Inspirational Indiyogi's

Hey yogi's, Have you met Leanne and Geneen yet?!

You've probably seen these two on the mat next to you at some point in one of your yoga classes at Indigo Yoga. Geneen and Leanne are our inspirational mother-daughter duo who have been inspiring many of us at Indigo Yoga for months! They seem to always enter the studio laughing and ready to strike up a conversation… so we decided to strike up a conversation with them and we asked these two Indiyogi's some questions and are ready to reveal the answers… we hope they inspire you as much as they inspire us! Next time you see Leanne and Geneen on or off the mat, make sure to say hi!

Leanne, 27 and Geneen, 54 have been practicing yoga for about 5 years now.  Here's some more about Leanne and Geneen and their yoga journey...

How did you first encounter yoga and fall in love with yoga?
Geneen:  My gym offered it and my daughter and I started taking classes.
Leanne: As an elite volleyball player, I was not encouraged to cross-train or stretch which left me with several injuries and no flexibility. After 2 stress-fractures, I was encouraged to try other forms of exercise that wouldn’t cause me as much pain and that’s when i tried yoga at my gym. It challenged me in new ways and i loved that. As i kept going, i fell in love with the power of vinyasa. The breath combined with movement hooked me. I get lost in that and find a moving meditation that can’t be replaced.

What is your favorite yoga pose and why?
Leanne: Forward fold is my favorite “let it go” pose. My job involves me needing to be a safe place for others to actually be with their feelings that I need a place to let it all go. After my first forward fold of the day, I can feel the stress in my neck, shoulders and descending release. Plus you can really see the difference from the start of class to the end and that feeling of “I’m improving” is great too.
Geneen: Dancer – it makes me feel graceful when I least feel I am.

Tell us about your focus during your practice or what is your personal mantra?
Geneen: I use the mantra “Let it go” “Let it be” – I struggle to stay in the moment but have found it more and more in my practice.
Leanne: I struggle with being mindful in stillness unless its after exhausting myself. So my focus is best when i’m moving and being challenged, then i’m lost in the “dance” and totally focused. I am trying to find a mantra that always works for me but i haven’t yet. My mantra is different day to day. Lately, i haven’t been putting an intention or mantra on my practice and trying to allow things to just be and accept them as that (not my natural way of being). I’ve found then i’m not fighting myself to be this or that, instead just letting go.

Has yoga affected you off the mat... and if so, how?
Leanne: Its helped me with patience and being aware of how I’m feeling. It also helps me to de-stress.
Geneen: Yoga is a state of mind – practicing yoga affects my state of mind in a very positive way by centering me. That state of mind carries through each day as long as I practice often. I feel more peaceful when I practice often, even if I have many of the “life happens” ups and downs.

You have been named our Inspirational Indiyogis of the month.... who or what inspires you?
Leanne: My teachers! They really care about their students and want you to grow. So I love when they challenge me and push me to try harder variations or new advanced poses. They also inspire me with their ways of being and yoga practice. I love when an instructor takes a class with us!
Geneen: My kids inspire me every day. They keep me young and through them I continue to learn and grow as a person, gaining knowledge and doing new things I wouldn’t dream of doing. My daughter Leanne inspires me in Yoga. We started practicing together 5 years ago and when she moved away for 2 years and I had surgery, I didn’t practice. When she returned in March we started practicing within a few days and not just once a week. We have such a good time I genuinely look forward to going as often as we can. Doing our pose together meant a lot to me – it represents the bond we have for each other and how far we have come in our practice.

Fun Fact about Leanne: I’ve been to 38 states! My goal is all 50 before 50!

Fun Fact about Geneen: I am an avid biker (mountain and roadie) and spend my spare time and vacations taking adventures. We have mountain biked and hiked in Las Vegas’ Mount Charleston and Valley of Fires and Sedona. I am very lucky because my kids enjoy the adventures too. I am blessed with the best three children ever!