It is as if God is right beside me breathing right with me

Yoga For People Heroes Series

Melissa Williams

I began taking yoga in 2009. In 2010 I lost my Dad to a tragic accident, a huge turning point in my life.. from that point on I started to seriously practice Yoga. My best friend had been a yoga teacher for a few years and we would do Yoga together and she would always talk about Yoga Teacher Training. So after Dad passed.. I enrolled and became a certified Yoga Teacher. My main work is in Yoga for Addiction Recovery, Alcohol, Drugs, PTSD, Stress, Depression, etc. I teach yoga to those in rehab facilities. I love to run, paint and read and write. I love life and love the heart and you will always hear me talking about it. I love to help and guide individuals into a positive light through Yoga. I am little crazy and love to dance to anything! I also have two children and we live in Brigham City, UT along with my Yogi Partner, Dustin Whitaker, our parrot, dog and five chickens.. 🙂

Yoga means breath of life to me. My main practice is Ashtanga. I love it and I cannot find any other asana I love more. I teach both Ashtanga and Restore. Both healing asana practices. Yoga is a way of finding your true authentic self. Stepping into the unknown. To twist and turn and feel the fire in your core.. it adds change like you have never experienced Yoga is always with me and I find in my Ashtanga Practice.. it is as if God is right beside me breathing right with me. It is my alone time with my divine. Yoga will take you to places you have never been and it will grow you into your beautiful self you were truly meant to be.

I love helping those in need.. but I also I want to give them something that no matter what they have their breath. Breathing is such a calming way of grounding ones self. Yoga for the People gives me grounding to give back to those in need and to know what it means to have gratitude and be grateful.

The first time I taught at the Road Home Shelter in Midvale, UT. it was an amazing time. I had several little kids and one mother.. she was so blessed and wanted to know more about Yoga. My hope is that I give these people something they will do on their own and find what I have found. No matter what the situation is.. breath and God will find you and you will find him as one.

Teaching in my community has been so rewarding. The Box Elder News Journal ran an add in the paper for me and I was able to reach a lot of people about starting Yoga. I started teaching in Brigham in June of 2012. So many people responded because of Yoga’s affect it has on the mind, body and spirit. I have volunteered at the Boys home called Triumph Boys Home in Brigham City UT. Triumph has four homes and all of them are state funded for Boys who are in trouble with the law ages 13-19 years old. We have brought Yoga to them.. and they have loved it ever since. I continue to strive and find ways I can help out and be of assistance to those in need. Currently I teach at the Bunderson School in Brigham City, UT. I feel as if bringing Yoga to Brigham, has changed the community.. giving the community a different way to move through life, be healthy and all around physical well being. The community gives back as well. If I believe in something.. they will jump in and believe too. We are a team…and were all working towards the same goal… Peace