Seattle Yoga News is on a mission to find and highlight all of the hidden, and maybe not so hidden, gems in our yoga community and beyond. We want you to learn about their experiences and perspectives, but also a bit more about their personalities, so we have a few fun questions for them. This week’s spotlight is turned towards Sarah Hyde.
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED WITH YOGA?
I started my yoga practice in 2012, when anxiety and depression were threatening to take over my life. Once a week, I’d roll out my mat (Shout-out Seattle Yoga Arts, where I first practiced!) and for an hour or so, the noise in my mind would quiet down. It wasn’t long before I was going twice a week, and then three times, and the rest is history. Yoga remains a vital part of my mental healthcare.
WHAT KIND OF TRAININGS HAVE YOU PURSUED?
I completed my 200 hour teacher training with Heather Falkin at Sangha Yoga in 2019, and then a 50 hour yin yoga training with Leah Adams that same year. Most recently, I completed a restorative yoga teacher training with Jodi Boone and Heather Danso. I truly love teaching all styles of yoga, but restorative yoga and slow flow vinyasa hold a special place in my heart.
HOW HAS YOGA INFLUENCED YOUR LIFE AND WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON?
Yoga has totally changed my life. I spent nearly two decades working in non-profit and higher education communications and marketing, and I loved that career – which did include teaching.
But once I realized how transformative the experience I was having with yoga was, and how many people it could help, the decision to leave my old career and start a new one just happened. I didn’t plan it, and I don’t even think I consciously decided. I just ended one chapter and began a new one.
WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
I’ll share a mantra my teacher, Heather Falkin, recites all the time, and one that has become important to me: receive what you need, return what you don’t.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE THAT YOU HAVE FACED AS A YOGA TEACHER?
The pandemic. If you had asked me two years ago, “Hey, would you like to be an online yoga teacher?” I would have said, “Absolutely not, no thank you.” But now I’m an online yoga teacher, at least for some of my classes. I do not like teaching online. That’s putting it mildly.
But I love showing up for my students and being with them, in whatever way it’s possible to be together right now. So we’re getting through it one day at a time.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL MOMENT YOU’VE EXPERIENCED AS A YOGA STUDENT? AND HOW ABOUT AS A TEACHER?
There isn’t really one singular moment that inspired me the most as a student. At the risk of sounding corny, I think I’m my biggest inspiration when it comes to my experience as a student, because I found a way to deal with my anxiety and I stuck with it, even though it’s often been hard, and the benefits I’ve received from this practice continue to inspire me and keep me coming back to my mat as a student even when I have ten classes to teach in a week.
As a teacher, I’m still a baby – but so far, the most inspiring moments have been when I see students fully in their own bodies, having their own unique experiences and feeling comfortable enough to do what I’m always encouraging them to do – modify, skip, add, subtract, do anything it takes to make the practice work for them. When I see a room full of students each doing something slightly different, I feel inspired.
WHAT HELPS YOU GET BACK ON YOUR YOGA MAT WHEN YOU ARE FEELING DEMOTIVATED?
An interesting contradiction exists for me with yoga & anxiety: nothing helps my anxiety more than doing yoga and meditation, and also, when I’m super depressed or anxious, it’s SO HARD for me to get on my mat. What helps me is history – knowing how it’s worked for me in the past. And also letting go of ego. It’s a lot easier to get back on my mat if I give myself permission at the start to do WHATEVER it takes to get through the hour. Even if I spend the whole time in child’s pose, that’s fine. I made it to the mat. I did the yoga.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE YOGA RELATED BOOK?
I really love The Secret Power of Yoga: A Woman’s Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras by Nischala Joy Devi.
OTHER THAN PRACTICING YOGA, CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT SOME OF YOUR WELLNESS & SELF-CARE HABITS?
I am no poster child for the world’s most healthy lifestyle. I’m a night owl who still stays up late every night and my favorite beverage is not water, it’s definitely wine. But I’m a super active person, and have been all of my adult life. I get lots of exercise, I take a lot of yoga classes. I’m in weekly talk therapy, and I take medications for anxiety and depression, as well as cannabis and CBD. Those four things are the pillars of my self care: exercise, yoga, talk therapy, medication. And French fries. As many French fries as possible. Taking care of your body is a love letter to your soul, I think.
WHO IS THE YOGI WE SHOULD FEATURE NEXT?
I don’t know how to choose just one person! I really admire Abiola Akanni, founder of Trap Vinyasa. Her work and her mission are FIRE, not to mention her classes.
Sarah Hyde’s Bio:Hi, I’m Sarah! I’m a writer, a yogi, and a marketing and communications expert, and I’m so glad you’re here!
After growing up in the Midwest and northeast, I moved to the left coast in 2010 and found my perfect home in Seattle, where I live with my dude and two dogs. I spent the first 20 years of my professional life working in non-profit communications and marketing, primarily in higher education. In 2018, I left my full-time gig and signed up for a yoga teacher training program, unsure of what the future held for me. And now, I find myself building a new career as a yoga teacher, as well as a freelance writer and creative specialist. And I have never been happier!
A nomad and travel junkie, I’ve visited almost all 50 states and many countries. I enjoy a hot cup of tea or a glass of wine, snobby-ass television and film, Radiohead, knitting and the color gray. When I’m not teaching, writing or creating, you’ll find me practicing yoga, taking a long walk or sweating in the gym, listening to podcasts about sex or politics, doing a puzzle or, at the end of the day, always reading a good book.
My goal is to provide a modern class experience that’s steeped in the history and philosophy of all eight limbs of yoga, helping students transcend the boundaries of an exercise class and step into something deeper and more profound. I teach a strong physical practice, with a focus on breath and body connection and listening to and honoring your own body and what it needs. Usually, I incorporate music into my classes, and I love to spend a lot of time creating my playlists so they’re a mix of genres and eras. Also, I always laugh in my classes, and I hope you laugh with me!
I became a yoga student in 2012, at a time when anxiety and depression were taking over my life. I’ve always enjoyed a good, sweaty workout, but I was looking for something more contemplative, something physically challenging that would also support me on my inward journey of healing and growth. This practice has made my life so much richer than I could have imagined. When nothing else can quiet the mind or still the body, coming to your mat can. All you have to do is show up.
