Faces of Long Island celebrates the uniqueness of everyday Long Islanders. In their own words, they tell us about their life experiences, challenges and triumphs. Newsday launched this social media journey into the human experience to shine a light on the diverse people of this wonderful place we call home.

‘I can be at peace with myself and be comfortable in my skin.’

Greenlawn

“I was a chubby kid and gained weight after my daughter was born. It was never a problem for me until a year after my son was born. I’d gained so much weight that a pizza delivery guy asked me when I was going to have the baby.

“I had a gastric bypass on April 7, 2004. That day I had trouble fitting into a women’s size 28. It was a defining moment; I broke down crying. Within 18 months I dropped 245 pounds to 120 and wore a size zero. It was too much to lose for my 5-foot, 4-inches. I eventually settled between 135-140 and a size four. But I had all this loose skin, so I decided to take a yoga class at Inner Spirit Yoga Center with the attitude that I didn’t die, so I guess I’ll go back. I started squeezing it in on weekends. Then I just really started to like it. I rearranged my schedule so I could take a class daily. It made me feel in a good place and everything was toning up.

In 2007, the economy was changing so I was laying people off and telling them why they couldn’t get raises. I stopped feeling like I was helping them. That’s very difficult when you’re on a spiritual, holistic journey with yoga.

“At the time I was also a corporate human resources director. In 2007, the economy was changing so I was laying people off and telling them why they couldn’t get raises. I stopped feeling like I was helping them. That’s very difficult when you’re on a spiritual, holistic journey with yoga. It just kept eating away at me. I decided to get a yoga certification, then started teaching. Soon I was teaching 22 classes, seven days a week and I’ve been doing that for 10 years. In 2010 I left the corporate world and immersed myself in the world of yoga.

“To teach during the pandemic I took a 300-hour yoga teacher training online with My Vinyasa Practice. I had to record 20 videos of me teaching. The day after I got my certification, they called to say they had watched my videos and wanted me to mentor their students. What started as just a few hours a week evolved into a rapidly growing platform where I was honored with the roles of lead teacher trainer manager to people all over the world—and HR director.

“What’s different about this merger of HR and yoga is that I get to blend both worlds, helping people and watching them grow. It’s a beautiful feeling that’s not just physical for me; it’s also calming and cleansing. I can be at peace with myself and be comfortable in my skin.

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Faces of Long Island is produced by Newsday Consumer Marketing. This content does not involve the reporting and editing staff of Newsday’s Editorial Department.