Stretch Into Success: The Impact of Yoga

As centuries go by and the world changes, one thing that has remained constant is yoga. Most people know and understand yoga as a physical practice that improves flexibility, but there is a lot more to it than meets the eye.

What is Yoga?

Stemming from Hinduism (with influence from Buddhism and Jainism), yoga was first recorded in about 1700 BCE via The Holy Vedas. The translation of “yoga” is “to yolk” or “to unite,” which is a reference to the way that yoga “unites” the spiritual and physical body. Yoga is a lifestyle that promotes balance between the mind, body, spirit, and energy in order to reach an elevated sense of self.

How Does it Work?

Let’s start with breathwork. This is an essential element of yoga and has many benefits such as calming and focusing the mind, releasing tension both physical and emotional, reducing stress, lowers heart rate and blood pressure, increasing energy, and so much more. 

While stretching makes up a majority of what is perceived as yoga, the most important part of movement is connecting it to the breath. Doing this creates focus as well as allows for the release of tension in the body, aiding in a tranquil experience. The purpose of physical yoga is to prepare for meditation. In fact, every yoga class ends with a pose called Shavasana, or meditation.

Because of yoga’s popularity, the practice has expanded to the West and the rest of the world. Now, yoga is accessible to everyone. From yoga studios and retreats to classes at your local gym or even on YouTube, anyone can begin their yoga journey.

My Story: Student Journalist and Passionate Yoga Instructor

I took my first yoga class at 12- years-old. My English teacher at the time was a yogi (someone proficient in yoga) and had started teaching yoga as well as middle school. At the beginning of every class, we did three breaths to regulate ourselves. She had a Zen corner with books and a mini waterfall, and she would always push for mindfulness in the classroom. 

She started a yoga club at my school, and I decided to go to a class. It completely changed my life. The class was difficult; I didn’t have the strength nor the flexibility to do a lot of the poses. Yet when I left, I felt new. Throughout the year, I learned to meditate, the importance of self-regulation, the connection between breath and movement, and how much the body and mind truly rely on one another. I continued going to this club every single week until I graduated middle school.

In high school, I practiced here and there, but since I wasn’t taking any classes, I fell out of practice. When I was 15,  my family moved from the city to the suburbs and the Covid-19 shutdown came very shortly after. I was completely alone and severely struggling with mental health and the massive life changes. There was a point where I became hopeless. My therapist was always saying to do some breathwork and meditation, but I was extremely unmotivated and never did. Meditation, I learned, is a practice with the goal of slowing down one’s heart rate and thoughts through slow and controlled breathing. 

One night, things were particularly difficult. I decided to try and meditate and it was a lot harder than I remembered. I was frustrated, but for some reason part of me felt like meditating was a necessity. After some time trying to maintain focus, I finally felt connected and was able to meditate. It wasn’t for a long, maybe five minutes, but I was meditating and it was extremely healing. For the first time in a long time, the weight on my chest felt a little lighter and the tension in my forehead was released. I didn’t realize how badly my head hurt all the time from stress and tension until this moment when I reconnected with myself.

When Covid restrictions started to lift, I got a job at age 16 at my local gym. I began doing yoga again and meditated often. I saved up for a few months and decided to enroll in a program to get my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) Certification. It was a lot of work, but 18 months  later I finally had my certification! I began teaching at the age of 17 at the same gym I started at the year before.

Fast forward to college; I moved to Pennsylvania and began teaching yoga daily at Susquehanna University. My segment was called “Midday Mindfulness” and held at the LGBTQ+ Resource Center. I also began teaching at a local gym which was so much fun. Then in January 2025 I transferred to Centenary University and began teaching in New Jersey again.

Tough Start in NJ

At first it was difficult to start teaching as I was juggling finding my teaching style, making a name for myself in the community, and learning how to manage imposter syndrome. This is when someone feels they are not supposed to be where they are and doing what they are doing due to believing they are not qualified, even if they are. 

