Mara Olney is a yoga teacher to elite professional athletes, public speaker and entrepreneur. Mara began practicing yoga over a decade ago because she was physically inflexible and had become bored with her workout routine. She decided to try a yoga class for something different and immediately fell in love with the practice because it was challenging in a way she had not experienced before.
“I fell in love with yoga because it was hard. I was used to being athletic and most physical activities come naturally to me. Yoga was different. I was super inflexible and I remember being frustrated by how long the teacher had us in certain poses that were challenging for me. I kind of hated it but also I loved it! After my first class I was blown away that it wasn’t easy for me. It was a new kind of challenge both physically and mentally. Yoga builds a different kind of endurance that not only strengthens and lengthens your body, but it also makes you mentally tougher and that is what I love about it. It doesn’t matter how many years I practice, I am challenged in every class and I learn something about myself each time I step onto the mat! I started going to class for physical practice, but I kept showing up because of the positive impact it had on my mental well-being. Yoga and meditation changed my life.”
Mara loves helping people realize that they are stronger than they ever realized through yoga and meditation. “I know the power of this practice and how it has the ability to help you build the mental strength to overcome life’s challenges. This practice has helped me become stronger during very dark times of my life. And I have witnessed my clients and so many other practitioners experience great transformation physically, mentally and energetically through the teachings of yoga. The physical poses, the breathwork, and mediation combined; these are all tools for you to use that will help you create a life for yourself that is deeply fulfilling. I want that for as many people as possible.”
Mara loves to teach creative Vinyasa classes with athletic elements and is also very passionate about breathwork.
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Instagram: @maraisgrace