Month three of our 30 day challenge has us stretching back out. We’ve been working hard and using our muscles in ways that we didn’t think possible when we started. Not only are we going to lengthen those muscles, but we are going to gain mental clarity and core stability. Flexibility is key to physical growth and increased stamina. You are going to love it. To quote this month’s spokesperson, “It’s not high intensity. All you do is show up. Breathe. Stretch. Be present. Be accepting of where you are. And yoga works for you. Not only does it change your appearance, it rewires you internally so that you are able to be a better you.” Jane Manning owns and teaches at Soul Tree Yoga in Clarksville, TN. The studio also offers TRX training, Spinning, Pilates and Barre.
Blank: What got you into yoga?
J.M. Two and a half years ago, I had come out of a really bad break up. It was one of the darkest points in my life. After grappling with that for two or three months, I went back to work (school teacher). Some of my colleagues and friends suggested that we do yoga. I agreed. I had done yoga in college in Asheville, NC. Initially it was once or twice a week. Then I noticed changes, like a muscle in my leg that I hadn’t seen in years. I also started to notice that when the kids at school would test me, my attitude would change. After two or three months, not only was my body changing, but the way I responded to the world was changing. I had more patience. Ultimately, what it was doing for me emotionally and mentally kept me going to yoga. I joke about how, when I see someone that I haven’t seen in a year or two, they tell me how good of shape I am in. It hasn’t been about the physical in a long time. The physical benefits are just a side effect for what it does for me mentally. It is my head medicine.
Blank: What got you into teaching?
J.M. Interestingly enough, the studio where I trained became a registered yoga school. They started hosting teacher training. The first one was in the summer time. As a school teacher, I declined. The summers are when I would go wanderlusting. A second one was offered last winter and I agreed to take it. I didn’t sign up to learn to teach yoga. I signed up to learn the philosophy of yoga. There is something very telling about ideologies that have sustained the test of time. I wanted to learn about how energy moves in the body; the chakras and the organs of the body with which they are associated. I also learned that a lot of the postures that I had been doing, were being done incorrectly. This past spring over spring break, I flew out to San Francisco and rented a car and drove nearly 2200 miles north on the PCH. On Easter I was in the Redwood forest, which is heaven for me. Plants have always been a huge passion of mine. A lot of these trees have a hollowed out space in the bottom. I found a tree that spoke to me and sat inside of it for a couple of hours and meditated. At that time I was contemplating a major life change. I hadn’t been happy teaching school in a while. It just wore me down. I wanted to do something different. I put it out there in the universe. I wanted to make a bigger change in the lives of the people that I connect with. When I got back, the studio that I had been attending emailed me that they were going to be closing. When I got that email, it was like someone really close to me had just passed away. I started bawling. I looked at a colleague who was sitting next to me and said, should I buy it? I don’t know where that came from. I’ve never owned a business. It took about a week. I partnered up with one of my best friends and we put wheels into motion to buy it. It wasn’t until we purchased the studio that I decided to teach. I traded one teaching job for another teaching job.
Blank: Can I do yoga with pre-existing injuries? What if I am not flexible?
J.M. Anybody, any age, any size, any shape, can do yoga. People that are injured have modifications that are available from their instructors and are able to reap the same benefits of people performing the full posture. There are various levels of a posture, all of which seek to open, lengthen and strengthen areas of the body. We also use props like blocks, straps and bolsters to help people. Anybody can do yoga. Because we use infrared heat to warm the room, people with injuries seem to benefit more from yoga in our studio. We are the only studio in Clarksville that has that. A lot of the other “hot studios” are hot, because they literally blow hot air into the room, like you would your home. Sure it makes you sweat, but very differently. Infrared heat does not heat the air, so you are never breathing in hot air. Instead, infrared heat is absorbed by the body through the skin. It penetrates down into the muscles and warms the muscles the directly. Doctors will actually prescribe patients, who have had sports related injuries, to and go sit in an infrared sauna. That’s analogous to coming and sitting in my room. It also causes your blood vessels to dilate, which increases blood flow to all of the tissues of your body. This, in turn, carries nutrients as well as oxygen, and can speed healing and mobility of areas affected by scar tissue.
Blank: What should I wear?
J.M. Above all, you want to be comfortable. You want to be in clothing that does not restrict your movement. Yoga pants can be tight if they allow for movement of the body. I usually don’t wear tight yoga pants. I wear pants that are a little loose. I like my clothes to breathe. Girls and guys can wear tank tops and t-shirts. Usually the males will wear shorts with a tighter short underneath. The reason for that, is you are going to be inverted. That doesn’t mean standing on your head. Even a downward facing dog is an inversion. You don’t want a shirt that is so loose that it is going to be rising above your head; or you need to be able to tuck it in. You don’t want to come in jeans. If it’s a hot class, females might want to go with little shorts and a spots bra. Guys might want to wear shorts with the tight shorts underneath and no shirt at all. If I am doing a restorative yoga class at room temperature, you might want pants and a t-shirt or maybe even a light, long sleeve shirt.
Blank: What kind of cost options do you offer?
J.M. We have a lot of options and we offer a lot of discounts. We live in close proximity to a major military base, Fort Campbell, so our town has a major military presence, for which we are very grateful. For our unlimited monthly packages, we offer discounts to military personnel, school teachers and full time students. Unlimited means you came as many times per day, week and month that you want. Someone not in one of those categories would pay $79/month. Military and teachers are $69/month. Full time students, including college, high school and below are $49/month. We also offer drop-ins for $10/class. From there, we offer 5 classes at $9/class ($45), which last for 2 months; 10 classes at $8/class ($80), which last 3 months; and 20 classes at $6/class ($120). Those don’t expire for four months. We want people to do yoga when it is convenient for them and as much as they want to do it.
Blank: Any final thoughts that you would like to share with our readers?
J.M. Once you think that you have gotten to the final expression of a posture, you realize that there is more for you to explore from there. You can put the leg in a different place. You can put the arm in a different place. This creates a completely different dynamic for the body. It’s never something that one perfects entirely. It’s something that grows with you as you grow.
