Meighan took her first class at TULA in April of 2012 and has been a regular ever since. Meighan is one of the many students at TULA that I can't wait to see each day. She has an amazing yoga practice and dedication, and a practical, yet optimistic and cheery, outlook on life. When she comes to yoga, she always brightens up my day! I'm so happy that Meighan has chosen TULA as her yoga home and I'm honored that I have gotten to know her over the years.
Here's some more about Meighan:
Hometown: Lakewood, Ohio (outside Cleveland)
Sign: Aries
Favorite Color: Sometimes orange, sometimes green, never mixed.
Favorite Movie: Dr. Zhivago. I cry every time.
What would your last meal be? As in I’m dying? I think I’ll skip food and have a Mezcal Negroni at Reno. Make that 2.
What brought you to yoga? Well…this is a tough one. Seven years ago my younger brother was dying and I was out East a lot helping to take care of him. We were very close. My sister dragged me to yoga one day, to “relax”, since it was a very stressful time. After my brother passed, the grief was intense. It was like my mind and body had become disconnected and I was watching everything from somewhere else. I found that yoga was the only time I didn’t feel this way, so I continued to go. Eventually my mind and body hooked back up I guess, but yoga continued to be a time when I didn’t feel any of that intense pain.
What brought you to TULA? I was a Groupon yogi for about a year taking classes all over..some good…some not so good. I realized that I needed to be less anonymous and find teachers that I consistently liked. Tula was a natural choice since it was the closest studio to my house, and I had tried it out several times and liked it.
What is your favorite yoga pose (and why)? Headstand, because it’s a bit scary to be upside down but also fun, and at my age it makes me feel like a badass!
What are the benefits you have experienced from a regular yoga practice? The benefits (or lack of them) are most noticeable when I DON’T practice. Suddenly I’m creaking in the morning and getting nothing done. My body and mind start to separate again. Yoga makes me feel physically and mentally refreshed. I’m always telling my friends to take yoga…the older you get, the more you need it.
What is your Least favorite pose (and why)? Bridge. And I don’t know why. Maybe because it is always at the end of class and I’m tired? I just always get that “ugh, bridge!” feeling. I’ll do one. Then the second and then some days I can’t muster the third!
What advice you would give someone just starting yoga? Don’t compare yourself to others and go slow, especially if you are older. I’ve had plenty of injuries and the oder you are the longer they take to heal.
What is your favorite after-yoga activity? Well, if I didn’t have to go to work, I think a walk and some iced coffee would be an excellent idea.
List 3 fun facts we don’t know about you:
1. I can nap anywhere. If I’m tired, I can lay on the ground wherever I am and sleep. It’s a great skill.
2. I have 2 different colored eyes which probably isn’t noticeable in downward dog.
3. I’m a big traveler and perhaps a bit too adventurous for my own good. I’ve been attacked by rabid dogs in Tibet, bribed my way into Zaire (Republic of Congo) with whiskey and cigarettes, and hiked in the mountains of Yemen after 9/11 (this still irritates my boyfriend who I left at home with my 2-year old). I’m more responsible now, but I continue to drag my family to out of the way destinations where we usually get stuck in some shitty little town on Christmas. That’s when my daughter will say, “can’t we just do what other families do on vacation?”