Student Spotlight
Over here at the Sweaty Buddha, we love our students and we are eternally grateful for all the smiles they bring and the sweat they leave behind. This month we are spotlighting Brad.
Brad has been practicing with us for a little over a year and has already logged in 85 hours of yoga at TSB! You might catch him riding his bike to class, always with a big smile and friendly hello. Brad, we are so happy to have you in our family and grateful for the warm attitude you bring to the space. Here’s a little bit more about Brad!
I first found yoga out of curiosity. In college I used to put on YouTube videos in my room (alone of course) to see what all the hype was about. After falling a lot, my downstairs neighbor and I both realized this wasn’t for me. Years later I was living in Telluride and my roommate, who was a former yoga instructor and a national yoga competitor suggested I take some hot yoga classes for my lower back pain. After the first session, I was hooked! The challenge of the poses, the encouraging atmosphere and for the first time I could grasp awareness of my body, and yes, I found this while sitting in my own puddle of sweat. I continued to practice and found myself getting stronger, my back pain subsided, I was hitting PRs, and I found the swirling in my head to clear up. The pain relief got me hooked to practicing yoga but what kept me wanting to practice was the grounding I felt while practicing.
I found my self able to think more clearly in stressful moments in my life and little aggravating things that used to bother me didn’t bother me anymore. Out of the many benefits of practice, I found this most beneficial on my yoga journey.
All the staff/instructors are insightful and genuinely want to be there and share their practice with others. They are all open to share their knowledge and answer any questions one might have about practice. It’s so welcoming walking in and whoever is behind the desk greets you by your name and even asks if there’s a spot in your body that you would like to hit that day and somehow morphs it into the practice. Something that I really enjoy the variety of instructors and the different backgrounds they all provide to the studio.
Each one of them brings new knowledge or method in their practice for each of their practices. There is always something different to expect in each class from every instructor each time you go. No mundane run through for a session, they switch it up! They prepare and suggest multiple modifications for your scope of practice that you are in. You can have it as grueling as you like or as restorative as needed. I have had times where I was dealing with pain in my body and an instructor will do research and come back the next session and to try and help with the issue. What an incredible crew the Buddha has and to be surrounded by.
I’m a busy body outside of the studio. I change with the seasons when it comes to my activity year-round. Just like many of the other Durangatangs, I am an advocate for type 2 fun and an outdoor enthusiast that spends most of my time on the trail, the mountain, or the water. I love having big adventurous days on my mountain bike hitting all the classics around the San Juans. A 4-6 hours ride is the ideal day to be on the saddle and eating up all the shred heavy terrain that surrounds us. Trail running is another “feel good” sport I partake in and I’m starting to get involved with more mountain races. The river is a newfound love on mine. Over night trips and smashing class 3/4 rapids in a ducky has been a thrill in recent years. I stay busy in the winter on the mountain by teaching snowboard lessons and jumping on tours when I can. I usually get around town with my cheverolegs or on my bike any time of the year. This keeps me in shape to boogie with the town's swing, salsa, and country swing dance groups. Since I do live an active lifestyle, I love to come back to the Sweaty Buddha to unwind my brain and body, it truly helps me stay grounded and well-recovered through all the type 2 fun activities.