Before I talk about me, push the play button above and listen to my lovely friend Annie Jenkins sing one of her many lovely, inspirational songs… and then go to CD Baby, hear snippets of the rest, and what the heck, buy the album! Now that you have heard music that should be heard by as many ears and hearts as possible, let’s talk briefly about me, Toni Best, and why I want to share yoga with you.
I am a lover of yoga. Why? I believe it saved my life. I was an overachiever with a need to reach perfection at all cost. On the outside I was bright and shiny and in charge. On the inside, I was starving myself and dying of self-loathing. Thanks to yoga, I found the courage to begin living authentically… perhaps for the first time in my life.
After apprenticing with a great mentor, I began teaching yoga in Seattle and the Eastside in 2002. Through my experience practicing and teaching yoga and meeting many fascinating people that have influenced my life, I have designed my own unique life with my own outrageous ideas for living it.
I don’t talk in that funny yoga voice or meditate for hours daily. Sometimes I drink too much wine and eat a lot of cheese. I have a hard time with Seattle winters and live for trips to warm, sunny beaches… Sometimes I am paralyzed by fear and at others I am completely free. I’m not perfect, get it?
What kind of teacher am I? Different I hope. I don’t like the idea of being ordinary. Don’t worry, I am richly trained in human biology, anatomy and physiology, I study yoga philosophy and understand many of the health benefits of yoga… but that isn’t what grabbed me. I was knocked over by my own underlying potential when someone saw more in me than I saw in myself and helped me awaken it and reconnect to something bigger. So my teaching approach is to pull your heart out, help you feel your way to your authentic self and your highest potential, to empower you to take intelligent risks, and step up and make a difference in the world.
I am a motivated (aspiring) yogi sharing my passion for life through yoga. I help people find more in themselves than they think they have to give… with a little laughter and a few tears. I love to travel, learn about different cultures, meet the people, and experience the richness of life. I love music. I love to dance. I love to give and to teach. Oh yeah, and sometimes, I am a little bit crazy.
Mostly joy and inspiration,
*Toni*
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Oh yeah, I love it when you comment on my blogs. It lets me know if I’m doing something that is interesting and helpful to other people, or if I’m only interesting to myself!!! So comment please! Thanks for reading.
