May! Meet Elisabeth Gardner
I grew up in the Upper Valley in the 60s-80’s, left to travel, marryand have kids. During my time away I experienced the death of bothparents, my marriage and my early careers as a waitress andenvironmental educator. Twenty seven years later I’ve returned and amdeeply enjoying my reconnections here. As I walk around and marvel atthe changes (White River Junction is now cool!), I am often surprised bymemories that feel so contradictory to the 55 year old woman I am now.
I was a gawky fairly shy kid. I took figure skating atThompson Arena and was one of the most out-of-body, ungraceful kids youcould imagine. I took gymnastics but was inflexible and too scared toleave the ground outside of a cartwheel. In a nutshell, I didn’t trustmy body.
While taking a semester off from college my Junior year, Idiscovered rock climbing and eventually I became good at it climbing allover the Northeast, Virginia, and Wyoming. What made this surprisingwas that I suffered from panic attacks and agoraphobia from ages 18-28. I mean, I was terrified in a supermarket, scared to drive alone on thehighway, but get me at the base of a 500 foot cliff and I wasspiderwoman! There was something about climbing, the intense focus, theearthiness, the physical strength, grace and balance that drew me in.
As the years went on and my climbing slowed, I developed astrong interest in body/mind work. I lived in Costa Rica for 18 monthsand found that doing yoga on a regular basis helped me to reduce mypanic attacks. Like rock climbing, yoga required me to be focused and inmy body. I wanted more of this knowledge and completed a four yearprogram to become an energy healer (Barbara Brennan School of Healing). Here I discovered the chakras, our energy fields and deepened mypractice and love of yoga. In 2004, I became a yoga teacher. Idiscovered the power, strength and grace that I now know we all innatelypossess and along the way I learned to trust my body.
Today as a psychotherapist, I combine my years of schoolingwith my knowledge and experience of spirituality, energy, and yoga tohelp people heal from trauma. As a yoga teacher, I enjoy helpingstudents come to love and appreciate their bodies. It’s not about'getting your head to your knee', but using a pose to discover places ofopening, sensation, release, joy and peace. Yoga is a perfect vehiclefor taking small risks, getting stronger and becoming more flexible. Aplace to invite curiosity and compassion for ourselves. This workdirectly translates into our lives. I love this about yoga.
There are soulful and skillful teachers here at UVY and I amdelighted and honored to become one of them. My intention is to bringfun, insight and self discovery into each class. I hope you come in ifyou have a Thursday evening free!
- Elisabeth