At 28, I did my first yoga poses with the yoga deck. Within a month or so the asana/ affirmation combo caused shifts in my mindset and I realized I had work to do with yoga. While practicing I opened my mind to moments of quiet and reasoning, they were new and valuable. As I factored these into my daily life, I knew I had discovered gems, I wanted to teach children. Done, that was it, it was not a call. It was as certain as the sun.
I started inquiring about children’s yoga and set out on the quest to figure out how to do this. This was not what I went to college for, nothing I had ever imagined but I accepted my future and never thought of life without it. While continuing my practice and peaking into lots of options in 2008, I found the door to my future.
At this door was a huge change; I lost my mother who had been very ill but equally determined for many years. She was a huge Spirit and left the planet before she was done. I believe in her passing those who knew and loved her received pieces of her dreams. Mine was the actual working with children. She wanted to work in the pediatric unit in hospital but her health and job as a pharmacist kept her focused on those things only. Her passing was unexpected and challenging. She left her physical frame to be a beacon of light to her 3 children, family and friends.
A few months after her passing I enrolled in a certification program; the program was amazing and dealt a lot with self-repair and removing/letting go of the past and blocks that we unintentionally set up for ourselves. It was a huge journey with the life change I was accepting but I also know it was medicinal and perfect in aligning me with a healing mindset.
For the past 4+ years I have shared yoga with children daycare age and up. My company, blissfolds yoga for children and families share yoga’s gift all around Chicago. So much joy in the work I do. I cannot explain the reward. To walk into a daycare and have all the children yelling “Yoga” or Ms. Shalise is bigger than anything I could have imagined for my life.
In the last six months I have taken the journey to Florida and settled on sharing yoga there. The Universe gave me what I believe to be an underlying opportunity to look at myself completely naked and find my voice, strength and gratitude. To heal, regroup and own my experiences; I’m so grateful for the cleaning and readying of my soul for the next steps. I move forward with more clarity, expertise in poses I had not done in a while, and firmer belief in yoga’s gentle power.
My yoga path is all-inclusive, as much as I teach I learn. I look forward to always gathering and utilizing connective practices (Ayurveda, mandala, chakra balance, singing bowls, etc.) to deepen my understanding, challenging myself and student to simply be your best you.
My journey was not singular. I thank every student, daycare provider, private client, school, parent, and child health colleagues, family and friend for your support and your belief in me and blissfolds yoga®.
For more information on classes, parties, corporate or **Prenatal, please email [email protected].
Check out the website at: www.blissfolds.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/blissfolds-yoga-for-children-and-families/307204812709
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blissfoldsyoga