Samantha

It's a bittersweet time for our family here at Sumits Yoga Columbia. Sweet because we get to share with you the story of one of our most beloved students, and bitter because we are going to have to let her go on to her next adventure in life in less than a month.

Our May Student of the Month is the beautiful and bright, Samantha Kelly. Sam has graced us with her presence and spirit and we are so thankful for the time we have gotten to know her and have her in our classes. She is always, always a positive person to be around and we are thankful for the energy that she has brought to all of our lives. With everything in life, there comes change and growth... Sam will be moving away from Columbia here in the next few weeks and will be moving on to greater things in her life! We hope she know how much she has meant to all of us! We love you, Sam. You're going to shine so bright in this next chapter of life!

Here is her amazing story:

I had been practicing yoga for a little over a year intermittently before I moved to Columbia and joined Sumit's. Up until that point I didn't define myself with yoga. I had certainly never described myself as a yogi, and for those around me that used that term for themselves I usually thought of other words to describe them-namely weirdo. Yoga was just something I did. Along with teaching first grade, watching reruns of The Office, and drinking entirely too much coffee. Then when I joined Sumit's I found myself feeling so different when I entered the yoga room. Things just got quieter. My to-do lists could wait, the expectations I had for myself became less important, and what I saw in those giant front mirrors began to make me happy. When I am not in the yoga room, the voices of Sumit's amazing teachers would enter my head during stressful times. I started being able to let more go during the hard times and to be more present during the happy times. I don't know if any of this makes me a yogi any more than being able to do a pose does, or even if this makes me kind of a weirdo. All I know is that this practice, Sumits Hot Yoga, and their amazing teachers and staff make me the happiest I have ever been.