is all about breathing and being present. Practicing yoga gives me the peace, strength and clarity of mind to get through my otherwise chaotic life.
Anida Romano

Michelle Brunet's Yoga story...
There are many, many benefits and blessings that we gain from our yoga practice. One of the greatest benefits I realized was the connection to my overall health and wellbeing. I have not always lived with an awareness of a healthy lifestyle. Always a bit overweight as a child, teen and young adult, I had thought of food as both a reward and a punishment. It was something I believed helped fill a need and distracted me from looking at what was really going on in my life. Food is an area of my life that challenges me daily.
I hit bottom in my mid-twenties. I was newly married, living just outside New Orleans, Louisiana (one of the food capitals of the world, go figure!) and was very confused about the direction of my life. I turned to food with a vengeance, using it to dull the pain, fill in the gaps and ignore the real issues. It all started with me eating my way through the Halloween candy I bought to hand out, it continued through the holidays and ended in January with me eating a half gallon of ice cream and half of a layer cake, over a few day period. During the holidays I had a house full of people and activity, something that kept me distracted. Within a day or two everybody left and I went to being totally by myself, something a bit depressing. My wake up call was the day my stepson walked in and found me standing at the kitchen counter with that cake and ice cream and said, "Wow, you must be really hungry". The light bulb went on, my dark private world was lit up and exposed and for the first time I saw it for what it was. His comment (from the mouth of a teenager was made very innocently) was my wake up call and I was determined not to go back to sleep again!!! At just shy of 180 pounds I started Weight Watchers, and lost quiet a bit of weight. Then I joined a gym and incorporated fitness classes. When we moved to New Jersey I added weight training and cardio to my routine. It was there that I was introduced to yoga. When the first yoga studio opened in my area I took class at the urging of a friend. I had no idea what yoga was about but I knew after that first class that it felt good and it brought me into my body in a way nothing else did. There was an intangible shift within me that I had no explanation for it. I notice that I felt more grounded and much more peaceful. Suddenly I stopped following others and had a very clear vision of what I wanted for myself, what I wanted my life to be. Within those realizations was my desire to be healthy. My relationship with food began to shift and change in a positive way.
Over the years I have continued to struggle, my path has not been free of pitfalls, but I have found that the positive shift within me has allowed me a new view, given me news eyes to see and more tools to deal with life's pitfalls ... and yes, even cake and ice cream.

Rachel began her yoga journey at Marleen's Yoga Center and started practicing at Yoga for Everybody when Janis and Marleen merged in 2005.

Rachel has been doing Seva work at the studio for over a year now, and has become an invaluable member of Y4E. She is always willing to lend a helping hand painting the studio, designing our store layout, cleaning on a weekly basis the list goes on! She is also the artist of the drawing of a woman in pigeon pose that hangs in the store over our free box. Rachel's husband Greg and son G also attend classes at Y4E. Rachel just completed a huge career change and has become an art teacher in the Bridgeport public school system.
Read Rachel's story:
For me, yoga has been a journey. Somewhere along the way, I'm not sure where; it changed me. At first yoga was all about the physical, the workout; what I could do for my body. At some point, the personal benefits to my mental health became evident. Still, then my yoga practice was about me alone. Then, somewhere down the road, there was a shift inside me. My yoga came "off the mat and into the
world." I started to see all of my actions and how they affected the people and earth around me. I began to breathe instead of cursing at the bad driver. I made the extra effort to help out a stranger at the grocery store. I now make a conscious effort to try and "do the right thing." Not that I always choose wisely, but I am trying. Today my practice is still evolving. I still love the physical aspect, the connection of my mind to my body is absolutely evident, and the union to the greater world has been a gift.
With love and gratitude to my teachers:
Erica (Tetro), who showed me the wings that are my practice
Carolyn (Fahey) who "lined me up"and brought me to the runway
and
Lauren (Lanham), who taught me I can fly
~Rachel Rockwell
Rachel recently became an Art Teacher in the Bridgeport public school system. She is on a tight budget for her classroom and is hoping for some contributions from the Y4E community. She is looking for; used men's button up shirts in size L or larger to be used as smocks, coffee cans and soup cans, small plastic containers such as yogurt or pudding containers, cardboard egg cartons and old tennis balls.
You can drop off any of these items at Everything Yoga our store right below the studio.

Why Yoga?
"Yoga in conjunction with meditation can indeed lower stress and improve work performance."
Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Mass. Medical center.
"Many doctors now prescribe yoga for patients suffering from heart disease, arthritis, or diabetes. Imagine what it can do for people whose biggest complaint is stress headaches."
US News and World Reports, 1997
"Yoga is a very powerful tool of stress management."
Dr. Dean Ornish
"The bottom line is that yoga is an exercise that is food for the heart."
Dr. Noel Bairey Merz; Medical Director Cardiac Center at
Cedars Sanai Medical Center, Los Angeles