While I took my first yoga class more than 20 years ago, my connection with the practice really began to shift in 2022 when I started attending class regularly at Namaste Yoga Studio in Kirkwood, Missouri. After going on transformational retreats with the studio and taking class multiple times each week for a couple of years, I committed to yoga teacher training and began that journey in August 2024.
I completed my 200-hour training in May 2025 and look forward to connecting with students and sharing my practice with them in hopes that they may find it life-changing, too.
I will continue on my yoga teacher journey with a 300-hour training beginning August 2025.
What I Love About Yoga
I love dropping out of my head and into my body, releasing tension and dripping sweat physically, while letting go mentally of things that no longer serve me.
It’s a practice that looks different every day, and allowing that to be what it is on any given day is great experience for life off the mat. While I appreciate the increased flexibility and strength that the movement aspect of yoga has given me, it’s the mental benefit of how I feel living my life day to day that draws me back to the mat.
Outwardly, my life might not look much different than it did a few years ago, but inwardly, the shift for me has been huge. I’m a recovering perfectionist who has had a lifelong struggle with anxiety. And while I was initially drawn to yoga for the workout, and how good that workout made me feel, I’ve found that the impact goes far beyond the endorphin buzz. My practice has helped me learn how to pause and respond rather than react, how to treat myself with compassion and kindness, how to notice and build awareness without judgement – things more valuable than any backbend or headstand.
You don’t need to be flexible or calm or have a specific body shape or fitness level to do yoga. All you need to do is show up, be present and take care of yourself. In all my classes, I am merely a guide offering options – you listen to your body and follow what it needs that day.
Yoga with Lauren Milford 