Apr 29

Apr 29 Get Refreshed and Energized with Elissa Marshall

Elissa Marshall didn’t choose to be a yoga instructor. “It kind of chose me,” she says. The former ballerina “fell in love” with hot yoga in 2010. “[My first class] made me realize that yoga is hard, and I wanted to dive into the challenge.” From there, she discovered other types of yoga including her current go-to, Vinyasa. It was during a stint living in South America where she was dancing professionally that she was called to teach. “There was a community center and they offered this opportunity to share any gifts or knowledge that you have and some friends asked me to teach,” she recalls. At first, she resisted but ultimately stepped up to share her practice with others. That experience was the spark that led to her starting her own brand, Breathe and Be with Gesticulate. Practice with her on NEOU and get to know her more in the Q&A below.

How would you describe your approach to fitness and wellness?

To me, fitness and wellness should be all about individual self-awareness, getting to know your body, getting to know what works for you. And get to know what's fun to you because if it feels personal, then it's going to mean so much more.

What are the different types of yoga and where does yours fit in?

There's power yoga and hot yoga, which are really intense and great for people that want to be disciplined and focused and feel their body. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s yin yoga and that's a chance to go inwards, to slow down, to find your breath. And there are tons of practices in between like Kundalini, which is a little more spiritual. What I practice and what I like to teach is more of a Vinyasa flow that helps you find muscular sensation in the body. It brings you into the present moment through that physical sensation, but it also has moments of self-reflection where you can breathe, feel, and notice, which to me is a great balance of all the types of yoga.

How has yoga improved your own life?

This is a big question. I have had an autoimmune disease all my life, and I didn't have a good relationship with stress and wellness. I didn't have a good balance at all. Yoga has become that voice in my head to observe my experience, to notice when I may be a little stressed, to notice when I'm not breathing, and to notice when I'm out of balance so that I can begin to come back into my own center.

How do you believe you can bring yoga into people's day-to-day life?

On the yoga mat, we learn different techniques, like breathwork and getting present to what we see in front of us, and it creates a deeper sense of self-awareness. So from the yoga mat, one little thing might stick that you can bring through your day-to-day. Like, noticing the sky above you or noticing the quality of your breath, which can bring you a lot more ease and presence into your everyday life.

What do you hope people can take away from your classes?

After a class with me, I want you to feel refreshed and energized and like you have a new perspective and the sense of self-awareness that you can conquer your day. The most important part is that after class you feel like a better version of yourself so that you can be there and support all the people around you in your life.