Inspirational Indiyogi: Denise Anderson

Indiyogi in the Spotlight
Denise Anderson

Have you ever met someone who seems to "glow"? We have! We chose to feature our little ray of sunshine, Denise Anderson as our inspirational Indiyogi this month because she is one of those people who walks into a room and just seems to light up the room and lighten the mood. She always enters Indigo Yoga with a big bright beautiful smile on her face and engages with everyone she runs into, introducing herself to people she doesn't know already, saying hello to everyone in her path, and stopping to ask others about their day. She has such a big heart and is so generous and thoughtful. Denise is truly a special kind of person... it's not often you come across people who take the time to give a handwritten cards, or pick up just a "little something" whenever a special day comes up for someone or a bouquet of flowers just to make the studio that much more beautiful.

Denise was born and raised in Essex County and has lived in Caldwell since 2007. She is a hair dresser, and has an adorable pug named Sweatpea and is a proud, loving aunt to her 2 nieces. Denise loves to throw a good party, will dance whenever and wherever and will pretty much try anything once! Denise says she loves to make people smile (which must be why she loves to come to Indigo... because she is always making us smile!). She is super silly and says she falls in love at least twice a day with something! She eats chocolate every single day and has a pretty spectacular collection of tiaras... yup... tiaras! She thinks she is born in the wrong era for sure because she adores thrift shopping and collecting Depression glass. When she's sad she likes to cook and give all the food away (which once again fits right into her character of being super loving, generous, and thoughtful!) For those of you who already know Denise... did you know that she is a Star Wars geek?

Denise's yoga practice:
Denise has been practicing yoga for about a year and a half now. Prior to that, she has always wanted to try yoga and had only taken a few classes over the years. Her sister practices yoga and has always talked about the benefits she experienced (especially during her pregnancy). Living in town and driving up and down Bloomfield Avenue she passed by Indigo Yoga and wanted to try it out but was intimidated by her lack of knowledge and flexibility but she was drawn to it. "Being a busy hairdresser for over 20 years has taken a toll on my body and going through lives challenges, a toll on my heart and soul. It took one Friday of feeling like a complete cesspool of emotions and physical pain that I finally had the courage to walk into Indigo. I was greeted by the instructor and I left feeling for the first time in a  long time that I was going to be better."

"Yoga to me means peace and freedom. And being a part of the Indigo community means family." Denise fills us in on what goes through her head during her yoga practice and what her mantra or focus is during class. She explains that her focus changes day to day... some days her mantra is "let go" and other days it's "you got this!" A lot of times she likes her focus to be more of a dedication to people she loves who she knows are going through a bad time or are sick or emotionally down. "I feel like I gain more strength and grounding when I think about others and serve more than one purpose other than myself." Denise explains, "I mean, I am there doing the work, surrounded by amazing people. I already am gaining so much, so why not send it out to those who need it too but can't be where I am?"

Denise finds that yoga has affected her off the mat in many ways. She is more patient and relaxed about everything and she is kinder to herself. Yoga has helped her both mentally and physically. "I am calmer with my process and I have been able to let go of so many little pieces of garbage floating in my mind." Physically, her body feels better too. After a long day of standing at work as a hair dresser, she finds that there are poses that she has learned that help to stretch out those aching muscles and provide a little bit of relief. "Yoga has stretched my mind and body and I have learned I can always come to my edge and I won't break!"

Inspiration:
We always like to find out what inspires those who inspire us so much. Denise says she is inspired by her nieces. "I want to be the best Auntie I can be. I want to be a strong role model for these treasures and teach them to be beautiful girls inside. Love inspires me. To give and act in and to be open to and receive love. I am also inspired by my work... to help each person who sits in my chair to feel beautiful when they look int he mirror and hearing their stories help. And of course, the unbelievable staff and yogis of Indigo inspire me. Whether it's words of wisdom and kindness, being reminded we are in a no judgment zone, permission to laugh at myself and smile through chair pose or watch someone nail a pose that has eluded them or tried for the first time... and I pray one day I will be super bendy like Miriam!"