Paula Gilligan
Hampstead, NH and Newburyport, MA Studio Owner,
RYT 500 , Certified Yin Yoga Instructor, Hot Asana Online Instructor, Hot Asana Yoga University Faculty
This yoga journey has been quite an amazing ride for me. I started taking classes in 2006 because it was a good “workout.” I did not know what was in store for me. Yoga has woven its way into all aspects of my life, and I don’t know what I would do without it. Although the physical piece is what lured me into the hot room, it is the spiritual, mind, body connection that keeps me there. Since 2006 life has been a crazy roller coaster for me, as it is for everyone. The great thing about yoga is it gives you the tools to make it through those ups and downs a little more gracefully. Every time you practice you learn something about yourself that you take with you and use out in the world, in your life. Yoga guru BKS Iyengar said, “Yoga uses the body as a tool to touch the soul.” This, to me, is the bottom line of yoga. This is what drives me, what motivates me to teach. One of the biggest lessons I have learned through yoga is to trust the process, have faith in yourself, have faith in God, have faith in the Universe, breathe through the fear, trust your intuition, connect to your voice. These are not just words, or thoughts. They are actions that you have to have the courage to follow through with. Life is not easy. Do the work.
Opening the first studio in Hampstead could not have happened without the gracious assistance of my dear friend Virginia Gallagher, the creator of Hot Asana Yoga Studios. She has forged the path for studio owners to be successful. Hampstead was a great surprise to me. Newburyport is a dream come true for me. Derry is on the way, and is something I have been working on for YEARS!! Please join me and my dynamic teachers on this amazing journey. We never could have grown this much if it wasn’t for this amazing community! It is with a grateful heart that I thank you all, and look forward to what is to come!!