My age played a huge role in this. I was much younger than the two other instructors who worked at the gym and was severely inexperienced by comparison. My abilities were often questioned because of my age and I was met with condescendence from my coworkers and many times from instructors as well as students. To add to this, I have been overweight my entire life which is another stigma in the fitness community. I was heavily discriminated against; given extremely late-night classes where fewer people would attend due to the time (7:30-8:30 p.m. classes) and I was heavily underpromoted.

The gym never reposted me on their Instagram. This gym had a spotlight on a fitness instructor every month. I was finally featured in the month of March that year, which was about six months after I first started teaching. Even so, they never promoted me on their Instagram as the spotlight of the month. Backhanded comments from my bosses grew to be very tiring.

Pursue Your Passion!

I pushed through because teaching yoga was (and is) my passion. The creativity flow that comes with scripting a class is such a rush. To not only be certified in something I’m passionate about but also learning how to make it my lifestyle is truly a gift. However, nothing ever beats the incredible moment of ending a class and feeling the energy of the room. You can tell when people really felt the class. There’s a sense of relief in the air; it’s energizing yet tranquil.

However, the best part about teaching is the community you build. There have been so many times when people came up to me after class and told me about some hardship or conflict in their lives and how the class offered relief from it. Throughout my yoga career many people have told me that my classes are therapeutic. I’ve had people cry during classes after releasing so much pent-up tension or come to me after and hug me while they cried. It’s indescribable to know that I can help so many different types of people. 

Yoga teaches us to be present. Being present means noticing small things like someone who came into class closed off and leaving with a more relaxed look, noticing a returning student’s progress, seeing someone gain confidence in themselves after offering a modification in a pose, and speaking with beginner yogis before and after their first classes. These are just a few of many of the reasons why I do what I do.

I am so thankful to continue to learn and grow every single day as both a teacher and a yogi.

Yoga’s Impact: A Faculty Member

Many faculty members practice yoga, including Centenary University’s own Professor Janet Zatta, who shared her yoga journey. She breaks her yoga experience up into three sections: physical, mental, and energy. 

In a physical sense, Zatta has benefitted greatly from her yoga practice. 

“It is transformative,” said Zatta. “As a mature woman, I love [yoga] due to strengthening and balance.” She has “full confidence in [her] body” to do physical tasks such as getting in and out of her kayak without losing her balance and falling.

Zatta also recognizes the importance of breathwork in yoga, saying how the phrase “just breathe” has a different meaning to her now that she practices. “As a woman, I have used ‘breath’ when I have a medical test; it gives me focus and a place to go so I can block out what's going on.”

There is a strong connection between yoga and focus, according to Zatta. 

“Through yoga, you learn to be with yourself. Where does your mind go when holding a pose? Can you just be there and not with your to-do list?” With this, her mindful sentiment extends.

“Think of the pose Warrior II, " said Zatta, “ a pose taken in a low lunge with the front leg bent and back leg straightened. The arms are lifted with one arm pointed toward the front and the other facing the back. 

The pose is important to Zatta. “Firmly planted in the present, looking back and looking forward. But you can only BE in the present; can't change the past and can't predict the future. What a beautiful life lesson. So, BE where you ARE and give it your full attention.”

She has also gained  great confidence since beginning her yoga practice. Yoga “teaches you to believe in yourself.” A common misconception with yoga students is believing that you must be flexible or that others around you will judge you. To this, Zatta says “it is definitely NOT a competition with others in class to see what they can do. I practice with my eyes closed most of the time.” 

This is a great way to refocus anxiety into intention and bring that energy inward.

This peace transcends throughout the class until the very end, which Zatta says is her favorite part. “I love how my class ends where we’re sitting [in easy pose] cross-legged [on our mats]. We gather up our energy with our two hands from the floor to up over our heads. Then we release that energy by wiggling our fingers and bringing our hands back down to our sides. Once more, we gather up that energy and pause over our heads and gaze at our own two capable hands so we ‘continue to see, hear and believe in the energy we create each and every day as we bow to our own heart centers’ (mind, mouth, heart). To me, this is SO very powerful. My belief is that the entire world should do yoga.”

