Meet Krista Shirley

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Krista Shirley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Krista, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
This is such a good question! I’ve always been fascinated by ancient cultures and traditions, as well as physical exercise and movement. When I was in college working on my double major in classical studies and anthropology and minor in archaeology, I stumbled into an ashtanga yoga class at my gym. I was immediately taken by the physical demands of the class, but even more so by the teachers use of Sanskrit words and a focus on going within to work with my breathing and internal muscle engagement. I was so stimulated by every aspect of the class. I spent that entire summer attending all the ashtanga classes offered at my gym, while working on summer courses.

Over the next few months, the teacher at the gym introduced me to another teacher who offered traditional ashtanga classes in the mysore method. I went to class every single morning before my college classes started and I was spending nearly all my personal time learning more about the history of the practice and learning more about the intricacies of the practice. I made note cards to learn all the sanskrit names of the yoga postures and sequence I was learning and practicing everyday and found myself more interested in learning about this yoga practice and its beginnings than I was about the college courses I was taking. Don’t get me wrong, I loved every minute of my college education, but my intrigue for ancient Greece and Rome was becoming overshadowed by my intrigue for ancient India.

My senior year I was working on my own senior thesis and was interning for one of my advisors to assist her with her PHD thesis and do literary research for another professor. I was focused and dedicated with my internships but my advisor knew I’d become very focused on my morning yoga practice. I’ll never forget the day she told me to stop doing yoga and get my priorities straight! I needed to focus on my studies and prepare for graduate school. It really bothered me that she wanted me to choose. I didn’t feel like I needed to. I truly believed my morning yoga practice made me better in every way; more focused, healthier, more grounded, more mentally at peace.

Throughout my senior year, I continued to practice yoga in the mornings and continued with my studies. I applied to several graduate schools and kept gearing up for the next chapter in my college education. But at the same time, I did cultivate a deep interest and passion for all aspects of this practice and I wanted to learn as much as I possibly could about it. I began to feel very conflicted about what I was supposed to do next… But I just kept trusting the universe would guide me in the right direction.

A few months later I got my acceptance letter from the University I wanted to attend for my PHD. I was overjoyed. I felt like it was decided. I knew I could follow this path and continue to do my yoga practice and study with wonderful teachers while pursuing my PHD. Then, just before graduation, my mother became very ill. I had to defer enrollment to graduate school so I could travel to SC to be with my mother through her surgeries and after. I was so grateful to be able to be with my mother during that time. And when she recovered, I came back to Florida. But I didn’t quite know what to do with myself until the next school year began. That is until I decided this was my opportunity to delve deeply into the yogic studies I’d been longing to do. I traveled to Chicago for my first yoga teacher training. Then to Thailand where I did a month intensive teacher training. When I returned to Florida I began teaching yoga classes around town to make money and keep busy until graduate school.

But then I met Pattabhi, Sharath and Saraswati Jois. They were the lineage bearers for the Ashtanga Yoga system. They had traveled from India to lead some workshops around the US. I met them in New York and did a week of classed with them. And during that week, everything crystalized for me. My heart had been yearning to learn more about the history, culture, traditions, lineage of this practice for about two years at this point, and after meeting Pattabhi Jois, I knew I had to travel to India to deepen my understanding and connection to this yoga method and its incredible history.

Once I made my first trip to India, I knew in my heart that teaching this yoga method, helping to keep this tradition alive, that was my purpose. And I have never looked back.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a full time Yoga teacher and I live in Orlando with my 13 year old son. I hold a level II authorization from the Ashtanga Yoga institute in Mysore, India and run the only Mysore yoga program in Central Florida. I’m deeply passionate about not only sharing this beautiful practice with the world, but helping people heal, feel better, sleep better, improve confidence, reduce or eradicate pain and so much more. And this yoga method truly helps people do all of that. I get to spend my days helping people move and feel better. There is really nothing better than that!

The kind of yoga I teach is often misunderstood. To an outsider watching a youtube video or going into a led Ashtanga class, it can at first look intimidating because it is somewhat fast paced, some of the postures are very challenging and new students often feel lost as though everyone else knows what they are doing except them. But that’s part of what’s so exciting about the Mysore method. Allow me to explain. Ashtanga yoga is a style or type of yoga, and the Mysore method is a unique way to teach the Ashtanga yoga style of yoga. It is in fact, the traditional way to teach it. Unlike most western yoga (led/guided) classes where there is a hard start time of say 9am, and the teacher talks the class through every minute of their practice, and often stays on their own yoga mat demonstrating every pose, Mysore is wholly different.

With the mysore method, each student is taught the ashtanga yoga system individually in a classroom setting. Students are able to work at their own pace under the instruction of the teacher. This allows people of all ages and abilities to come to mysore class and work at their level on the sequence they have been given. The teacher is able to modify postures for those who need it, adjust students to help correct their alignment or take them deeper in postures. It’s the safest and most effective way to teach and learn yoga. I’ve had a pregnant woman in the same class as a very advanced student, an elderly student and a student recovering from surgery. Students slowly work to memorize the sequence they are working on, which is not only empowering but rewarding for students.

I am deeply honored to be one of only several hundred authorized teachers in the USA. It means alot to me to keep this beautiful yoga tradition alive through my teachings. And it means even more to watch students heal, get stronger, reduce chronic pain, feel empowered, sleep better and enjoy their lives more!

The Yoga Shala is a safe place for anyone to come learn and practice yoga. We are a small community of like minded souls seeking greater health and wellness and greater meaning in life. I offer mysore classes every weekday morning at 7am and every Monday at 5:30pm in Winter Park. I also lead a workshop every month on different aspects of this practice from yoga focused workshops, breathing/pranayama workshops, philosophy and meditation workshops and more. Please visit www.theyogashala.org for details!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
When I look back to when I first started my career in health and wellness, I think the three most important things that impacted my journey were 1) passion for what I wanted to pursue, 2) a strong conviction that I can succeed in turning my passion into a career path, and 3) constantly continuing my own education in the areas I wanted to teach others.

I’ll be totally honest, it is hard to make a full time career teaching yoga. Especially the style of yoga I teach. It was years of grinding away teaching too many classes all over town to make ends meat. It can be exhausting and you will question your decision, no doubt. But for me, once I realized my purpose, my path, I put 100% faith in myself and just kept putting one foot in front of the other. If you know in your heart what it is you want to do, never lose sight of that. There will be countless people, events, circumstances that will try to derail your mission and even your own belief in that mission. Know that going into your chosen field and remember that those are tests for you to prove to yourself that is what you really want to do. And for me, it is imperative that I practice what I preach! So it was paramount for me to organize my day in such a way that I woke up extremely early to do my own yoga practice before I began my day of teaching. That is my foundation for my own physical and mental health and it is the place from which I can most authentically share these teachings with others. So no matter what career path you choose, I do encourage you to always be a student, always working to fine tune your craft.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am always looking for ways to collaborate! Right now my focus is on helping more people struggling with chronic pain so it would be ideal to collaborate with doctors, naturopaths, chiropractors, physical therapists and others to offer clients natural ways to reduce and possibly eliminate some of their chronic pain through yoga.

I also love putting together events with other local business’ to share our missions with our community.

Lastly, I have a youtube channel dedicated to all things health and wellness and would love to collaborate there with other creators!

If any one is interested in potentially collaborating on a project, feel free to email me [email protected]

Contact Info:

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