Student Spotlight: Sarah Longmire
When did you start coming to YYF?
I believe I started coming in January of 2015.
What was your reason for starting?
I had always been fascinated with the idea of hot yoga, but had always been a bit nervous about trying it. Two good friends of mine were going to Kate Evan’s 60 minute hot yoga class one Friday afternoon, and they invited me to join – they even had a free class pass for me to use! I was hooked! I continued attending 60 minute hot yoga classes as often as they fit into my schedule. I guess you could say that I started going because I had an invitation to try something new, but I continued going because I knew that hot yoga was good for my body and good for my overall health and wellbeing.
What has been your biggest accomplishment since becoming a member at YYF?
While I realize that the question asks about a singular accomplishment, I would like to describe a couple as they relate to the bigger picture of my life. The first accomplishment would be the courage I gained to explore classes beyond hot yoga. My attendance at YYF grew from ‘just’ hot yoga classes to a myriad of classes including cycling, yin yoga, and the biggest, scariest class of all: TRX! I was TERRIFIED to try a “Stacy Jago TRX class,” and yet I did not let that stop me and now I would have to say it is my favorite, physically challenging class! The second accomplishment I think about is my willingness to work on resting and breathing. That may sound like a strange accomplishment, but I like to be busy and be ‘doing something’ all the time. Yin yoga started out as a very challenging class for me to attend; it seemed boring and painful. Often, I would avoid it and would only attend one when a studio challenge ‘forced’ it upon me. However, over the course of my attendance of yin classes (thinking especially of Stephanie Lynn’s and Temple Florip’s), I began to fully appreciate the time to just rest…to just be…to stop trying…to just breathe. I came to recognize the gift of that time and the gift of the intentional difference this class is to what most of my life involves.
This brings me to how I have found these two ‘studio’ accomplishments truly showing themselves in the situation in which I currently find myself. In November, the weekend of Thanksgiving, I was in a horrible car accident. The list of injuries I sustained put me in a hospital and a rehabilitation center for a total of twelve weeks. I broke many bones, sustained a head injury, and am also recovering from several injuries to my spine and lungs. And yet, throughout the ENTIRE time of scary MRI’s, day long surgeries, uncertainty of ever walking again, I could control and did control my breath. I could keep the worry at bay by breathing and counting my breath. I awed my physical therapists with my strength and my balance. Over and over again I have had to be thankful that for the past three years, I had been breathing and stretching and planking and spinning and squatting and balancing and lunging and TRX’ing and taking care of my mind and my body through various classes at YYF. I am a Christian and truly believe that God had a plan for me to have a strong body and to have the tools I would need to maintain a calm, determined mind as I slowly regain my ability to move, to walk, to heal, and to get better. Additionally, I have been able to be intentionally thankful for so many blessings throughout this whole experience; there are low points, but they don’t win! I have progressed enough that I was able to move out of a medical facility and into a friend’s home. Every small step leads me to a bigger one! I will be back at TRX one day – that is a promise!
What is your favorite class?
I have to take this question by category, otherwise I couldn’t pick!
Cardio/Strength: Stacy’s TRX (Tuesday/Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings)
Hot Yoga: Lisa’s 60 minute class (Wednesday and Friday afternoons)
Yin Yoga: Stephanie’s Saturday morning and Temple’s Sunday afternoon
Advice/words of encouragement to someone who hasn’t been to YYF:
I have literally been in your shoes. I know the worry or fears or concerns you are feeling about trying something new. And yet, I would tell you to try it! The girls at the front desk are THE BEST and will be so helpful with anything you need. The teachers are AMAZING and will be patient, helpful, kind, and encouraging. My fellow YYF’ers all started as newbies once and will be kind to you; they were and are nice to me. In fact, I have made some good friends from classes I take at YYF. Try it – it will be good for your health!