Yoga’s Impact: A Student

Alison Motzertt, a regular in my yoga classes, experiences great benefits from her yoga practice as well.

“It helps me; as I age, I am able to do more,” she said. Yoga has allowed her to become confident in her strength and body regardless of how it changes year to year. Motzertt said it is  “freeing” to be able to “stand strong on [her] own.”

Her philosophy on yoga is that it is a necessary aspect of fitness that everyone needs. 

“Yoga is the root of all exercises. I see these people in the gym who work out all the time but when they come to yoga they struggle. They’re stiff.” Her discovery of this helped her love and admiration for yoga to grow.

“I see the difference in my own life. I’m a runner and when I run I use the breath I learned in yoga to sustain myself." She uses her breathwork throughout her day to calm herself and improve her workouts. “It keeps me grounded.”

Motzertt shares her own advice to the gym community and beyond. 

“I think everyone should do yoga, especially if you’re older. I see other people my age and they can’t get up or touch their toes. This keeps me young. Keeps me strong,” Motzertt said.

Yoga’s Impact: A Yoga Teacher 

Shanna is a yoga teacher based in New York. She runs a small business helping yoga teachers learn to script better classes and find their teaching styles.

She shared how her yoga journey began. 

“I have five kids, a dog, and a husband. I guess you could call me ‘Super Mom!’ I love to show sequencing tips and tricks for new and growing yoga teachers to help support [them] on [their] yoga journey.”

Her first experience with yoga was in her twenties.  “I first found yoga in New York City as a 26-year-old in a free class in a church basement. My mat became a place that I could find quiet, calm, focus, and challenge. Many years and five children later, I was struggling through post-partum depression. I began Teacher Training to do something for myself.”

Her motivation comes from her own self ambition. 

“I love teaching yoga because it’s challenging! Leaning into that challenge forces me to grow beyond the boundaries of my job as a stay-at-home mom. For example, arm balances (where the yogi balances their weight)  are my favorite things to teach. I love seeing people achieve an arm balance they’ve never been confident enough to try. It brings me so much satisfaction.”

Shanna has great advice for her fellow yogis. 

“There have been times in my yoga career when I have been embarrassed because I’ve never taught eight, ten, or twelve classes a week. With the size of my family and my responsibilities at home, it’s just not realistic for me. I usually teach two, three, occasionally four classes a week. But here’s the truth: that doesn’t make me less of a yoga teacher. That doesn’t make my work less impactful. Even if you teach once a week, you’re impactful. You’re powerful, and you are every bit as much of a yoga teacher as anyone else no matter the size of your schedule.”

She also values interaction from other fitness communities in her yoga classes. 

“Can we also as a yoga community stop hating on the gym crowd? You know, the people who show up just for the workout? Because you know what? They’re in the room. Once they’re in the room it’s my job as a teacher to start teaching them all the other stuff. Before you know it the next time they’re in a traffic jam,  they’re counting the length of their inhales and exhales because they learn that at yoga.”

If you’re interested in taking a yoga class, you can find one right here at Centenary University. Recently, Anais Peralta – a CU resident advisor – held a “Paws and Poses” class in September, and Lea Antolini-Lid – an assistant professor of theater and dance – has taught on campus a few times, notably during Welcome Week in August where she held a yoga class on the Quad.  Keep an eye on your student email for any upcoming yoga events. The library also has a meditation/mindfulness room where you can rest or borrow a mat to stretch and practice.

If you’re looking for something more structured, check out my all-skill-level classes at Crunch Hackettstown on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m. You can also contact me on Instagram @the_witchy_yogi, or schedule a virtual yoga lesson or tarot reading on my website.