My new year’s resolution had been the same for a decade before joining Dragonfly Hot Yoga. It was to find fitness so I can lose weight, gain strength and relieve stress. I joined a gym but ended up donating two years of membership. I played tennis with my husband. He is a great player but not a good coach (I still love him). Then I tried golf and liked it until the attack of the mosquitoes. Sadly I get severe allergic reactions to mosquito bites. One day I saw a Dragonfly Hot Yoga car magnet while driving. What a cute name! So I searched it on the web and found out there’s a free trial class. Who knew I would fall in love with hot yoga on the first try! The class satisfied my long desire of searching for a work out that feels just right for me. I couldn’t find any single reason to look for another yoga studio to compare it with Dfly. Needless to say I became a loyal member since the summer of 2014.
I used to say ‘no’ to yoga and ‘darn no’ to hot yoga. Nowadays I do enjoy the heat of the room. It helps me relax more and stretch deeper. It also challenges me to focus on breathing. The teachers are knowledgeable, staff is friendly and fellow yogis are amazing. It’s a beautiful thing to see how other yogis are trying to listen to their body and mind as myself. The synergy of energy in the room is overwhelming. I feel very grateful and fortunate to have become a part of the inclusive Dfly community.
I can see the physical change in my body as I feel stronger. Often times I dedicate my practice for myself at the beginning of the class. I think of myself as a better person, mom, wife and friend. Overall I am happier than before. My ability of focusing has improved a lot also. Without thinking what is going on outside of the class, I’d rather pay attention to deepen the pose and keep on breathing. The 60 minute Flow classes fly by. I used to work in a computer related field thus my posture is pretty bad. I have neck issues with a lot of tension on my shoulders and arched back. After taking hot yoga classes, my neck pain is reduced significantly and I constantly remind myself to sit tall. I am a new person both inside and out in many positive ways.
I attend 5+ classes per week. I wish I had more time and energy to take more classes though. I’ve tried all the classes that Dfly offers except prenatal but Flow is my favorite. I am a regular for 9 am Flow Monday thru Friday. I love to hear little stories that Suki tells on certain poses. Warrior II became one of my favorite fierce pose after her story. I am very jealous how Brady can hold low boat for that long and gets back to full boat with a smile on his face. He keeps reminding me to work on my core. I see tremendous strength in Shawn. Her forearm balance looks like a piece of cake. It’s so fun when Shawn introduces new poses with interesting names and lets us try them out. Bekah’s presence in class is so elegant yet powerful. If you have not heard her chanting after class, it is a must. I respect my teachers and their unique classes. They know when to push and slow down. Just a small tweak they suggest could make a huge difference. Their gentle reminder of breathing enables my flexibility and endurance more.
It’s a shame that I kept procrastinating to search for fitness. If somebody recommended Dfly to me, I would’ve found it much earlier without wasting my time and money. So here I am spreading the love of Dfly. My friends call me the Dfly ambassador, ha! I’ve had Lasik surgery two years after joining Dfly so I can appreciate hot yoga better. My best asana is needle pose (standing split). Recently I’ve been working on scorpion pose hoping maybe someday my feet would touch my head. It’s a mystery whether I could finish it or not but I checked out a book called “The Key Muscles of Yoga” by Ray Long last week. It’s been a pleasure to see myself going the extra mile for yoga. Yoga has become a part of my life and I hope Dfly is there for me for a long time.
Instructor Brenda Autz: “Yeong brings a quiet, peaceful presence to our Dragonfly community. She regularly attends a wide variety of classes. Her practice is strong, intentional and balanced. Yogis practicing in a class with Yeong are fortunate to experience the sense of calm she brings into the studio.”
Instructor Shawn Smith: “I’ve had the pleasure of not only practicing and guiding Yeoung in vinyasa flows, but I was also fortunate to work with her two daughters this summer in Fly Girls!!! These two young ladies were not only courteous, gracious, and sweet but they were adventurous, curious and brave in trying new poses and sequences. It was no surprise they were Yeong’s daughters – they were like “mini-me’s.”
